Get inspired with mauve design templates.
From mallow to mauve, this “accidental color” carries unique opportunities for your projects.
Inspiration in the color mauve.
Learn the history and meaning of the color mauve and a dye invented by accident.
What is the meaning of the color mauve?
Mauve color falls between purple and pink on the color wheel. This soft and light purple is a hue that inspires romance and sentimentality. The color mauve contains much of the power of purple, but its muted shade is less demanding.
The name mauve is the French word for the “malva” (mallow) flower. The light purple bloom has hints of gray and blue undertones.
The history of mauve.
From mallow to mauve, a name change marked a change for a mauve future.
The color mauve was originally called mallow. Recorded as far back as 1611, the color was also the name of the mallow (malva) flower. Its blooms are a soft purple that carries hints of gray, blue, and pink. English speakers could refer to the color as mallow, however it was not commonly used. Around the end of the 1800s, the first registered use of mauve as a color appeared in English. The color mauve took the French word for the same flower.
William Perkins’ prominent purple dye made mauve color a total phenomenon.
When mauve was renamed, it remained uncommon. In the early 1800s, the world was less saturated with colors. Wearing color was a sign of status and wealth because dyes were hard to make. It wasn’t until an 18-year-old British chemistry student named William Perkins accidentally made a synthetic purple dye in 1856 that things started to change. Perkins’ dye was a perfect match to what the population could call mauve.
Mauve color revolutionized fashion.
The invention of synthetic mauve pigment was the first in a long list of synthetic dyes. Mauve color enjoyed its heyday as the first dye available to the masses. The 1890s have been called the “Mauve Decade” because of the popularity of mauve in clothing. The idea of the color mauve today is paler than the original deep shade of mauve. This is symbolic, because mauve dyes were known to fade quickly, and the popularity of Perkins’ original dye did fade before the 20th century.
The color mauve across different cultures.
The color purple has lasting allure, and mauve color enjoys a similar magnetism.
Purple has always been coveted. Tyrian purple was more expensive than gold in the Middle Ages because it was made from an extraction from thousands of sea snails. Mauve color enjoyed similar status. Any pigment that could achieve purple tones — including mauve purple with its hints of gray, blue, and pink — was desirable. Mauve color represented the wealth and power of those who could wear it.
The mauve frenzy was widespread.
After British chemist William Perkins’ accidentally invented a synthetic mauve dye in 1856, he found quick success in massive production of mauve color pigment. Mauve spread across Europe fast after that. Then, it spread across the world. By 1860, mauve color dye was in demand from London to Budapest to Hong Kong.
The West is seeing a new mauve trend today.
Purple in many shades is trending again today in the West. Mauve color is seen in more fashion now. The color mauve is also making new appearances in cosmetics and interior design. For those who love purple but don’t want to dwarf a room in dark purple paint, mauve is the perfect statement color. Even with the new craze for mauve, the color mauve carries a surprising feeling of nostalgia, as though Perkins were celebrating its newfound popularity along with us.
How to use the color mauve.
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Works of art that feature the color mauve.
The color mauve became popular with impressionist-era painters because of its popularity when this artistic movement reached its height. Monet’s pieces Impression Sunrise (1872) and Morning on the Seine near Giverny (1897) are esteemed examples.
Put the psychology of mauve to work.
Mauve color represents decadence, just like so many mauve dresses, slippers, and ribbons on the streets of London in 1860. The color mauve has come to represent youth and femininity, too. Mauve is also popular in the springtime because of its sense of renewal.
Similar colors can be combined with mauve, too.
Mauve color can also be combined with colors similar to mauve. Work mauve into a project with pale pink and mauve blue, and the full spectrum of mauve will come together. These colors are harmonious and feel soft and pleasing when used together.
Mauve color interacts beautifully with complementary colors.
The color mauve interacts well with light green, which is the color opposite on the color wheel. The two together are reminiscent of the malva flower that the color mauve was named after.
Information about mauve color.
The mauve HEX code picker is #E0B0FF. Mauve color is said to fall between purple and pink, but its gray and blue undertones both soften and lighten it.
Mauve color can be achieved in a RGB space with 224 red, 176 green, and 255 blue. The color mauve can be achieved in a CMYK color space with 16% cyan, 32% magenta, 0% yellow, and 0% black.
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