Dark Green Bathroom Paint: Forest Shades from Museum Paintings
Dark green bathroom paint ranges from warm olive to near-black. Here are three forest shades measured from paintings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, each with its LRV and closest commercial matches. Three lighter colors from the same paintings show you what to pair them with.
Quick answer
Use the bronze green #545347 or the olive #645F3E on bathroom walls, and keep the near-black green #2B2C1F for a vanity or one accent wall. Pair them with the pale #DEDECF.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Shades of dark green
#645F3ELRV 11
Warm Olive Green
A deep olive with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 11, taken from Corneille de Lyon's "Portrait of a Man." It is the lightest of the three dark greens, so it suits walls in a bathroom with a window, or towels and a bath mat.
A deep green with a green undertone and an LRV of 9, taken from François Boucher's "Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist and Angels." It is the most balanced choice for all four walls or a vanity.
A very dark green with an LRV of 2, taken from Achille-Etna Michallon's "Waterfall at Mont-Dore." It reads almost black, so use it on a vanity, a tub wall or a small powder room.
A very light, green-leaning neutral with an LRV of 72, taken from Edgar Degas's "At the Milliner's." Use it on the ceiling, trim or lighter walls to bounce light back into a dark green bathroom.
A deep brown with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 17, taken from Boucher's "Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist and Angels." Use it for wood shelves, mirror frames or a floor beside olive or bronze green.
A very light, warm yellow color with an LRV of 69, taken from Corneille de Lyon's "Portrait of a Man." Use it for one small bold piece, such as a tray, a towel or a painted stool, against the dark green.
Sherwin-Williams SW 6653 Delicious Melon
Very close
Farrow & Ball No. 68 Dorset Cream
Similar
How the lighter colors change with the light
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
Color
Neutral daylight
North light
South light
Evening lamps
Pale Sage
Pale Melon
Try these colors in a room
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is Portrait of a Man.
Which dark green should you choose for a bathroom?
Start with the undertone. The olive shade, #645F3E, has a deep, warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 11. The bronze green, #545347, has a green undertone and an LRV of 9. The darkest, #2B2C1F, has an LRV of 2 and reads close to black with a green cast.
Use the olive or the bronze green on all four walls if the room has a window. Both are dark, but they still show some color in daylight. Save the near-black green for a vanity, the wall behind the tub or a small powder room where you want a deep, enclosed feel.
Think about size too. In a small bathroom with no window, an LRV of 2 takes in almost all the light, so you will depend on your fixtures. In a larger room with daylight, any of the three can cover the walls.
What goes with dark green: trim, ceiling and flooring?
For a lighter partner, the pale green-white #DEDECF works well beside the darker greens. Its LRV is 72, so it bounces light back into the room. Use it on the ceiling and trim for a soft step between light and dark, or on the walls if you keep the dark green for the vanity.
Wood is where the warmth comes in. The brown #846F52 has an LRV of 17 and a warm yellow undertone. Try it on a shelf, a mirror frame, a stool or a wood floor. It sits comfortably with the olive and the bronze green because they share that yellow warmth.
Add one bold piece in the pale melon #FFD0A0, LRV 69. A small tray, a towel or a painted stool is enough. Use the olive #645F3E for textiles, such as a bath mat or curtain, so the room does not rely on one dark green alone.
How does dark green look in different bathroom light?
Dark colors change more with light than pale ones. With LRVs between 2 and 11, none of these greens will brighten a room. They will make it feel more enclosed, and that can be welcome in a bathroom you use mostly in the evening.
Daylight brings out undertone. The olive, #645F3E, shows its warm yellow side in warm, sunny light. The bronze green, #545347, has a green undertone, so expect it to look less yellow beside the olive. The near-black #2B2C1F will look nearly black in a room with little daylight.
Artificial light matters just as much. Warm bulbs push these greens toward yellow and brown. Cooler bulbs let the green show. Put lights on both sides of the mirror, so dark walls do not leave your face in shadow.
How do you test dark green samples before painting?
Paint a large sample, at least two feet square, on the wall you plan to cover. Do two coats, because dark colors can look uneven after one. Also paint a board you can move around, and hold it next to the vanity, the tub and the floor.
Look at the samples in the morning, at midday and at night with the bulbs you actually use. Set them beside the pale #DEDECF and the wood tone #846F52 to see how the group works together. The paint matches on this page are the closest measured, not exact, so check each one against your own wall.
Bathrooms are damp, so ask the paint counter which finish suits a room with steam. Let the room air out after showers while the paint cures. Then judge the color again after a few days, once it has fully dried.
FAQ
What is the best dark green for a bathroom?
The bronze green #545347 is the most balanced choice. It has an LRV of 9 and a green undertone. The closest match measured is Sherwin-Williams SW 2846 Roycroft Bronze Green, which is near-identical.
What is forest green bathroom paint, and which shade is closest?
Forest green is a deep green, and on this page the olive #645F3E is the warmest version, with an LRV of 11. The closest matches measured are Sherwin-Williams SW 7735 Palm Leaf (very close) and Behr BNC-35 Ground Pepper (near-identical).
Where can I buy forest green bathroom paint, for example at B&Q?
The matches here come from Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Valspar and Farrow & Ball. A store such as B&Q may carry different ranges, so take the hex value and LRV with you and compare chips in person against your sample.
Will dark green make a small bathroom look smaller?
It can feel more enclosed, because these greens have LRVs between 2 and 11 and take in most of the light. In a small room, use dark green on the vanity or one wall and pair it with the pale #DEDECF, which has an LRV of 72.
What are good forest green bathroom paint ideas with wood?
Pair the olive #645F3E or bronze green #545347 with the warm brown #846F52 on a shelf, mirror frame or floor. The closest match for that brown is Sherwin-Williams SW 6145 Thatch Brown, which is near-identical.
Save these colors
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain (CC0).
Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
From Portrait of a Man, Corneille de Lyon
