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Green paint ideas for every room in your house, as chosen by experts
Green is surely one of the most uplifting and versatile paint colours to use, especially as there’s such a wide variety of shades spanning from whisper-soft sage green to punchy arsenic and classic racing green – each one setting an entirely different mood. The wonderful thing about green paint in particular is how the colour can change through the day – looking grey in some lights or yellow or blue in others.
It’s a brilliantly easy colour to live with if you get it right; some green rooms stand out in our memories, whether it’s the peppy olive green (a Leylands paint) of Luke Edward Hall and Duncan Campbell’s Cotswolds Cottage, the deep forest green bedroom in Tom Morris’s recent project or the vibrant colour in Ben Pentreath’s London flat – there really is a shade for everyone. But where to start? We’ve asked nine decorating experts to share their favourite green paints, and rounded up some of the best examples from the House & Garden archive.
“My favourite green is Farrow & Ball’s Pigeon (a grey-green or blue-green depending on the light) because it’s brilliant for giving a room a feeling of age and ‘settled-ness’. It makes a very good background for pictures; it’s a strong colour but without being overwhelming and it looks particularly good when the woodwork is painted the same colour.”
“I love the strength and depth that Bancha by Farrow & Ball brings to a space. It’s a sophisticated olive green, but it still has a freshness about it, making it very usable with both classic and contemporary designs. It’s a great joinery colour too – we recently used in in a dressing room, paired with a grasscloth and bronze handles, and it does look very smart. I also love the idea of using it in a gloss finish to breathe new life into an existing timber fire surround.
“Another favourite is Green Verditer by Little Greene, which has such a playful element about it. We recently used it to paint a client’s snug, which was a small room off the kitchen with no direct natural light, and the bright green colour makes it feel like such a cheerful place to be. We paired it with leather handles, and dark ruby textiles to balance it.
“For gentle and versatile greens, try the Wattle Architectural Paint series by Paint & Paper Library. I love that you can play with various strengths of the same colour with this one – going lighter on the walls with Wattle I or Wattle II, and then darker on the woodwork with Wattle IV or Wattle V. This creates a soft, harmonious scheme.”
“One of the loveliest green paints out there currently is Detox, by Coat Paints. It’s a light blue-green that feels like a breath of fresh air. We’ve used this in a guest bedroom and in a garden room and it instantly uplifts the space. For those nervous about colour, but who would nonetheless like to add personality to a room, Detox is the perfect alternative to your whites and off-whites, as it has just the right amount of pigment to keep it feeling subtle.”
“I love the colour green, so it’s very difficult to choose a favourite. I’ve been thinking it over and debating between yellowish olive tones and deeper, richer greens, but have landed on Calke Green from Farrow & Ball. It has a great depth and saturation to it, making it an ideal candidate for a room where you might want to paint woodwork in the same colour as the walls. But it also works really well with yellow-tinged colours, so it looks great when the doors, windows and skirtings are picked out in a dingier off-white. Plus, it’s a shade of green that will complement just about any floor finish, making it a great all-rounder for living spaces, bedrooms or bathrooms. As for fabrics and other elements in the room, Calke Green looks great with mahogany-coloured furniture, and so many different colours of fabrics work well with it – it’s an easy wall colour to build a decorative scheme around.”
“Hornblende by Paint & Paper Library is a grown-up dark green that makes you feel calm and grounded. It’s particularly good in grander spaces as it feels relaxed but still sophisticated. Hornblende also works really well in contemporary rooms, adding warmth and richness. Pair it with fresher tones or bold patterns for it to look its best. For example, in the orangery kitchen at Chelsea Barracks, we have juxtaposed Hornblende against a beautiful, natural veined stone that makes it feel fresh and contemporary.
“Drab Green by Edward Bulmer is another one of our favourite paint colours to use – it’s a soft green with brown tones that feels very natural. We often use it in rooms overlooking a garden to help bring the outside in without it being overwhelming. I love how it changes tone to work alongside the light and the seasons. The added benefit is that it’s a completely natural paint, so it’s good for you and the environment.
“Lastly, Green Smoke by Farrow & Ball has a lovely blue tone to it, which makes it feel very contemporary. You can be brave with this colour and in the study at our Holland Park project, we painted the walls, skirting and ceiling in Green Smoke to give the room an embracing cocoon-like effect.”
“If we had to choose just one green paint, it would be Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, which is our go-to green as it works in so many different environments. It’s a soft but incredibly warm and well-balanced green, which makes it very versatile. It pairs particularly well with earthier, rusty tones but also works with soft pastel shades.
“We also recently did a bedroom in French Gray by Farrow & Ball (we used this green-gray on the walls, woodwork and ceilings) and loved the end result so much that we’ve specified it for a snug in another project. It’s a very calming and muted green that almost reads as neutral in the evening but has a lovely subtle green glow when the light hits it in the daytime.”
“My favourite green paint is Belgium Wilderness by Pure & Original. Their colours have an incredibly high natural colour pigment that endures beautifully. This dark green is a great foil for other colours as it’s not too blue and not too yellow. It’s especially great in a hallway or on a kitchen.”
“A favourite green paint is Invisible Green by Edward Bulmer. It’s a strong green that truly brings the outside in and it’s not only great on walls – I recently used it on kitchen units and it looked amazing.”
“I am constantly experimenting with different green paints, from pistachio tones to rich inky greens (depending on the feel of the space), but my firm favourite of the moment is Verdigris by Edward Bulmer. The way it changes in the light alongside the time of day is amazing. In the morning sun, it’s a really fresh and vibrant pistachio and it warms up throughout the day, then feels a little bluer as the light becomes warmer at sunset. We have recently used it in a children's playroom and we’re about to use it in a study.
“I always pick paint colours with an earthy, natural tone to them, so that they don’t feel too primary. I think this is incredibly important when going for bolder colours as it helps them ‘sit back and relax’, despite them sometimes being quite strong in tone. Even when choosing the brightest greens, I still make sure they have an earthy undertone to them, and usually, this is achieved with a natural pigment paint. My favourite paint brands for green are Little Greene and Edward Bulmer as I find their colours always sit well with my interiors. Sometimes there’s a place for a brighter, crisper green, but I prefer this to be as more of a ‘pop’ or an accent, as opposed to an all-over wall colour.”
Paul Massey1/16Modernising without losing character is no mean feat, but Carlos Garcia has approached the decoration of this early 18th-century house and its Tudor elements with great sensitivity, marrying period details with colour, pattern and contemporary touches.
The walls in the main bedroom are in Edward Bulmer’s ‘Celadon’ – a colour the owner initially hated. Somewhat peremptorily, Carlos told her, ‘Wait until the curtains are up and, if you still don’t like it, I promise I will repaint the room at my expense.’ His gamble paid off and she now loves the room.
Chris Horwood2/16In this atmospheric 18th-century workers' cottage in historic Greenwich, interior and production designer, Anna Rhodes, has created a charming family house, which feels up to date while also being true to its past .In the living room the walls have been painted in Fired Earth's ‘Sweet Cicely’, a beautifully organic apple-green shade.
Paul Massey3/16A delightful green and blue colour scheme in the entrance hall of a Berkshire house by Nicola Harding, where Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Chelsea Green II’ paint on the walls is combined with ‘Salvia’ on the woodwork.
Paul Massey4/16Annabel Elliot chose Farrow & Ball's ‘Cooking Apple Green’ paint for the bathroom of Prince Charles’s sixteenth-century house in Cornwall, which overlooks the Fowey Valley.
Luke Edward Hall5/16Add a jolt of colour to your home by painting a small hallway in a fresh green hue, like this one in Luke Edward Hall and Duncan Campbell's London flat. The walls are painted in Farrow & Ball's 'Folly Green' colour, which although it no longer graces the standard colour chart is available to order. 'Yeabridge Green' has a similar verdant appeal.
Andrew Montgomery6/16The Plain English kitchen of the London house of Henrietta Courtauld was installed 12 years ago. Maria Speake was called in to remodel the property and chose an Emery & Cie green to refresh kitchen.
Alexander James7/16The cabinets in this kitchen, painted in Farrow & Ball's 'Card Room Green', were designed by Amanda Hornby. The green tone of the cupboards adds a fresh feel to the room, complimented by the green tones in the artwork on the gallery wall.
Paul Massey8/16A dresser by Plain English, painted in the company’s ‘Army Camp’ green, holds a sink from Howe paired with brass taps from Barber Wilsons & Co in the kitchen-come-dining room of Rita Konig's farmhouse. Rita’s collection of antique glassware is displayed on the top shelf.
Simon Upton9/16The green living room of this country house decorated by Fiona Shelburne is dominated by two monumental works by Anselm Kiefer, one from the 'Alkahest' series; the other, from 'Palm Sunday', is a collage of palm leaves. 'We thought a vibrant, lettuce-green colour would be a good backdrop for them and would bring a freshness and femininity to the room.' Painted by Colchester Lister Associates, this vivid green colour was mixed to Fiona's specifications, but 'Green Melon' by Designers Guild has the same pep to it and costs £39 for 2.5 litres of matt emulsion.
Jake Curtis10/16This stairway in designer Ben Pentreath's flat is painted in a muddy green created by the paint historian Patrick Baty - 'The Botanist' from Paint & Paper Library is a similar astringent shade.
Paul Massey11/16Using high-gloss paint is a bright idea for small spaces such as this one. Playing on the lack of natural light in her bathroom, Rita Konig had the bath area of this small bathroom in her extended west London flat covered in horizontal and vertical boards, painted in a high-gloss 'Deep Brunswick Green' from Papers and Paints.
Jake Curtis12/16This country-style living room styled by Gabby Deeming has panelled walls painted with Farrow & Ball's 'Breakfast Room Green', a soft olive colour. The wall paint matches the green details of the antique sofa, which has been covered with Colefax & Fowler's legendary Bowood chintz. A trestle table displays an interesting collection of antiques, including a vintage tole flower lamp and a bust of Napoleon.
Ngoc Minh Ngo13/16The walls of this green utility room in a Dutch farmhouse were painted using Papers and Paints' 'Deep Celadon Green', £38.40 for 2.5 litres matt emulsion. The dark colour is complemented by other shades of green from houseplants and pieces of botanical art.
This earthy space was created by Gabby Deeming, who enhanced the character of this Dutch farmhouse with simple furniture, rustic ceramics and shades of green, blue and sunshine yellow.
Luke Edward Hall14/16In Luke Edward Hall's flat, the large main living area is painted in Leyland's bold 'Forest Storm', which makes the space cosy. Although there was initial concern about how dark it was ('I did think for a moment, what have we done - we're living in a dungeon,' says Duncan), the final result is very beautiful. The room fortunately benefits from two large sash windows, so it remains bright and light.
'People spend so long thinking about paint colours, but you can very easily change them,' says Luke. 'I think it's good to look at lots of different paint brands before settling on a choice. I like Farrow & Ball's range of colours very much, but I won't always find the colour I'm after. Paper & Paints in Chelsea is also a wonderful shop, with a range of punchy colours. Dulux and Leyland are good too though,' says Luke.
Andrew Montgomery15/16In this room in Faringdon House - once home to 'the mad boy' Lord Berners, the inspiration for Lord Merlin in Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love - deep green paint is offset by gold accents and witty objects in jewel tones.
Rachel Whiting16/16The artist owners of this London house called on interior designer Beata Heuman to create a family home full of distinctive design and strong colours. The en-suite bathroom is painted in an emerald green with smart black and silver accents to make a big impact in a small space.
