London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 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

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×