Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog (9130): Undertones, Lighting, & Real-Home Results
Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog is a soft, medium, cool green paint color. It works well on accent walls, kitchen cabinets, and interior walls, especially in bedrooms.
Homeowners often ask, ‘Is Evergreen Fog too green? Is it good for cabinets? Too dark for a dark room? Warm or cool?’ And these are great questions to ask before you start slapping any paint color on your home.
Like all paint colors, LRV, undertones, and temperature can affect how Evergreen Fog looks, especially as lighting conditions change. So, let’s find out how these gorgeous green works, to see if it’s YOUR best paint color.
IS EVERGREEN FOG GREEN, GRAY, OR NEUTRAL?
Make no bones about (and preferably no boners either), Evergreen Fog is a green paint color. However, not every green is created equal…
- WARM GREEN – green with a yellow undertone
- COOL GREEN – green with a cool undertone
The neat thing about Evergreen Fog is that visually, it kind of hovers in the middle. For example, if it were a cool green paint color, it would look better with this rug (which is a cool green)…
Sooooo, is it warm or cool?
While it’s nowhere near olive green, which is a warmer, muddier shade, technically, Evergreen Fog is a warm green; it just doesn’t act like a typical one.
Many people would call Evergreen Fog a ‘slightly more grayed-out’ sage green.
One of the great things about Evergreen Fog is that it holds its hue very well regardless of whether your room faces north, south, east, or west.
What does this mean? Well, the more neutral a color is, the more likely it is to shift in different lighting conditions. While Evergreen Fog isn’t OVERLY colorful, it usually ‘looks green’ and doesn’t morph too much.
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
All the photos on my blog are from my Online Color Consulting clients, readers, & friends—because real homes deserve to be celebrated (dirty laundry & all!). While not magazine-perfect, they’re packed with ideas & proven color choices to help you create a home you’ll love.
THE LRV (DEPTH) OF EVERGREEN FOG
Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog has an LRV of 30. This means it’s a medium-depth green – not too light, not too dark (although that can change based on perception).
With an LRV of 30, Evergreen Fog can hold its color pretty well in an overly bright room without washing out as much as lighter shades.
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
IS IT TOO DARK FOR A DARK OR LOW-LIGHT ROOM?
It depends on your perception. For ME, yes, I’d find it a bit too dark for a room with low lighting. To improve that, I might choose a green with a bit more color (chroma), so it shows up a bit more in lower light. Or (novel idea) I’d improve my interior lighting sitch.
That said, green paint colors often show up a bit more in the evening, so sample it for 24 hours (or more) before deciding.
But it’s not all about me… not all the time, anyway. It could be just what YOU’RE looking for.
How to Make a Dark Room Look Brighter – and it ain’t with paint!
The Best LIGHT Paint Colors for a DARK room
IS EVERGREEN FOG STILL POPULAR?
Heck yeah, Evergreen Fog is as popular as ever. While it first appeared en masse thanks to its status as ‘Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year for 2022’, it’s still going strong.
Initially, it was used for accent walls, but as the green trend took hold, people used it in entire rooms, kitchen cabinets, islands, and exteriors.
Evergreen Fog ain’t no one-trick pony.
WHAT ARE EVERGREN FOG’S UNDERTONES?
Evergreen Fog is a green paint color with a warm gray undertone. While there’s some yellow in there, it never shows up at the party. Unlike me, I show up with tassels on…and not much else.
That said, even though Evergreen Fog is slightly warm, in my experience (extensive), I’ve found it to look balanced, if not slightly cool, most of the time – some greens are funny that way.
The green-gray of Evergreen Fog is one of the reasons it’s so popular. While some green hues can come across as a little too strong, the gray helps calm it down while leaving a glorious green on your walls #kermitapprovesofthismessage.
Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Evergreen Fog…
And it shows up on your doorstep tomorrow!
THE BEST WHITE TRIM OR CABINET COLOR WITH EVERGREEN FOG
So many people don’t consider their trim or cabinets when choosing a color like Evergreen Fog; choosing whites all willy-nilly. While it’s pretty darn flexible, there are a few things to consider…
- The warmer your white is, the more yellow it can appear compared to green. This means that your previously muted-looking white could look surprisingly colorful.
- Evergreen Fog suits MANY warm whites, but for the above reason, leans into those with a more muted approach. A few of my favorites are Sherwin Williams Pure White, Alabaster, and Benjamin Moore White Dove.
- While Evergreen Fog can handle some cool whites, it prefers a WHITER white like Sherwin Williams White Snow or Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (fave).
WHERE EVERGREEN FOG DOES (& DOESN’T) WORK
Just because we love a color doesn’t mean it makes sense to use it on or around certain finishes in our home. Let’s take a look at a few hot topics…
EVERGREEN FOG ON KITCHEN CABINETS…
As far as painted cabinets go, Evergreen Fog is amazeballs. Main cabinets, kitchen islands, bathroom vanities – it does them all.
And it’s not just me who feels this way, many of my Online Paint Color Consulting clients agree (they’ve been drinkin’ the Kylie Koolaid).
While recent trends focused on darker shades of green, Evergreen Fog is making its mark on the cabinet world.
Why?
Seeeeriously, it looks WAY more blue-green than usual in the above kitchen.
Evergreen Fog has enough color (chroma) to step out of the neutral range but not so much that it’s overwhelming or shockingly green.
Also, its depth (LRV) offers a bit of depth and body without being too heavy.
AS AN EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR…
Green can be tricky as it doesn’t always go with all brick, stonework, and roof colors. This doesn’t mean it won’t work with yours, but make sure that green is a natural choice for your home, as it already exists (e.g., in the roof) or contrasts/complements any features (e.g., brick or stone).
That said, if you’re considering green for your exterior, I hope Evergreen Fog is amongst your samples.
However, as this gorgeous exterior (below) shows, grays or greiges with green undertones are more common than greens like Evergreen Fog. The fact is, they tend to suit exterior finishes better.
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
Does Your Exposure REALLY MATTER When Choosing EXTERIOR Paint Colors?
EVERGREEN FOG WITH CREAM OR WOOD TRIMS & CABINETS
CREAM TRIM & CABINETS: While you can try, the green hue of Evergreen Fog can really jack up the yellow-cream of your cabinets and trims – I wouldn’t do it. You might consider more muddy, medium-toned greige paint colors.
WOOD TRIM & CABINETS: Heck yes, Evergreen Fog is gorgeous with most wood stains, whether you have wood trim, cabinets, flooring, or furniture.
Look how gorgeous it looks in this 1990s home bar with its oak wood panelling and beams…
Just note that if you have cherry wood or wood with a stronger red or pink undertone, Evergreen Fog will contrast this and can make it look stronger. On the other hand, green can be a beautiful choice if you have golden oak wood finishes and want to contrast them (fewer people are bothered by this combo compared to the green-pink one).
WHICH COLORS ARE SIMILAR?
Where do I even START?!
Magnolia Silverado Sage is gorgeous, as shown on this feature wall below. Believe it or not, it’s also on the snippet of the door on the far right; it’s just in an area with more natural light…
Farrow & Ball Green Smoke is a STUNNER if you want a bit more depth and green to show up to the party…
Jeez, Louise, are my clients ever TALENTED – I LOVE YOU GUYS!
If you’re looking for a green that’s a touch grayer, greener, lighter, or darker, I’ve got a few more for you to compare with Evergreen Fog.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS EVERGREEN FOG vs. ACACIA HAZE
These are two great colors; similar in many ways, with a few defining features. Evergreen Fog is a great ‘middle of the road’ green paint color; not hardcore green-blue or green-yellow, and with a moderate degree of color (chroma). On the otherhand, while Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze has a similar degree of color, it comes off a bit cooler (green-blue).
Comparing these helps you see that shift. Evergreen Fog is also a touch darker (Acacia Haze’s LRV is 32, compared to EG’s 30).
Color Review of Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze
Benjamin Moore doesn’t have many shades that directly compare, but there are still a few worth exploring.
EVERGREEN FOG vs. BENJAMIN OCTOBER MIST
Ahhhh, the two giants in the wild world of green – and you thought the Green Giant was the boss (I do love peas, and I’m sure I also dated myself with that comment). While comparing these two might seem like a good idea, they approach green in different ways and may not suit the same project.
October Mist has an LRV of 46, making it considerably lighter. October Mist is also a noticeably warmer green, making Evergreen Fog look cooler in comparison.
Color Review of Benjamin Moore’s October Mist
EVERGREEN FOG VS. SHERWIN WILLIAMS DRIED THYME
Dried Thyme is gorgeous and a great alternative to Evergreen Fog.
Why?
Well, first off, they’re on the same color strip, so you’re dealing with a similar TYPE of green. But while Dried Thyme can settle a bit greener than Evergreen Fog, the main difference is in depth.
Evergreen Fog has an LRV of 30, parking it snugly in the bosom of the medium range. Dried Thyme sits at 21, putting it in the lower end of this range and making it look darker.
Sherwin Williams Dried Thyme: Color Review
WHAT COLORS GO WITH EVERGREEN FOG IN A PALETTE?
One of the many things I love about Evergreen Fog is its openness to coordinating colors. Whereas some other greens are too colorful to be flexible and others have too much gray in them to really be green, Evergreen Fog is the perfect blend, allowing for a wide range of partners, just like me. JUST JOKING!!!!!
Ideas to Add Interest to a Small Bathroom
While it depends on what you need this color for (cabinet, walls, adjoining room, other walls in a room, etc.), here are a few shades to consider…
- SOFT GREIGES: Some subtle greiges, such as Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray, can work, but I would avoid a color with much purple undertone.
- MUTED BEIGES: Super-muted, toned-down beiges can look great with Evergreen Fog.
- FLEXIBLE OFF-WHITES: Muted off-white paint colors help slow the energy down in a room and let Evergreen Fog be the star of the show.
- WHITE PAINT COLORS: Soft, warm whites and bright whites can look amazeballs.
- DARK GRAY PAINT COLORS: Some dark grays can be gorgeous, simple accents to the beauty of green.
- DARK BLUES: A range of medium to dark shades of blue can be great accents with Evergreen Fog.
QUICK SUMMARY (TL;DR)
- Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog is a slightly warm green paint color with a gray undertone.
- Its LRV of 30 makes it a medium-depth, popular choice for accent walls, rooms, cabinets, and exteriors.
- While it’s beautiful with a wide range of wood finishes, it’s touchy with cream cabinets and trims.
READ MORE
Sherwin Williams Retreat (A Gorgeous GREEN!)
The 8 Best Green-Blue Blend Paint Colors
Benjamin Moore October Mist Paint Color Review
Get the best paint color advice with Kylie M’s Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
Hi Kylie! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful paint knowledge with us. Who even knew about LRV’s until you came along? 😊
We purchased a mountain home last year (not a log cabin) and painted the whole house BM Pale Oak. We painted a bedroom accent wall and bathroom cabinets SW Evergreen Fog and love them both. We are now going to tackle the kitchen cabinets and thought about Evergreen Fog or maybe a taupe/greige for the uppers and Evergreen Fog for the lower ones. But I can’t seem to find a taupe that would go with both? Thoughts?.
Ooooo Pale Oak will give you a run for your money. It will really love ITSELF as the cabinet color or something in the white range – it won’t love a competeing, similar depth taupe/greige :). Sometimes just knowing that helps narrow the search down…a lot :). Or, you could do ALL Evergreen Fog as it is so wicked pretty (and I’d LOOOVE to see photos!!!)
Hi Kylie! do you think Evergreen fog would look good on our accent wall in our main living room? The rest of the walls are BM Pale Oak, and the accent wall connects to the kitchen cabinets, which are BM white dove!
Oooo, I see NO problem with that at all!
What a helpful post, thank you! Have you ever lighted evergreen fog (25%). I used evergreen fog on an accent wall in my bedroom that has very little natural light. I’d like to use it on all walls, but might need to lighten it. How does this affect the color? Have you lighted evergreen fog?
Thank you!
I haven’t lightened it! I mean, technically, it creates a ‘new color’, but at 25% with a color like this, you’ll still see VERY similar bones as what you started with, just a titch lighter 🙂
I’m having kitchen cabinets done in Evergreen Fog on kitchen cabinets with Chantilly Lace walls. A large portion of the house has knotty pine walls and all trim is wood. In the adjoining and visible from the kitchen family room there is a small space of wall that can be painted which is as of yet an undecided colour. I really like blues and was wondering which blues can work with Evergreen Fog. My last house was entirely blues and greens(SW) Sea Salt, Stardew, (BM)Ocean Air, Smoke, Pike Place and Wythe Blue) which I loved but this is a different style house so needs different colours.
Thanks
Hi Kylie, if I’m going with Evergreen Fog for my kitchen, would you suggest it in satin sheen or semi-gloss? I know the amount of light in the room will factor into the shade/overall color, but I wasn’t sure how much the color would differ between the two sheens, and which would look nicer. Thanks!
Well, if it’s for cabinets, defintely satin. If it’s for walls, I love a washable matte (personally), but eggshell works too. Satin can be a bit glossy for most walls 🙂
Hi Kylie, I’m painting the accent wall in my guest bedroom/home office with Evergreen Fog. It’s a north-facing room with one window and not a lot of light. I’m looking for a really nice light color to pair it with and brighten the room (something light and clean). I like the white used with Evergreen Fog in the first picture above, would you mine sharing the name of the white color in that picture? Or Is there another white you would recommend to pair with Evergreen Fog for the other walls.
You bet, Yani, that’s the lovely Benjamin Moore White Dove! The room is north-facing 🙂
Hi Kylie, Can you advise if Canvas Tan and Evergreen Fog work together. Thinking for painting walls Canvas Tan and bathroom vanity Evergreen Fog.
Yup, I see no problem with that, although my instincts would have me hitting the slightly more muted Neutral Ground on the walls, just to mute things a stitch.
Hi Kylie! I’m considering painting my south facing Ohio ranch Evergeen Fog or Dried Thyme. I think Evergreen Fog might look really light with all that sun exposure but am concerned Dried Thyme will absorb too much light (adding more heat to my house). Any thoughts on the sun exposure issue with Evergreen Fog?
Hey Stacy! I do know that today’s (quality) exterior paints are made to withstand SO much more. I have SW Roycroft Pewter on our home (south-facing) for the last 5 1/2 years and it’s held up great and it’s QUITE dark. I mean, any color will shift and the DARKER it is, the more it can, but Evergreen Fog doesn’t make me overly nervous 🙂
I currently have BM Collingwood on my kitchen walls and a greyish blue color on base cabinets with white uppers. We have a small working farm, and the flies aren’t conducive to white cabinets (they drive me insane). I am painting wainscoting in our master bedroom Evergreen Fog with White Duck on the upper wall and ceiling (it’s a small well lit room with windows facing N and E). I’m wanting to do Evergreen Fog on uppers and lowers (I have a 3×5 window facing east and a 3×5 window and a 6’ slider facing south), but I don’t think it goes with Collingwood. Or is there a better color that would be neutral but have a bit more ‘interest’ than Evergreen Fog? I feel so lost with the whole arrangement.
Would Evergreen Fog go well with City Loft color?
You BETCHA!
Kylie,
Thanks for the wonderful review.
I just painted an accent wall behind my sofa, Evergreen Fog and it looks beautiful. My tile floor is a light tan with a pink beige undertone. The room has multiple windows with a southern exposure so it’s nice and bright. The accent wall and sofa(light cream) is on the wall opposite the direct sun lite wall. Would BM Gray Mist go nicely or should it be a color with a Red undertone like White Duck?
My sofa and chair are a light cream. The picture above my sofa has green, white, off white, cream and a little light rust in it. Drape color will be decided after my other walls are decided. Would Gray Mist work ok?
Judy
Hi Judy! It’s SO hard to say without seeing your room, but i would say your tile floor should call some pretty big shots, which has me thinking of colors like BM Classic Gray or maybe SW Egret White?
Would evergreen fog pair well with creamy?
We are painting our exterior Fawn Brindle. Trim with Alabaster. Brick pillars in front of house Urbane Bronze . We want to do small portions of front bedroom window & porch portico evergreen fog for a pop of color ? Would it look ok ?
Ooooo, I wouldn’t do it – TOO MUCH!
We are painting our house and want to use Evergreen Fog. Would Hamburg gray work as the trim?
Hi Kylie
I’m doing a redo and want green cabinets. I have chosen cafe white appliances.
Med brown granite tops and a light beige floor. What color would be your choice for the cabinets. So far I like Avon and Cushing green but still looking for the perfect. Your
Info on the cafe white appliances, which I love but not sure if my greens are the correct ones to use.
Thank you
Donna B
I am considering doing City Loft for a whole-house color (mostly). Would evergreen fog work for an accent wall in the living room?
Oh heck yes, that could be lovely! I also love SW Cornwall Slate and BM Charcoal Slate (which is a gray-blue) 🙂
Thanks! I don’t think I can get my husband on board with such a dark shade of green-gray… Would escape gray also work with city fog? And pure white (sw) trim?