The CYC Colour Collection: How to Choose From 16 Felt Colours
Sixteen stock colours, from Milk and Dark Vanilla through Sage Leaf and Klein Blue to Hibiscus and Eminence. How to choose one that still works in your light.
CYC Acoustic Team
CYC Acoustic Panel Specialists
Sixteen colours is enough choice to get the design right and enough to get it wrong. Here is how to narrow it down. See the full set on our colour collection and order a sample box before committing.
The palette, grouped
Warm neutrals — good default for inhabited spaces, forgiving in artificial light.
- Milk (#F6F3EA)
- Dark Vanilla (#DED6C4)
- Stone Grey (#B9B7AE)
Cool neutrals — a slightly harder, more architectural register.
- Flint (#7C8399)
- Space Cadet (#2E3A5C)
- Black Rock (#2B323A)
- Dark Purple (#2A1F33)
Greens — the safest of the saturated options; read as neutral in most interiors.
- Sage Leaf (#9DBE6E)
- Dark Turquoise (#2E6E72)
Warm saturated — strong, use where the panel is a feature.
- Auburn Red (#8E3B39)
- Garnet (#8E4A3A)
- Hickory (#3B2A21)
Cool saturated — high impact, best in smaller areas or as accent.
- Klein Blue (#1F4E9C)
- Eminence (#6B3E8E)
- Hibiscus (#9C2B5B)
Soft accent
- Nadeshiko Pink (#D8B4B8)
Four rules that prevent regret
1. Screen colour is directional, not accurate. The same Sage Leaf swatch looks olive on one monitor and pistachio on another. Never choose from a screen for a project you have to live with.
2. Check it in your own light. North-facing rooms, warm bulbs and evening lighting all shift felt colours. This is the whole reason a sample box exists.
3. Choose the function first. In a meeting room where the ceiling is treated and the design is neutral, a warm neutral on the ceiling and one saturated accent wall usually reads better than two strong colours competing.
4. Order spares. Felt is dyed in batches. A panel replaced a year later may not match. Order the spare at the same time as the job — this is the single most common colour regret in commercial work.
Combinations worth considering
| Scheme | Main surfaces | Accent | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiet neutral | Milk or Stone Grey | Flint | Offices, clinics, residential |
| Warm minimal | Dark Vanilla | Hickory | Hospitality, residential |
| Architectural cool | Space Cadet | Flint | Studios, commercial lobbies |
| Botanical | Sage Leaf | Dark Vanilla | Biophilic interiors, classrooms |
| Bold feature | Black Rock | Hibiscus or Klein Blue | Bars, reception, retail |
| Soft residential | Nadeshiko Pink | Milk | Bedrooms, soft interiors |
Practical notes
- Light colours mark more easily in service areas. Use darker tones at touch height.
- Dark colours absorb light. A dark ceiling can noticeably darken a room; mock up a single bay before ordering a whole ceiling.
- Fluted profiles read differently from flat. A fluted panel in a mid-tone looks lighter than the same colour flat, because the profile catches light across the ridges.
- Pattern mixing is possible. Fluted, flat and laser-cut panels in the same colour combine well; two different colours in two different profiles usually do not.
How to decide in one afternoon
- Shortlist three colours from the list above, not sixteen
- Order the sample box and look at the swatches in the room, in daylight and at night
- Hold them against the furniture, floor and any fixed joinery
- Choose the main surface first, then the accent
- Order spares in the same batch