Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Jul 25, 2025

Why Green Is the Back-to-Nature Color We're Craving for 2020

Why Green Is the Back-to-Nature Color We're Craving for 2020

This popular hue can work as a subtle neutral or a standout accent. See some of our favorite ways to use green on walls, trim, tile, and more.

Various shades of verdant green seem to be popping up everywhere, including at the top of the list for most on-trend color. Why? Because it's just so versatile.

In the world of color science, green plays well with everyone, says Sue Wadden, director of color marketing for Sherwin-Williams. "All people relate to it," she says. "All cultures have strong associations with green." And after years of all white and shades of gray, we are collectively craving color. "We've been neutral for so long-and loved it," says Wadden. "It was a palate cleanser." But as we tire of grays and seek something more soothing while still fresh and modern, green has become a go-to.

In addition to popping up on our favorite designer Instagram feeds, the color has recently been recognized by paint experts and designers as a top trending hue. Two shades of green, a vivid chartreuse and a soft sage green, were named 2020 colors of the year by Etsy and Behr, respectively. Green was also identified as the most on-trend color in 1stdibs's annual interior designer trends survey, which polled more than 700 interior designers around the globe.

From retro minty green to dramatic dark forest green, the color looks at home in kitchens, bathrooms, living areas, and bedrooms, as well as on walls, tile, and all sorts of decor. Plus, the plucked-from-nature hue goes with just about everything, whether your existing color scheme includes neutrals, pinks, gold, brass, black, silver. "I don't know if there's a bad color combination," says Wadden.

Want to get a back-to-nature feel in your home? Here are seven modern ways to use green in every room.



1. Use Green as a Neutral on Trim


In soft, muted shades, green can act as a grounding neutral that provides a refreshing alternative to more traditional browns and grays. When applied in select areas, such as doors and trim, the color breathes life into all-white rooms without overwhelming. This California home, which was staged by Kirsten Blazek of home staging and design company A1000xBetter and photographed by Virtually Here Studios, uses a dusty olive paint color (Adaptive Shade by Sherwin-Williams) on the trim and baseboards to add subtle visual interest to the neutral spaces. The nature-inspired shade of green works equally well on exterior trim or siding, as it blends seamlessly with natural surroundings.



2. Apply Dark Green to Kitchen Cabinets


A welcome departure from popular white-on-white kitchens, dark green kitchen cabinetry brings depth and personality to cooking spaces. To balance the saturated shade, try pairing painted lower cabinets with airy open shelving, as demonstrated here in a kitchen by Claudia Beiler of The Chris and Claude Co., based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "Green, in all its varying shades and nuances, has been a powerful source of inspiration for us in our creative journey," Claudia says of the space she and partner Chris designed. "We feel that green speaks of new life and healthy living." The deep green shade is Fig Tree by Behr.



3. Paint Every Surface Gray-Green for a Moody Vibe


Shades of green with gray undertones have a moodier ambiance that works well in bedrooms, says Beiler. For this children's room, she selected Sherwin-Williams' Rainwashed as a sophisticated, gender-neutral color that will age well. "Part of the power of this image is that we used it on the ceilings, walls, and all the trim to create a dramatically restful feel," she says.



4. Choose Garden-Inspired Greens as Accent Colors


Take cues from your favorite houseplants or garden varieties for easygoing, liveable shades of green. Wadden gravitates to succulent-inspired shades such as Acacia Haze by Sherwin-Williams. "It's not hunter green—this is not 1994—but a modern version of it," she says. With undertones of stone-gray, the color pairs well with natural materials, such as wood, linen, or jute, to reinterpret the "bringing the outside in" trend in a more subdued way. Here, the color is used to subtly highlight built-in shelving without distracting from the sophisticated look and feel of the dining room.



5. Enliven a Small Space with a Deep Green


"We always say in design: when you want to add life to a room that's feeling too stark, add a plant," says Wadden. "We are predisposed to have that love affair with green." This trick works with paint colors, too, as with this rich green accent wall in an otherwise white bathroom by Vintage Revivals. The shade picks up colors found in a vintage map and snake plant, while a reflective sheen keeps the saturated green from feeling too dark.



6. Reimagine a Classic Pattern in a Modern Color


Beyond paint, wallpaper provides an opportunity to apply the trendy color in a striking pattern. This tree toile wallpaper by Chasing Paper, for example, reimagines a vintage-inspired pattern in a fresh green hue. "It could go in so many different spaces," says the company's founder Elizabeth Rees. "It's so versatile; it can be dressed up or dressed down." In this living room, it reads almost more as texture than color.



7. Try Forest Green to Freshen Up Familiar Patterns

The right color can put a fresh spin on classic designs. This retro-inspired backsplash tile, for example, repeats a familiar pattern but in a modern green color that feels current. "We've seen blue. We've seen pink. And now, we're seeing green," says Erika Egede-Nissen, director of marketing at Walker Zanger. Unlike the forest greens popular in the '90s, she notes, it's now "a deep, rich green that is really coming back into design."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
×