What is Sage Green? Everything You Need to Know About the Trending Color

Move over, lime, forest, and olive: Sage green is the shade du jour.

Beloved by design enthusiasts and bloggers alike, sage green interiors are having a moment—and for good reason. A cool earth tone with hints of silvery gray, sage green is every bit as sprightly as it is sophisticated. Ready to learn more about this overlooked hue? Read ahead for a breakdown on all things sage green. 

“Sage is a greyed green,” says paint and color expert Annie Sloan. “It’s very classical and earthy, and is often used in modern, minimalist interiors for a sophisticated effect.” Check out some of our favorite sage-hued house tours for inspiration:

Looking for a design-savvy way to experiment with different prints in your living room? In Ruth Matthews’ London home, sage green walls tone down vibrant colors and patterns (without muting them). Recreate this look in your space with Statue Green by KILZ.

A silvery shade of sage green, like Silver Sage by Benjamin Moore, energizes a muted kitchen with a natural tone. Jeffrey Toraichi Eyser and Joseph F. Kuntz Jr.’s Los Angeles home is the ultimate design inspiration.

Light sage green walls, painted in a shade like Sagey by Sherwin-Williams, provide a cool but colorful backdrop to bright artwork, just like we saw in Adam Lopez’s Echo Park, California bedroom. 

Rich sage green walls, in a paint hue like Breakfast Room Green by Farrow & Ball, allow fair-colored textiles and furnishings to shine. Let Lauren Naimola and Chad Pratt’s Ypsilanti, Michigan home show you how it’s done.

An earthy shade of sage green paint, like as Saybrook Sage by Benjamin Moore, opens up a cramped hallway area, as we saw in Ruth Matthews’ London abode. 

According to Sloan, sage green offers more than aesthetic appeal—it has calming properties, too.

“Sage green is an extremely soothing tone,” she says. “It’s a nostalgic neutral that gives a room the feeling of space and respite.”

Ready to get your zen on? Check out these soothing sage spaces.

Pale sage walls, painted in a color like Cool Cucumber,  set a simultaneously eclectic and ethereal tone in Scott and Jacqui Scoggin’s guest bedroom in Tacoma, Washington.  

A little sage green paint goes a long way in a kitchen. Case in point: Katrina and Draz’s Melbourne, Australia kitchen. Here, the duo used a cheerful shade of sage to upgrade their cabinet fronts in no time. Bring the energetic aesthetic to your home with Clary Sage by Sherwin-Williams.

Take a cue from Ruth Matthews’ London living room and brighten up darker decor accents with a light shade of sage wall paint. We have our eyes on Eggshell Mineral Green by Magnolia Home. 

Use a shade like Magnolia Home’s Silverado Sage, and create the illusion of more space in a small bedroom—just like we saw in Jaclyn Simpson’s Chicago rental.

Silvery gray sage green walls, painted in a shade such as Emmie’s Room, create an elegant and classical feel in a traditional living room. Amy and Greg Strunk’s Fairfax, Virginia home teeters nicely between classic and cool.

Good news: Sloan says sage green can be used like any other neutral because it complements just about any other color.

“Whether paired with rich earth tones, smoky pinks, or other shades of green, sage is a gorgeous neutral that creates a muted, romantic feel for any room,” she explains.

The five rooms below prove sage green works with just about any color:

As Oyinkansola Antwi’s Brooklyn apartment proves, it’s very easy being green. Light sage green-colored walls, painted in a hue like Teresa’s Green by Farrow & Ball, allow darker shades of green to make a statement without straying from the color palette.

An eye-catching gold-finished pendant light, like the one we spotted in John and Liz Tavarez’s Phoenix, Arizona dining room, is subdued by sage green walls. To recreate the look in your space, select a muted shade like Eggshell Mineral Green. 

What’s black, white, and green all over? Anne and Tahoe O’Connor’s Denver, Colorado bungalow. Bold black-and-white bathroom floors and textiles are offset by Behr’s soothing Herbal Mist.

Cooldown bright decor accents in style with a dark sage green palette, using a shade such as Sage Green Flat, just like we saw in Ruth Matthews’ London living room. 

Nothing makes natural greenery stand out more than a mossy sage green paint palette, painted in a shade like Yeabridge Green by Farrow & Ball. Natasha Nyberg and Brad Sammut’s sunroom brings a slice of the great outdoors inside.