COLOR STORY: Easy Being Green x 40

Contrary to what Kermit the Frog sang, it IS EASY being green. Or maybe green makes life SEEM easier.

I have a soft place in my heart for green because it was my mom’s favorite color, and she used it with abandon in decorating. My dad often bought green cars as well, to please her. There were times I thought I was a little sick of green because she used it so much, but as I aged I succumbed to its extraordinary appeal.

Green is also having a hey-day in paint sales. No less than six of the major brands named some shade of green as color of the year for 2022. Here are those colors and their manufacturers, and I find most of them a bit washed out for my tastes.

The top row, for instance, looks like three shades of gray to me. And one in the bottom row–Behr Breezeway–looks blue. After all, don’t YOU think blue when you hear the word breeze? It’s a pretty paint color and would make a lovely room, but calling it green is a BIG stretch. The only two that appeal to me–a bona fide descendant of a green connoisseur–is Valspar Blanched Thyme and Glidden Guacamole. Those are greens mom would have embraced, and I’m right there with her, even if they don’t actually look like their namesakes.

Why the green trend?

Michelle Nussbaumer

Color experts suggest it’s because green is a soothing color, straight out of nature, and we all need a lot of soothing these days, what with the pandemic, inflation, and the war in Ukraine.

While that’s true, in home decor, green has always worked like a neutral by deepening, toning down, and marrying other colors in a room.

A couple decades ago, a friend asked me what I’d suggest for the bedroom with pink carpet she inherited from the previous owner. She wasn’t thrilled about the color, but the carpet was in good condition and she didn’t want to spend money to replace it right away.

I suggested light, cheery green walls and a print that combined greens and pinks and maybe some other colors for draperies, bedskirt and pillow shams.

She found the perfect floral print, and it all looked absolutely lovely with a white comforter on the bed.

I wish I’d taken a picture of it! The green softened the pink so that both colors dwelt happily side-by-side, like a spring garden.

In a previous home, I got the idea from touring homes at Colonial Williamsburg to to paint all the woodwork, doors, fireplace, and stair risers and spindles sage green. Mom wrinkled up her nose when I told her my plan; though she loved green, she couldn’t imagine woodwork done in anything but white or stain.

I used Sherwin Williams Palmetto against walls done in SW Candleglow, and it turned out beautifully. Later mom told me the green woodwork was the single best thing I did decor-wise in the 20 years we lived in that house, and she was right. It softened every room and made each one more cohesive.

So, to show my own love for lively, saturated greens, I thought I’d share some statement-making rooms featuring green. I would be the last person in the world to choose a color based on trends–or even someone else’s opinion–and you shouldn’t either. So just take these photos as IDEAS for bringing a little more soothing green into your life.

Green in the bathroom

Use a little very BRIGHT green to call attention to one particular feature, or…

…spread it all around for that spa-ahhhhhh feel.

Different shades of green also work together well to give a room a natural look. After all, nature has all sorts of greens side-by-side.

Green wallpaper in a hallway frames a view into a bathroom with green cabinets and floral draperies.

Sitting room greens

This cheery chartreuse bounces the light around so prettily and looks dynamite with the pops of red.

This much moodier room shows how well green goes with natural woodtones.

I can’t imagine white walls doing any more justice to artwork than these green ones.

This painting is full of greens in itself and also has a green frame. Anything but green on the wall and in the upholstery might divert attention away from the painting. Green leads the viewer into it.

Lots of books on shelves can sometimes make a room seem busy. But green walls and shelves unify the display and add coziness.

Green is, in fact, a great color for a library or study, for that very reason.

Green for dining

Psychologically, green conveys healthy eating habits, so it works perfectly in a dining room.

It’s absolutely smashing paired with purple, too, which amps up the passion of a space and the appetite of its inhabitants.

Pair it with warm woods and you have a great setting for soothing conversation over a delicious meal.

Kathryn M. Ireland

And green can look modern as well as traditional.

Green for areas of utility

Who wouldn’t love to stow their boots and coats in this green mudroom? It’s a welcome-home color.

Which is why it works in kitchens, too. I love green set against blue. People used to say they didn’t go together, but I beg to differ.

When I was a teenager, the bedspreads and curtains in my room were a wild, mod print of lime green, blues and white. I loved going in there, shutting the door and chilling out after school.

I’d venture to guess green in a home office would lead to creative growth.

Even if it’s used as an accent rather than a wall color. I love the “clash” of the apple green curtains and throw with the bluish-green baseboards and art matting.

Speaking of green accents…

Dig this glossy cube side table and the green-checked pillow to its right.

And who wouldn’t love to pour a drink from this malachite-green-accented bar cabinet set against mossy green walls?

Or lounge around on these green sofas that echo the Moroccan tiles patterns on the ceiling and fireplace?

And since lounging leads to napping…

Martyn Lawrence Bullard

What could promote restful nights with sweet dreams more than a heavy dose of green?

Here again, green unifies the room, even though it mostly appears on just the walls.

Here it envelopes the sleeper in the magic of growing things.

What I wouldn’t give to have this gorgeous green bed for my very own.

Sweet, easy dreams of green to all!

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