Benjamin Moore’s 9 Best Medium & Dark Green Paint Colors

Gorgeous shades of green…

When it comes to popular paint colors, there’s one that shows up at every party – green. Sure, it changes its outfit every time—sometimes it’s dark and moody, other times it’s fresh and clean, but regardless, it shows up in style.

To cover the bases, I’ve got a blog post about the best lighter shades of green and Sherwin William’s most popular shades. This blog post is about Benjamin Moore’s offerings (with a few bonus Farrow & Ball colors) – specifically, darker, striking, moody shades of green for everything from your walls and cabinets to doors and accent walls.

But first…

WHERE CAN YOU USE GREEN PAINT COLORS?

Green is no one-trick pony, which is one reason it’s always in style. Right now, green is popping up everywhere in the average home.

GREENS FOR KITCHEN CABINETS & ISLANDS

Benjamin Moore’s Ashwood Moss, Vintage Vogue, and Dark Olive are just a few of the badass beauties we’ll look at today. Covering the dark, medium, stormy, and striking categories, greens like this are hitting it hard on kitchen cabinets and even more so on kitchen islands.

Benjamin Moore Peale Green (listed below)

However, some of the most popular shades of green are closer to the medium depths—colors like Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green, Peale Green, and Tate Olive.

While not many have embraced the hunter-greens of the 1990s, a few more traditional greens, like Benjamin Moore’s Essex Green, are knocking on the door (the back door, not the front one – they aren’t that hot).

GREEN PAINT COLORS FOR LAUNDRY OR BATHROOM CABINETS

If you’re nervous about painting your room green, start small, like a bathroom vanity or laundry room cabinet. Going buck wild can be easier on a small scale.

How to Update Your 2000s Bathroom

GREENS FOR ENTIRE ROOMS, ACCENT WALLS, & COLOR DRENCHING

There’s a lot of demand for green on ACCENT WALLS, of which I’m a huge fan (I mean, I am known to blow a lot of hot air around).

Aren’t accent walls outdated?

They can be if it’s the wrong color in the wrong spot – a well-placed, well-chosen accent color can make or break a room. Luckily, you know a little Ginger who’s damn good at creating accent walls where they belong (and has several in her own home).

This green room is a GORGEOUS example of the color-drenching trend

Now, without further ado, let’s find the best green hue for you!

1. BENJAMIN MOORE CALDWELL GREEN HC 124

Caldwell Green is popular due to its commitment to color but moderate depth (LRV 16.27). As far as temperature goes, Caldwell Green is a cool shade of green (literally and figuratively); however, it doesn’t lean far into blue as its green hue is the dominant of the two (epic rhyming attempt—I was a rapper in my previous life).

Look at how gorgeous Caldwell Green is in the above kitchen. The existing, older-style cathedral cabinets were painted green, with updates including a white subway tile backsplash, a white quartz countertop, and black stainless steel (black-gray) appliances.

How to Update Wood Kitchen Cabinets WITHOUT a Drop of Paint

There’s NOTHING I love more than updating a space without breaking the bank, and the above kitchen is a great example—it’s FULL of fun and affordable kitchen update ideas! However, I would paint the wood trim around the pendant lights—just sayin’.

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO CALDWELL GREEN?

Several shades compare with Caldwell Green, although none will be the same…

• Sherwin Williams Rosemary (not as cool as Caldwell)
• Benjamin Moore Rainy Afternoon (grayer, for sure)
• Farrow and Ball Green Smoke (this bad boy is coming up shortly)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF CALDWELL GREEN

2. BENJAMIN MOORE ASHWOOD MOSS 1484

Benjamin Moore says, ‘Ashwood Moss is a deep graphite green, suggestive of a dark, veiled forest.’ I’m not nearly that lyrical, and all you need to know is that Ashwood Moss is one badass shade of green. It’s not as colorful as Sherwin Williams Ripe Olive and Shade Grown, as a gray backdrop slows it down. This neutral base has Ashwood Moss looking calm, grounded, and a bit organic.

This is VERY similar to Ashwood Moss

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WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO ASHWOOD MOSS?

The degree of gray in Ashwood Moss really sets it apart from other shades, and there’s only one with similar intentions.

• Sherwin Williams Night Owl
• You could check out Sherwin Williams Thunder Gray, but it’s not SUPER similar.

Compare Ashwood Moss to similar shades in this CURATED COLOR BUNDLE! 

3. BENJAMIN MOORE VINTAGE VOGUE 462

While Vintage Vogue isn’t very vintage, it’s SUPER vogue with its trendy approach to green. This striking shade of green has a touch of gray, but not enough to cut back the glory of the green.

The Benjamin Moore website says you can use Vintage Vogue instead of black or brown.

I wouldn’t.

With its LRV of 11.85, Vintage Vogue isn’t dark enough to replace grounding colors like black and brown. Also, its chroma (color) is strong enough that it won’t ACT like a neutral when sometimes a neutral is just what your room needs. In fact, black and dark brown paint colors can be gorgeous partners to a green like this.

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WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO VINTAGE VOGUE?

• Sherwin Williams Rosemary (a bit lighter)
• Sherwin Williams Shade Grown (super comparable)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF VINTAGE VOGUE

4. BENJAMIN MOORE PEALE GREEN HC-121

Peale Green can be a great happy medium for those who want a little kick of green without TOO much depth. With a reasonably balanced look (meaning it doesn’t look overly warm or cool), Peale Green fully commits to its hue without going over the top in intensity.

Ideas to Update Your 2000s Home

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO PEALE GREEN?

• For a similar look with less of a green edge, check out Benjamin Moore’s Cushing Green and Caldwell Green.
• Sherwin Williams Basil has a similar look.

5. BENJAMIN MOORE BACKWOODS 469

Backwoods and Vintage Vogue are SUPER similar. The big difference is that Backwoods has a a slightly greener backbone, but that’s not to say that either is subtle about it.

With a wink of warmth, Backwoods is a great green for a north-facing space, as it can help balance that cool northern light more than a green-blue would.

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO BACKWOODS?

• Benjamin Moore Vintage Vogue, for sure (it’s darker than Backwoods)
• Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest (a touch greener)
• Sherwin Williams Basil (a cleaner-looking green)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF BACKWOODS

6. BENJAMIN MOORE CASTLE PEAK GRAY 1561

Castle Peak Gray is one of the warmer greens on this page. With a greige (gray-brown) backdrop, Castle Peak Gray is a muted, organic, earthy approach to green.

Of course, almost any green looks gorgeous against wood tones, but the warm greige in Castle Peak Gray looks particularly beautiful with this older, darker wood trim.

7. BENJAMIN MOORE DARK OLIVE 2140-30

Coming in slightly darker and slightly greener than Castle Peak Gray is Dark Olive. This wickedly dark shade of green takes dark olive to the next level with an LRV of 13.52 and the type of green that doesn’t overly commit to warmth but is far from cold (green-blue).

In this next image, look at how Dark Olive contrasts and complements the beige, travertine tile backsplash and tries to update the older granite countertops…

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8. BENJAMIN MOORE SALAMANDER

Not everyone is into earthy and organic when it comes to green – some of you love your COOL greens.

What makes a green cool?

a) me talking about it

b) blue

Salamander is one of Benjamin Moore’s more popular cool shades of green. While there isn’t quite enough blue to call it a true teal paint color, it certainly winks at the edges.

Sherwin Williams Olympic Range | Benjamin Moore Tarrytown Green | Billiard Green | Hunt Club | Yukon Green

Sherwin Williams Best Medium to Dark Green Paint Colors

With a whoppingly low LRV of 5.72, Salamander has a buttload of black in it. Make sure your cabinets or walls get a nice hit of light so you can see the beauty of its green hue rather than its darkness.

Compare Salamander to other popular shades in my CURATED DARK GREEN COLOR BUNDLE! 

9. BENJAMIN MOORE ESSEX GREEN

If you love saturated, classic shades of green but aren’t too whapped on olive tones, check out Essex Green. Like Salamander, Essex Green has a lot of black in it, making it one of the darker, more striking green paint colors on the market.

Compare Essex Green and similarly dark shades to REAL black to see their gorgeous green hue! 

Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Essex Green

When comparing Essex Green to Salamander, notice how Essex Green has less blue, which means it comes across as a bit more moderate and nowhere even CLOSE to the wild world of teal. Yet it also doesn’t dabble in the olive tones at all.

Essex Green can be a great happy medium between the two green worlds.

While I could go on and on…and on about Benjamin Moore’s best greens, as there are many more, these should get the creative juices flowing. To finish things off, let’s check out my two favorite shades of green from Farrow and Ball, or check out Sherwin William’s top greens HERE!

FARROW & BALL GREEN SMOKE No.47

Green Smoke is a stunningly beautiful shade of green (one of my faves). It’s not joking around either – you’re committing to green when you paint your walls or cabinets this color. Sure, it has a bit of gray to calm it down, but you’re still left with a medium-depth shade of green that’s to DIE for.

Big thanks to my Online Color Consulting clients for sending in their AFTER photos—you make my colorful world go round! 

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO GREEN SMOKE?

Never pick a paint color without comparing it to a few others. Often, you end up changing your mind!

• Benjamin Moore Cushing Green (stronger green hue)
• Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green (mentioned earlier)

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF GREEN SMOKE

FARROW & BALL STUDIO GREEN No. 93

If you’re a diehard fan of dark green, look no further than Studio Green. This is a wickedly dark shade of green with a ton of black to ground it. This black prevents Studio Green from looking like a more typical hunter green.

The LRV of Studio Green is 7.09. While it’s not black, it could act like a black-green in some low-light spaces.

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COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO STUDIO GREEN

In its epic darkness, Studio Green doesn’t have much competition. But there are a few worth comparing it to.

• Sherwin Williams Rock Bottom (which I LOVE)
• Benjamin Moore Deep River

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF STUDIO GREEN

PEOPLE ALSO ASK

I try to answer as many comments as I can (as long as they aren’t TOO customized to your home or super long). If I haven’t covered your thoughts in this blog post, please leave me a comment!

WHAT’S BENJAMIN MOORE’S MOST POPULAR GREEN PAINT COLOR

Hands-down, Benjamin Moore October Mist is the most popular shade of green. However, it doesn’t quite hit the medium or dark depths.

As far as darker green paint colors go, Benjamin Moore Vintage Vogue is the most popular color, especially for cabinets, color-drenching, and accent walls.

Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Vintage Vogue…

READ MORE

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The Best Blue & Green Paint Colors for Bedrooms

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The Best Green Paint Colors (Light)

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