Looking for the best green paint colors for your next project? Explore our paint color consultant guide to our favorite hues.
Green has been a popular paint color for interior and exterior applications for years now. And while it may be a trend, green can also a timeless hue that offers warmth and flexibility.
Want to add green paint to your home? Read our paint color consultants’ guide to the best green paint colors for walls, cabinets and more.
*This post contains affiliate links for products I use and love. If you click on some links and make a purchase, I will get a small commission at no cost to you. This helps pay for the costs of the blog, so I can continue to offer great content to our readers.
About The Color Concierge
Our Colorado-based paint color consultants make finding the right paint colors for your home easy. Whether you’re painting the exterior or interior of your home, our simple yet effective process lets us get your paint color right the first time. We’ve helped thousands of homeowners transform their homes into a space they love. Learn more about ONLINE COLOR CONSULTATIONS today.
Understanding Green Paint Colors
Learn more about the best green paint colors and how to use them.
Is green a good color for walls?
Yes! As a paint color consultant, I love using green wall paint in a client’s home. Some of the best green paint colors are perfect for accent walls (Article), full rooms or even color drenching. Because there are so many different green hues, it’s a very versatile color that pairs well with many neutral paint colors (Article) and hard finishes like wood and brick.
What are the undertones of green paint?
Green paint colors have either yellow undertones (warm) or blue undertones (cool). Many green paint colors are also fairly neutral and don’t lean too heavily toward yellow or blue.
Is green paint warm or cool?
Green paint is always fairly warm, but it can vary based on its undertones. A green paint color with strong blue undertones, for example, will be much cooler on the wall than a green hue with strong yellow undertones.
Color is always about comparison. A green may be cooler or warmer than another color that you have in place. For example, green is warmer than most blues and cooler than most yellows.
What is the best LRV for green paint?
There really isn’t a “best” LRV for green paint. It depends on the room you’re using the color in and the look you’re hoping to achieve. This is why you should always test your paint colors.
If you test a green color in a room and it looks black, it’s too dark. If it looks washed out, then it’s too light.
LRV is short for Light Reflectance Value, which is a measurement of how light (LRV=100) or dark (LRV=0) a color is.
If you’re looking for a sage green paint color, I recommend looking for a mid-tone paint with an LRV between 30 and 60. Dark green paint colors with LRVs below 30 can look really beautiful if you’re hoping to create a moody green space.
12 Best Green Paint Colors
The paint colors below are some of our favorites that we’ve used in client’s homes over the years. Every photograph below comes from a real home and was taken by The Color Concierge team or one of our clients.
Farrow & Ball Teresa’s Green, No. 236 (LRV 60)
Farrow & Ball Teresa’s Green (Sample) is the lightest green paint color we’re featuring. This color is soft and muted, but still feels rich on the wall.
Teresa’s Green (Article) is an aqua color, or a blue-green. Unlike some darker teal colors that can feel overwhelming in some spaces, Teresa’s Green is a beautiful soft blue-green paint that adds a feeling of calm to the spaces it’s used in.
Farrow & Ball doesn’t provide LRVs for their paint colors, but I estimated an LRV of 60 with color comparisons and other information on the internet.
Benjamin Moore Fernwood Green 2145-50 (LRV 56.76)
Benjamin Moore Fernwood Green (Sample) is the kind of color that looks horrible on the swatch but when you start testing, it’s so pretty.
While many green paints on the market today are muted (look gray) and have cooler undertones, Fernwood Green (Article) does not. It’s a true, warm green that brings a lot of brightness to any space thanks to its yellow undertones.
The LRV of Fernwood Green is 56.76. Since it’s over 50, it’s still considered reflective. It’s light enough to use in many different rooms but also has plenty of pigment.
Farrow & Ball Green Blue, No. 84 (LRV 49)
This color may be the most accurately named of all the Farrow & Ball paints. Green Blue (Sample) is exactly what it sounds like: a very even mix of green and blue hues. Depending on the changing light throughout the day, it sometimes looks bluer and sometimes looks greener.
The LRV (that’s light reflective value) of Farrow & Ball Green Blue (Article) is approximately 49. Farrow & Ball doesn’t actually give LRVs for their paint colors, but I estimated the LRV with color comparisons and other information on the internet.
I would consider Green Blue a cooler green, but it can really shift depending on the light in a space, and other colors in the room. In a west-facing room with warm, afternoon sunlight, for example, the color will appear greener and warmer. In a north- or south-facing room with more indirect sunlight, the color will appear bluer and cooler.
Benjamin Moore Herb Bouquet, 460 (LRV 35.37)
BM Herb Bouquet (Sample) is a gorgeous sage green that’s perfect for bathrooms, cabinets, built-ins and entire rooms. It’s a versatile, muted green with subtle blue undertones. It’s cooler than a lot of sage green colors on the market, but is still warm enough to look beautiful with warm whites and natural wood tones.
Herb Bouquet has an LRV of 35.37, so it’s on the darker side but still light enough to work in many different spaces.
My SEO specialist Danielle Gagnon used this color in her master bathroom for board-and-batten paneling paired with BM White Dove (Article) walls, and it looks gorgeous!
Benjamin Moore Texas Sage, 1503 (LRV 34.21)
BM Texas Sage (Sample) is a super muted olive green. It has a ton of gray in it, so it looks very soft in place. The undertones lean toward yellow, so this adds a lovely warmth to any room. With an LRV of 34.21, the color is saturated enough to really look green but isn’t too dark to use for an entire room as an accent in a whole-house color palette. This color is basically a lighter version of Tate Olive (Article), which is another one of the best green paint colors featured below.
We love to use Texas Sage as an interior front door color (Article), as we did in the client’s home below. This is a great way to add a pop of color to an entryway.
Sherwin-Williams Evergreen Fog, SW 9130 (LRV 30)
SW Evergreen Fog (Sample) is one of the most popular green paint colors on the market today. It was also named the Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year in 2022. This is a great option if you’re looking for the best green paint color for cabinets or kitchens.
Evergreen Fog is very muted and on the cooler side. It is warm and inviting but also has a hint of blue that keeps it very versatile. I love the idea of using SW Evergreen Fog in a kitchen for an island, cabinets or even just lower cabinets in a tuxedo kitchen design (Article).
Color drenching (Article) with SW Evergreen Fog is another gorgeous option. My client’s home below features a beautiful color-drenched bedroom painted with this color, including the beautiful built-in wardrobe pictured below.
BM Tate Olive HC-112 – 21.63
Benjamin Moore Tate Olive (Article) is a dark, warm paint color perfect for an accent room like a dining room, office or study. It’s colorful enough to add depth to a space, but dark enough to give your eyes a rest when you’re working on a computer all day in an office.
BM Tate Olive (Sample) has subtle yellow undertones that keep it feeling cozy and inviting. This warm hue is a fantastic accent color to pair with similar greens and other colors popular in today’s warmer interior palettes.
Tate Olive has an LRV of 21.6, which makes it light-absorbing. It’s a dark paint color, but light enough to stay colorful on the wall, especially in a room with lots of natural light.
Benjamin Moore Pinelands, 446 (LRV 21.25)
BM Pinelands (Sample) is a deep, rich forest green that adds a touch of elegance to a space. This color leans more toward yellow than blue, but is cool enough that it doesn’t look like an olive green on the wall.
The bathroom below is another space in my SEO consultant’s home. She used Pinelands to color drench her main powder room downstairs, paired with accent wallpaper.
A paneled accent wall and photo shelf outside the bathroom door are also painted with BM Pinelands.
Benjamin Moore Rosepine, 461 (LRV 20.82)
Rosepine (Sample) is a deep, cool green paint color. It is fairly muted, so it pairs well with just about any neutral hue, including warmer whites like SW Snowbound (Article) and BM Cloud Cover (Article).
We love using Rosepine as an accent wall color like our client did in the nursery below, where it’s paired with Benjamin Moore Intense White (Article) walls.
Rosepine also pairs well with other neutral paint colors. In the bathroom below, for example, we used Rosepine as an accent color alongside Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist (Article) walls.
Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green, SW6208 (LRV 12)
SW Pewter Green (Article) is a beautiful, deep and cool green paint color that is very muted, so it still looks fairly soft even though it’s dark.
We love to use Pewter Green (Sample) as an exterior green paint color alongside warm brick. In the client’s home below, for example, we matched Pewter Green to the home’s unique green roof.
Pewter Green would also be beautiful for cabinets, accent walls and even color drenching.
Sherwin-Williams Rookwood Dark Green, SW 2816 (LRV 10)
SW Rookwood Dark Green (Sample) is a deep, rich green paint color that brings some really gorgeous warmth to a space. It’s a very dark color, with an LRV of 10, but still looks very saturated and won’t risk looking black on the wall.
We used this color for built-in cabinets in a client’s living room painted with Sherwin-Williams Pearly White (Article). Rookwood Dark Green offered the perfect touch of color that tied in with the greenery visible in the backyard.
Benjamin Moore Salamander, 2050-10 (LRV 5.72)
BM Salamander (Article) is a gorgeous, rich dark green color. It’s so dark it is nearly black, so it works best in a room with lots of natural or artificial light, which helps bring out its green hue.
Salamander (Sample) is green with blue undertones. These undertones help create a strong green color on the wall, despite being so dark. If you’re looking for the best moody green paint color, Salamander might be it. I consider it a timeless classic.
Salamander is a great option if you want a dark room but don’t want it to feel too dark or cold. It’s one of the best green paint colors for an office because dark hues are easier on the eyes when you’re looking at a computer all day.
My SEO consultant Danielle used BM Salamander for her office built-ins, pictured below. I love the way the hue pairs with the warm colors in the wallpaper on the adjacent wall.
Sample Your Favorite Green Paint Colors
We always recommend that you test paint colors (article) in your home because lighting can completely change a color, both on interiors and exteriors.
In the old days, this meant we painted a large poster board with sample pots and a huge mess.
Now we have a better way to test paint, with Samplize Peel-and-Stick samples!
- Samples pre-painted with 2 coats of real paint from the manufacturer.
- Large 9” x 14” samples to see the color better in the lighting.
- Delivered overnight
- Colors are accurate
- Less expensive than painting a large poster board with sample pots
- No mess, and no toxic paint to dispose of
I use these in my color consulting practice for exact results. Discover Samplize peel-and-stick paint samples and sample all our favorite green paint colors via the links below.
- Farrow & Ball Teresa’s Green
- Benjamin Moore Fernwood Green
- Farrow & Ball Green Blue
- Benjamin Moore Herb Bouquet
- Benjamin Moore Texas Sage
- Sherwin-Williams Evergreen Fog
- Benjamin Moore Tate Olive
- Benjamin Moore Pinelands
- Benjamin Moore Rosepine
- Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green
- Sherwin-Williams Rookwood Dark Green
- Benjamin Moore Salamander
Key Learning Points
Green paint is a gorgeous way to add color to your home that is still fairly neutral.
- There are many different kinds of green paint colors, with undertones ranging from yellow to blue. Pick a hue that aligns with the other colors in your space.
- Muted green paint colors are very popular. The gray in the color helps tone them down and make them easier to pair with other colors.
- Green paint colors look beautiful with warm white paint colors, natural wood tones and even warm brick.
Remember: NEVER, EVER use paint matches from a different brand than the one specified. Results are poor and there are no standards for the sheens. Even though your painter may truly believe it can be done, don’t do it. See results from paint matching here.
No matter what, always test your paint colors. It’s a standard best practice. Whenever I test my paint colors, they are perfect, and when I don’t test they turn out wrong. Learn how to test your paint colors here.
Online Color Consulting
Still need help picking the best paint colors? Discover our Online Color Consulting Package.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Michelle Marceny, founder, owner, and Principal Color Designer at The Color Concierge. I believe a fresh coat of paint can completely transform a space. The Color Concierge was born out of my drive to help clients fall back in love with their homes. My clients trust me to help them find the perfect paint color for their home – whether it’s a whole-house paint color scheme or ideas for a single room.
Since The Color Concierge was founded in 2017, we have completed over 3000 color consultations, both online and in-person. I am a Certified Color Expert with 7 years of experience creating interior and exterior color palettes throughout North America.
Related Posts
- Farrow & Ball Green Blue Color Review
- Farrow & Ball Teresa’s Green Color Review
- Benjamin Moore Tate Olive Color Review
- Benjamin Moore Salamander Color Review
- Benjamin Moore Fernwood Green Color Review
We love your comments! Please note that the blog is meant as general advice, and it is not possible to give out specific answers to your paint questions. If you want more specific advice, please consider purchasing a color consultation. Thank you for your understanding.
