Sage Green Paint for a Bedroom: Three Shades From Paintings
Sage green walls make a quiet bedroom, and the right shade depends on undertone and light. These three sages were measured from paintings by Claude Monet and an unknown American artist. Each comes with its LRV, its closest paint matches and companion colors for trim, wood and textiles.
Quick answer
Use the gray-green #A9B1A1 on all four walls, or the deeper #969674 on one feature wall behind the bed. Choose the yellow-leaning #B5AE91 for textiles or for walls in a room full of warm wood.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Shades of sage green
#A9B1A1LRV 43
Soft Gray Sage
The easiest sage for bedroom walls, with a green undertone and an LRV of 43. It comes from "New England Country Seat" (1800-20, The Art Institute of Chicago) and stays calm without turning yellow.
A light sage with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 42, taken from Monet's "Cliff Walk at Pourville" (1882). It suits bedspreads and curtains, or walls in a room with warm wood.
A mid-tone sage with a green undertone and an LRV of 30, measured from Monet's "Water Lily Pond" (1917-19). Use it on a feature wall behind the bed or on a dresser or armchair, where it adds depth.
A very light neutral with an LRV of 77 and no clear undertone, taken from "Cliff Walk at Pourville". Use it on trim, doors and the ceiling so the sage walls stay the main color.
Farrow & Ball No. 2001 Strong White
Near-identical
Behr N190-1 Smokey Cream
Near-identical
Valspar 7001-9 Ballroom Belle
Very close
Sherwin-Williams SW 7077 Original White
Very close
#4A3A29LRV 5
Dark Walnut Brown
A very dark brown with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 5, from "New England Country Seat". Use it as the target for a dark wood floor, a bed frame or a dresser.
A light blue with a cool undertone and an LRV of 47, from "Cliff Walk at Pourville". Keep it to one bold piece, such as an accent chair, so it stands out against the sage.
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
Soft Gray Sage
Warm Olive Sage
Deep Lichen Sage
Soft Neutral White
Clear Sky Blue
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 New England Country Seat.
Which sage green should I choose for my bedroom walls?
Start with the undertone, then check the LRV. The gray-green #A9B1A1 has a green undertone and an LRV of 43. It is the easiest choice for all four walls: calm, fairly light and not yellow. The olive-leaning #B5AE91 has a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 42. It suits rooms with warm wood, cream bedding and brass. The deeper #969674 is a mid-tone with an LRV of 30, so it takes in more light than it gives back.
That makes #969674 a good sage green accent wall behind the bed. A feature wall in this shade, with the other three walls in the soft white #E8E2DD, keeps a small room from feeling closed in. In a large, bright bedroom you can paint all four walls in it for a darker, cozier room.
If you are unsure, choose by the room. In a dim room, start with #A9B1A1 or #B5AE91. In a bright room, any of the three works.
What goes with sage green walls: trim, ceiling, floor and furniture?
Use #E8E2DD on trim, doors and the ceiling. Its LRV of 77 is light and it has no clear undertone, so it frames all three sages without pulling them toward yellow or blue. Next to it, the walls read more clearly green.
For floors and wood, look to #4A3A29. It is very dark, with an LRV of 5 and a warm yellow undertone. A dark wood floor, bed frame or dresser in this range grounds both the gray-green and the olive sages.
For a full sage green color scheme in the bedroom, follow the suggested roles. Put #A9B1A1 on the walls, #969674 on main furniture such as a dresser or armchair, and #4A3A29 on wood. Use #B5AE91 for textiles such as a bedspread or curtains, and #9DB9E0 for one bold piece, such as an accent chair or a bedside table. The blue has a cool undertone and an LRV of 47, so one item is enough.
How does sage green look in the light of my bedroom?
LRV tells you how much light a color bounces back. These sages sit at 43, 42 and 30, well below the soft white at 77. In a bedroom with little daylight, they will look deeper and quieter than they do on a screen or a small chip.
Undertone shifts with the light. The green-undertone #A9B1A1 stays steady and soft. The yellow-undertone #B5AE91 turns warmer under lamps with yellow bulbs and can look more olive. The mid-tone #969674 can look dark in the evening, which is often what people want in a bedroom.
Look at the wall at the times you use the room: in the morning and in the hour before bed. Bedrooms are used mostly in low light, so the lamp-lit evening matters more than noon. Hold your sample next to your bedding, floor and curtains, since those colors change how the green reads.
How do I test sage green samples before painting?
Paint large samples, not small swatches. Use a sample pot on a board about two feet square, and put one board on each wall of the room, including the wall behind the bed. Leave a white border around each so you can judge the color on its own.
Check each sample in the morning, at midday and in the evening with your bedside lamps on. Move the boards around. A color can look gray-green on one wall and clearly olive on another.
The paint matches on this page are the closest measured to the colors in the paintings, not exact copies. For #A9B1A1 the closest is Sherwin-Williams SW 66 Cascade Green. For #B5AE91 it is Sherwin-Williams SW 7727 Koi Pond or Behr PPU9-09 Seedling. For #969674 it is Behr 730D-5 Village Square. Buy a sample of the match and compare it with your own room, since screens show color differently than paint on a wall.
FAQ
What colors go with a sage green bedroom?
Soft white like #E8E2DD works well on trim and ceiling, and dark warm brown like #4A3A29 suits wood floors and furniture. Add one light blue piece such as #9DB9E0 for contrast.
Should I paint one sage green accent wall or the whole bedroom?
For a sage green accent wall, pick the deeper #969674 (LRV 30) behind the bed and keep the other walls light. For the whole room, #A9B1A1 or #B5AE91 reflect more light and feel calmer.
Which sage green is the lightest and which is the warmest?
#A9B1A1 has the highest LRV of the three at 43, just above #B5AE91 at 42. #B5AE91 is the warmest, with a yellow undertone. #969674 is the darkest at LRV 30.
What is the closest paint to the sage in New England Country Seat?
For #A9B1A1, Sherwin-Williams SW 66 Cascade Green is the closest match measured, and it is near-identical. Behr PPU11-09 Environmental and Farrow & Ball No. 91 Blue Gray are very close.
Is sage green a good color for a bedroom?
Sage greens with an LRV between 30 and 43 give a soft, mid-range wall that is neither stark nor heavy. Test a sample in your own lamplight, since evening is when most bedrooms are used.
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 Art Institute of Chicago, 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 New England Country Seat, Artist unknown
