Why dark green paint is the most versatile of shades
If you're considering which end of the green paint spectrum to go for, may we suggest that deep and moody is the way to go. Mild and gentle sage green is all very well, and bright peppy greens can add a touch of fun to any interior, but dark green paint can bring welcome sophistication to your rooms. It makes a brilliant backdrop for hanging pictures, its rich tones setting off gilt frames and white mounts to perfection; it is frequently chosen for kitchen units, and a full wall of dark green can make for a wonderfully inviting and glamorous entertaining space. If you're feeling brave, gloss paint is having a moment, and some of the most striking rooms to use dark green paint on our pages have employed this finish. Fabrizio Casiraghi's lacquered green bedroom walls are incredibly stylish, with an almost mirrored finish that bounces light around the room despite the dark hue.
What colours go with dark green paint?
Much depends, of course, on the exact shade of dark green you choose to employ, but some safe bets for complementary colours include pink and yellow. We love the cheerful yellow sink curtain designer Thea Speke has used along with dark green walls in the bathroom of her country house, and Brandon Schubert has paired grey-green walls with a chair in golden upholstery in his London flat. Meanwhile pink and green are a classic colour pairing, and a dusky pink hue can enliven the rich tones of a dark green paint. Farrow & Ball, for example, recommending accenting their Archive colour ‘Minster Green’ with their beloved pink ‘Setting Plaster’. Braver souls might choose to pair it with a clashing blue, which we think is rather cool, and if in doubt, just go for more green! Benedict Foley accented Farrow & Ball's ‘Sap Green’ with woodwork in the slightly darker ‘Bancha’ in his friend Max Hurd's house, and the combination is pretty spectacular.
Paul Massey1/11Farrow & Ball's Archive colour ‘Castle Gray’ is a dark green-grey that can look different depending on the light. In his former London flat, Brandon Schubert has used it to great effect as a backdrop for hanging art.
Christopher Horwood2/11Decorator Victoria von Westenholz, working with her longtime friend Xenia Buckhurst, has infused the interiors of the cottage where Xenia lives with warmth and a welcoming atmosphere. Once the kitchen, this space has now become a utility room, with walls and cabinets painted in Farrow & Ball's Archive colour ‘Minster Green’.
Boz Gagovski3/11When decorator Benedict Foley set about transforming creative consultant Max Hurd's London house into a humorous take on country house style, this space at the front became known as ‘the library’. The full bleed green colour scheme is based on Mark Hampton’s scheme for Denise Hale in San Francisco. The walls are in Farrow & Ball's Sap Green with the woodwork in Bancha.
Michael Sinclair4/11If you're not ready for fully dark green walls, a green bookshelf is a popular choice on the pages of House & Garden. The shelves in designer Nina Litchfield's London drawing room are in Paint & Paper Library's ‘Hunter Dunn’, and form a beautiful background for the spines of books.
Romain Laprade5/11The bedroom of Fabrizio Casiraghi’s apartment is where Fabrizio has introduced colour on the walls, choosing a Japanese lacquer technique in an olive green. It creates a cabin-like feel in the space, which has the constellations painted on the ceiling.
Paul Massey6/11A 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-cum-dining room of Rita Konig's farmhouse. This particularly deep and moody green works beautifully in a traditional kitchen.
Chris Horwood7/11Green is a perennially popular choice for kitchen cabinets, but if you're generally drawn to lighter shades, we're here to say that dark green can feel incredibly sleek and elegant. Sophie Warburton, founder of Host Home, kept the existing kitchen in her London house, repainting the units from a pillar box red to the calm green of Benjamin Moore's ‘Guacamole’.
8/11Nicola Harding's bold use of colour sets the scene for a vibrant and characterful house in Berkshire. The walls are painted in ‘Chelsea Green II’ by Paint & Paper Library, with a dash of blue provided by the vintage loveseat upholstered in corduroy from Brisbane Moss (also used for the door curtain), and the custom Rosi de Ruig lampshade that partners the table lamp.
Michael Sinclair9/11Dark green and yellow make for a pretty combination in Thea Speke's country house. This particular green, which also covers the bedroom next door, is Paint and Paper Library's archive colour ‘Both Barrels’.
Sarah Griggs10/11Tiffany Duggan of Studio Duggan has transformed this London terrace into a coolly elegant family home for a young couple. The walls are painted in Little Greene's ‘Apple Smiles II’, a sophisticated backdrop for colourful upholstery and contemporary forms in the furniture.
Paul Massey11/11Playing on the lack of natural light in the bathroom, Rita had the bath area in her London flat covered in horizontal and vertical boards, painted in a high-gloss 'Deep Brunswick Green' from Papers and Paints.
