In Thursday’s installment of Ask Sanders, I promised help for Kristin’s bedroom. She asked our opinion on Kelly Green as a choice for bedroom paint, and Sanders was more than happy to oblige with a paint palette of greens in hues that range from shocking to sophisticated:
And a few darker, more traditional greens:
Personally, I have found that green can be a difficult color to work with, because it requires a sense of confidence that many more soothing shades do not. But when done right, green really sings. And I love the idea of using green and blue (blue in Kristin’s bathroom) as a base for a household palette, since blue and green can mix and match in so many interesting ways.
You’ll need a pair to go all out kelly green on four walls, floor to ceiling. But this spare little bedroom courtesy of The Sweet Line gets it right with simple furnishings and accents. In a small room with strong color, paint is the star and everything else plays a supporting role.
I’m thinking that Kelly Wearstler may have kicked off the kelly green movement in a moment of vanity (hello, kelly – kelly?), but love her or hate her, the lady is not afraid of color. This bathroom shows how slick classic green (looks like Rainforest Foliage to me), black, white and chrome can be.
This tiny kelly green kitchen from Domino can cook. A very restricted palette with lots of white keeps the color from overwhelming.
In this room from House to Home, forest green goes a little too country for my taste, but with more streamlined shapes, the color could be fresh. Imagine Danish teak instead of these tradtional furnishings. Throw in lots of white linens and a black pillow or two and you’ve got modern classic.
If all out green seems too heavy for you, you can break the color up in several ways.
Patterned kelly green and gold wallpaper keeps the color light. If wallpaper isn’t an option (renters, I’m talking to you), try stretching fabric over a a wooden frame, or wallpaper a large piece of masonite and frame with cheap, painted quarter round. Beep beep, beep beep, yeah.
Homes with lots of molding and windows can handle the color because it covers less surface area. With deep greens, black, white and brown rocks.
If you don’t have glorious architecture and the bones to prove it, consider painting a feature wall in deep green; keep the rest of the room bright and light.
Maybe kelly green isn’t for you, but Stokes Forest Green is looking mighty fine. Pair it with lots of neutrals and blood orange for a pop of unexpected color. Lighter colors need less white to balance them out.
Brave souls may spring for chartreuse, like this Benjamin Moore Pear Green featured in Domino.
Boring picture, but the color is divine. And Designer’s Brew shows how blue and chartreuse make magic. For a bedroom, maybe just a feature wall or nook would do.
Fear of commitment? No problem — we all get cold feet sometimes. Consider green accents or furnishings instead.
Fawn Galli’s boho-glam apartment uses bright green curtains and upholstery to funk up her space.
Use that kelly green paint to spiff up a set of chairs in an otherwise neutral room. The wall paint in the photo looks a lot like my office paint — Silver Fox by BM. It’s a lovely, medium deep neutral.
Even a simple emerald throw adds depth to this dark and cozy bedroom.
Or maybe instead of feeling green at the gills by all this color, you’re green with envy. If you’re feeling emboldened by the power of green, don’t hold back.
Try mixing and matching several shades in one room, like this Moroccan guest house. Lots of white space helps forest green, stokes forest green, and a pear green, go together like peas and… peas.
That’s it for this installment of Ask Sanders. Hopefully you and Kristin got some new ideas and inspiration on ways to green up your space. For me, suddenly chartreuse is sounding like a fabulous nursery color…
If you would like to have your home featured on Ask Sanders, need help matching colors you may have spied in magazines, or just want advice on what paint colors could possibly make those peach wall tiles in your bathroom look like you MEANT to do that, email us at hollaback@design-crisis.com to ask Sanders, our resident Paint Guru, for help.
Thanks, Sanders!
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Not a big fan of green (sorry, Raina!).
I love it outside but have trouble considering it for indoor play. There’s something about the kelly green that appeals to me though. I even like the apple green paired with coral – so Palm Beachy!
I love the pops of green in the all-white room. And the second pair of green chairs. Hmmmm, maybe I like green more than I think.
Ooooh, very nice! Are all shades BM? By the way, after your last post my husband took it upon himself to print out your notebook, for inspirational purposes. He’s going to be mad he did it before this post! And again, than you Sanders!!!
Everything is BM except for one shade is Pratt and Lambert (noted as P&L on the color chip).
Glad you and the hubby are getting some use out of Sanders’ awesome picks! Can’t wait to see what you guys come up with…
I want to go repaint my bathroom or kitchen in bright green, now. Love these examples!
I love this post! My kitchen is bright kelly green (it was the best idea i had for spicing up an all white rental blech kitchen) so I am all for it.
If you live somewhere grey and dead and wintery (ie, cleveland!), you can’t beat a little green for waking up a space and making you think of grassy fields and summer skies.
Although I probably don’t have the guts to choose those colors myself, I found myself really gravitating towards the kelly green, chartreuse, with maybe some turqouise and lots of white accents? Or that could be seriously nuts.
I don’t think it’s nutty at all — I’m really thinking of using a similar palette for the nursery. Or, hey, maybe we’re both nutty!
Stephanie — pictures! Pictures!!!
I feel like I enjoy green a little more every year. These are fabulous.
Mmmmmm….hmmmmm…mmm. Lurve it. All of it. Green is good.
P.S. I want a stuffed peacock for my birthday.
Thanks for clearing that up Erin!
Actually, green is one of the most versatile and accommodating colors around. It goes with everything. You either love it or hate it. Personally, I love it. Some of my favorites things in life are green…a perfectly manicured lawn, a cold pitcher of St Pattys Day beer, jello, green peanut M&Ms, the Wicked Witch of the West and of course some crisp Benjamins to name a few and speaking of green, birthday boy will be sportin his lucky green briefs tonight as I head to the casino to test some birthday luck. Send some good vibes my way Austinites cause daddy needs a new pair of lime green loafers.
Well, happy, happy birthday, Patrick! How could I begrudge you anything? Nothing but good, good, green vibrations headed your way!
Green accessories I am a GIANT fan of. Give me curtains, pillows, cats, aything. But when it comes to walls, I dunno it just doesn’t get it up for me. Weird. Although, when I was a teen I had a really dark teal room similiar to the forest green sample square at the top. Maybe it had more blue in it? ANyway, no green walls for Sara.
dude. I was just working on a post about a little boy’s room featuring… chartreuse!! At least I’m consistent?
That sounds awesome! Can’t wait to see it…
Do it! Green would be great in a nursery.
Can I just live in that bathroom?
I LOVE all those greens!
who carries kelly green paint? you have the lovely samples up but curious which brand carries it.
thx so much.
Hi Yasmin, they’re all Benjamin Moore. Good luck!
[...] Small kitchens usually avoid dark shades of any color, but this hue of green matched with white gives a relaxing tone to this kitchen. Whites make sure to not let green overwhelm the space. Pic Courtesy [...]