As Kermit so famously sang, it’s not easy being green.
Although I can’t speak from experience on this one (it didn’t seem to go well
for the Grinch, either), I can attest that making peace with it in your home
can be a somewhat tricky diplomatic exercise. Apple, Kelly, acid, celadon,
jade, sage, olive, emerald, forest, army—of all the colours, green has been
graced with the most engaging and illuminating adjectives. There are lots of
good greens—great, even—but sometimes they can inspire unease in the most Zen
of souls. Tread too far into Mother Nature’s turf and the results can be
downright strident, despite the fact that this cool cucumber of a colour
generally recedes.
On the fresher, more
yellow-based side, look to hues that offer a vivacious background without the
problematic and occasionally unflattering reflections associated with so-called
green-greens. Although the wrong yellow-greens can conjure the worst aspects of
a sinus infection, the right ones are as delicious and tonic-like as a shot of
fine chartreuse. To this end, check out Farrow & Ball’s Olive or the
wickedly named Churlish Green, Ben Moore’s Agave and C2’s Al Green. Big box
pick: Behr’s Garden Sprout.
For a calmer vibe that embraces green’s chameleonic ability
to function as a neutral, explore more grey-toned options such as: Elemental
and Gettysburg Grey from Benjamin Moore; C2’s chameleonic Wood Ash; and Lichen
from Farrow & Ball. Big box pick: Clay Pebble from Behr. Although these
were once the fandeck favourites of tony gays in the early ‘90s, they remain
eternally elegant and create a soothing background to almost any colour (even
strong reds in the right proportion). Best of all, as ‘neutrals’ go they
provide a subtle lift not generally found in their extended family of beiges,
taupes, paler browns and greys.
If it’s a bit more drama you’re looking for, consider some
of the scandalous love children of blue and green, lying just slightly on the
envious side of teal. Even though serious commitment can be required with the
stronger varieties, the following hues can inspire the kind of lifelong love
that would make swans look like tramps. A few to try on for size include:
Farrow & Ball’s Chappell Green; Cayman Lagoon and Azores from Benjamin
Moore; and C2’s Tempest, Luna, Topiary or Puck—the colour I recently painted
the inside of my closet. Not that I spend much time in there anymore... Big box pick: Behr’s Rainforest.
