Cory Cook
I may make a small commission on products purchased with my link, but your price does not change. And after the cold grays and sterile whites that have been popular for the last several years, we’re longing for something with more personality and warmth.
As a general rule, sage greens add a sense of calmness and serenity to a room, somewhat like taking a peaceful walk out in nature.
Some resemble the color of fresh sage which is a muted, softened green with hints of gray. We’ll take a look at several varieties here today from popular paint companies Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Farrow & Ball, and Behr. Most sage greens lean to the cool side of the color spectrum but some are also warmer.
They all have varying amounts of colorants like blue, gray, black, oxide yellow, and even red or orange. Sherwin Williams Svelte Sage has a few more drops of red or orange in it which neutralizes the green and gives it warmer undertones. The warmth or coolness of a paint color will be enhanced by the amount and source of light in an area. Rooms that get less light, like ones that face north and east, will benefit from using a paint color with a warmer undertone to warm up the coolness of the space.
Rooms that face south and west get a lot of strong natural light look great with cooler colors. The green can reflect off of the walls and give your skin a sickly color, causing you to possibly apply your makeup wrong.
It often can be neutral but has a a bit more personality than grays, greiges, whites, or beiges. For a more subdued palette look for soft ivories, muted light corals, pale earth tones, and lighter woods with natural or gray undertones.
If you prefer more bold colors you’ll want to use coppers, blackish browns, russet, and deep wood tones. There are hundreds of gray paint colors ranging from cool blue-grays to warm greiges.
Sage greens with cool undertones could go with grays that are not too blue or not too greige. Here’s a favorite pairing of Benjamin Moore Sagebrush and Wickham Gray.
You can feel safe in knowing that this color will be popular for a while since it’s trending upwards. If you aren’t quite ready to commit to painting your walls with sage green you can always add in a few accent pieces. Every paint brand has several versions of this popular color and I’ve rounded up the 25 best ones. (Stay tuned for a roundup of the best light sage green paint colors coming soon.)
From our favorite paint brand from across the pond, Farrow & Ball Mizzle is definitely a top choice for sage green walls. It’s soothing, soft, and will make your room feel like it’s giving you a warm hug.
It’s from the Historical Collection from Benjamin Moore and is a timeless choice for any era. The best places to use it today are kitchen cabinets, exteriors (see image below), built-in bookcases, and any room you want to create a Zen-like feeling. Another classic old house, this one has Saybrook Sage as the main siding color with Wethersfield Moss as an accent. Best place to use: this cool, muted color is a good choice for rooms that get a lot of late afternoon sun (facing west) to counter balance the warm yellow rays of sunshine.
This stunning classic kitchen has Horizon Gray walls paired with White Dove cabinets and warm natural wood accents. This warm medium tone green from Benjamin Moore has slight yellow undertones and a very earthy hue.
If you want less yellow and a little more brownish-gray undertones, Sherwin-Williams Soft Sage might be the best paint color for you. Perfect for a relaxing bedroom, half bathroom, laundry room, or kitchen. It’s slight darker than Filmy Green but has the same soft, muted, earthy undertones.
The color of the year for 2022 from Benjamin Moore is October Mist and it has become one of their top sellers.
It’s a medium tone color and is a wonderful choice for cabinets, accent walls, or any room you want to add a bit of coziness to. Tree Moss is on the warmer spectrum and is a bit more lively than some sage green colors.
Here’s a popular medium tone sage green that’s great for accent walls, cabinets, and more. Use it with soft whites, muted grays, or deep russet and blackish browns.
Oil Cloth has a bit of a cooler appearance with slight gray undertones and looks amazing on cabinets, kitchen islands, accent walls, and furniture.
If your prefer a color similar to dried rubbed sage, Frosted Fern might be a good choice. It has brownish-grayish-green undertones and is a great complement to dark earth tones. Almost the same as Frosted Fern, Behr Simply Sage is another color with brown, gray, and green undertones.
It’s a soft, darker, muted sage green than makes a room feel more soothing. From the Historic Collection of Benjamin Moore, Louisburg Green is a timeless and classic hue that works in any decade. It’s best for rooms that face north or east and looks great with warmer colors and accents.
It has gray and green undertones and looks beautiful on kitchen cabinets, islands, built-ins, and accent walls. Whether you’re paint an accent wall, cabinets, an entire room, or the outside of your home, there’s a sage green color that’s right for you. There’s a broad range of cool and warm, light and dark to be sure to look at several different ones before making your decision.
