Dark green paint colors have taken the design world by storm! They offer a timeless yet modern look, and bring a sophisticated, organic feel to any space. Adding dark green into your home is a great way to add drama to a dining room, create a cozy retreat in your bedroom, or update your kitchen cabinets with a fresh look. Not only is dark green a versatile color choice, but it complements a wide range of interior design styles. In this post, we’ll explore some of the best dark green paint colors, along with tips for using them in your home.
Why Choose Dark Green Paint for your Home?
Dark green paint colors offer more than just good looks! They also provide a sense of calm and tranquility in a room, making them a popular choice for spaces where you want to relax and unwind. Dark green is also a perfect color for an accent wall, especially when paired with white walls, providing a dramatic backdrop that allows other elements in the room to shine. When combined with natural wood tones, a dark green can enhance the organic feel of a room, making it a favorite color to use in today’s color schemes.
The Best Dark Green Paint Colors
Here are my top 10 picks for the best dark green paint colors. For each green, I’ve provided my recommendations for where to use it, and some beautiful coordinating colors to bring your color scheme to life.
I’ve also added the Light Reflectance Value (LRV), which is a measure of how light or dark a paint color is on a scale of 0 (darkest) to 100 (lightest). You can use the LRV to compare the different greens and find the right shade for your lighting conditions. For example, you may want a green color with a slightly higher LRV for low-light spaces, whereas a well-lit room can handle a darker shade (lower LRV).
1. Benjamin Moore Hunter Green (2041-10)
BM Hunter Green (2041-10) is a timeless dark green shade that brings an equestrian-inspired vibe to your space. It’s a versatile green color that leans slightly cool, so it works well with navy blues and light mint green colors. Hunter Green is a beautiful choice for an office, library, exterior doors, and kids rooms. It’s a true classic that will bring sophisticated color to any space.
- LRV: 6.39
- Pair With: BM Simply White (OC-117), BM Grant Beige (HC-83)
2. Farrow & Ball Studio Green
This beautiful color green is almost black in dim lighting but reveals its deep green coloring in rooms with more natural light. Farrow & Ball’s Studio Green (No. 93) is a great choice for creating drama in a bedroom or dining room, but its darkness could overwhelm a small space. Studio Green’s ability to transform with light makes it a favorite among interior designers looking to add depth and touch of mystery to a room.
- LRV: 6
- Pair With: Farrow & Ball Off White (No. 3), Farrow & Ball Card Room Green (No. 79)
3. Benjamin Moore Essex Green
BM Essex Green (HC-188) is another very dark green that is almost a black. It gives the feeling of being in a dense forest at night, and makes a bold statement in a room. Essex Green is perfect for accent walls, kitchen islands and exterior doors and shutters. This color brings a sense of tradition, making it a perfect color for historic homes or spaces where you want to introduce a touch of old-world charm. Because Essex Green is so dark, it might lose some of its color in dimly lit spaces. In that case, lighter shades of green may be best.
- LRV: 6.16
- Pair With: BM Powell Buff (HC-35), BM Cloud White (OC-130)
4. Benjamin Moore Backwoods
BM Backwoods (469) is one of the best green paint colors around! Backwoods is a true green with just enough dark gray to keep it from looking too vibrant. It’s a cozy, relaxing shade that works beautifully in spaces where you want to feel connected to nature. This is an ideal color for bedrooms, bathrooms, and living rooms for a comfortable, cozy vibe.
- LRV: 14.26
- Pair With: BM Boothbay Gray (HC-165), BM White Dove (OC-17), BM Fieldstone (1558)
5. Farrow & Ball Green Smoke
Green Smoke (No. 47) is a stunning green with a touch of blue that gives it a smoky, moody quality. This color has a historic feel to it that can add character to any room. Green Smoke works beautifully with both traditional and modern decor, and is a popular accent color for wainscoting, cabinetry, and built-ins.
- LRV: 21
- Pair With: Farrow & Ball Shaded White (No. 201), Farrow & Ball Dead Salmon (No. 28)
6. Sherwin Williams Pewter Green
Pewter Green (SW 6208) by Sherwin Williams is a sophisticated, earthy gray-green. It has a deep, muted quality that feels cozy and grounded. Pewter Green looks fantastic with crisp whites and warm wood tones, for a modern, organic look. If you want to go one shade darker than Pewter Green, SW Ripe Olive is also a fantastic designer-favorite dark green color. It has an LRV of 6, and is a top pick for cabinets and built-ins.
- LRV: 12
- Pair With: SW Shoji White (SW 7042), SW Oyster Bay (SW 6206), SW Urbane Bronze (SW 7048)
7. Sherwin Williams Shade-Grown
SW Shade-Grown (SW 6188) is a lush, deep green that feels natural and serene. It’s versatile enough to work in both traditional and modern settings, and it pairs beautifully with natural wood tones and crisp white trim. Shade-Grown is gorgeous on cabinetry and wainscoting, and is best for rooms that get a good amount of natural light. If you’d like to go one shade lighter, SW Rosemary is another very popular green. Rosemary is perfect for accent walls or the entire room, with an LRV of 14
- LRV: 8
- Pair With: SW Evergreen Fog (SW 9130), SW Oyster White (SW 7637)
8. Benjamin Moore Salamander
Salamander (2050-10) is a deep, almost-black green that leans slightly toward blue, giving it a unique, luxurious feel. This color is bold, and is an excellent choice for those who want to push the boundaries with a moody green. Use it for statement walls and cabinetry to add some sophisticated drama to your room.
- LRV: 4
- Pair With: BM Edgecomb Gray (HC-173), BM White Dove (OC-17), BM Silver Marlin (2139-50)
9. Benjamin Moore Tate Olive
Tate Olive (HC-112) is a warm, inviting green that strikes a perfect balance between earthy and elegant. It’s the lightest of the dark greens in this post, and can work well in rooms with low light. Tate Olive has subtle yellow-brown undertones that bring a sense of calm and coziness to a room. Use in on your bedroom or living room walls for a touch or warmth and sophistication.
- LRV: 19.1
- Pair With: BM Cliffside Gray (HC-180), BM Simply White (OC-117)
10. Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green
Caldwell Green (HC-124) is a deep, muted green with a cool blue undertone, giving it a relaxed, casual feel. This green color is quite flexible, and can be used everywhere, from the laundry room to bathroom cabinets and even bedroom walls. Caldwell Green pairs beautifully with white trim and natural wood accents, and works with a variety of design styles for an inviting look.
- LRV: 14.37
- Pair With: BM Stonington Gray (HC-170), BM Castle Walls (1573)
Tips for Using Dark Green Paint
- Consider the LRV: Dark greens can vary significantly depending on their LRV. Lower LRV values mean darker colors, which can feel more dramatic and make a space feel more intimate. Higher LRV values reflect more light, making the room feel more airy.
- Accent vs. All-Over Color: If you’re hesitant about using dark green throughout an entire room, start with an accent wall. This can add bold color and tons of character without overwhelming the space.
- Complement with Natural Elements: Dark green is a natural fit with wood, stone, and other organic materials. Incorporating these elements into your decorating will bring out the best of your green, and create an inviting, well-designed space.
- Balance with Lighter Tones: If you’re worried about a dark green making your space feel too heavy or dark, balance it out with lighter colors in your furniture, fabrics, and accessories. Light-colored rugs, curtains, or furniture can offset your dark green walls, creating a well-balanced design.
Test Before You Commit
As with any paint color, it’s important to test these dark green shades in your space before committing. Colors can look dramatically different depending on your unique lighting conditions, so viewing samples in the room is key to choosing the perfect green color.
For testing colors in your home, I highly recommend getting peel-and-stick paint samples from Samplize. They offer large sample sheets of all of the dark greens in this post, which makes it easy to visualize the color in your room and compare different colors alongside each other. Here’s a quick recap of the 10 best dark green paint colors, with links you can click to get a sample.
- Benjamin Moore Hunter Green
- Farrow & Ball Studio Green
- Benjamin Moore Essex Green
- Benjamin Moore Backwoods
- Farrow & Ball Green Smoke
- Sherwin Williams Pewter Green (and it’s darker shade Ripe Olive)
- Sherwin Williams Shade-Grown (and it’s lighter shade SW Rosemary)
- Benjamin Moore Salamander
- Benjamin Moore Tate Olive
- Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green
Final Thoughts on Dark Green Paint Colors
Dark green paint colors can transform any room into a space that feels grounded, sophisticated, and connected to nature. Use them to create a cozy retreat in your bedroom, add depth to your living room, or make a bold statement in your dining room. With this guide, you now have a comprehensive overview of my 10 favorite dark green paint colors, along with tips on how to use them to create the perfect look in your home.
