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Home & Garden

This color will be everywhere by 2019

Dark green is the new gray

The deep, luxurious green Night Watch (PPG 1145-7) is the PPG 2019 Color of the Year Credit: PPG

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The 2019 color trends are already emerging. Neutral gray has had its design moment, but let’s just say that it’s beginning to get...boring.

The green scene

Welcome to the jungle—the color that will be huge in 2019 is green. Think about our obsession with succulents, and the tropical motifs we see everywhere. Nature’s favorite color is already creeping into our homes. Whether we put it on an accent wall, a couch, or the front door, green transforms our spaces by connecting them to the outdoors.

Arugula is a dramatic shade from Sherwin-Williams
Credit: Sherwin-Williams

Dark green can be used in any room of the house, as you can see in this home office. Sherwin-Williams Arugula complements lighter wood tones and natural materials well.

Put green in any room

Every year, paint companies forecast the colors that will be popular in the coming year. To get the lowdown on the trend, we spoke to a couple of color experts.

PPG Paints has named Night Watch the company’s 2019 color of the year. This shade is lush and luxurious. “It’s a very dark green that works well in many places,” said PPG Paints senior color marketing manager, Dee Schlotter. “Color is coming back,” she declared.

This deep green door is painted with Sherwin-Williams-Arugula
Credit: Sherwin-Williams

Start thinking of green as a neutral. This dark green door adds a stylish accent to a lighter green room. Notice how the warm metals pop against the green.

Sherwin-Williams has tapped a different dark green, Arugula, as a recent color of the month. “Green is timeless,” said Sue Wadden, the company’s director of color marketing. “It transcends trends. It’s nice to see it back in fashion.”

How to use dark green in 2019

If you were around way back in the eighties, you might remember the era’s design icon, a forest green sofa. While we like the idea of a throwback, there has to be something that makes it look more exciting, so it will work in 2019. And that comes with the colors you pair it with.

A pink couch on a dark green background
Credit: Evoke Homestaging

A millennial pink couch blooms against a dark green background. This is an elegant way to bring dark green decor into 2019.

“We wanted something that would contrast,” Schlotter said. So, set a dark green sofa against a millennial pink wall (or vice versa), and you’ve created magic. For some serious zing in a dark green room, Schlotter has a recommendation: “Mustard yellow is great for accessories.”

Metals, especially brass and gold, pop against dark green. And don’t hesitate to paint a dark green wall in a room with light-colored floors or furniture. “Blond wood looks amazing with dark green,” said Schlotter. “White makes it come to life.”

White brings dark green to life
Credit: Getty Images / JZhuk

A dark green couch adds a warm, tropical feeling to an all-white room.

Wadden favors Arugula in smaller contexts, so you don't have to put it on every wall. “I can see it behind open shelving. Plates and dishes pop against it. They almost look like jewels.”

A lighter green can also work
Credit: Benjamin Moore

Green's appeal is universal. If dark green is too intense for you, feel free to back it off and use lighter versions like sage or mint.

Maybe dark green is too extreme for you and your home. Wadden’s suggestion: “If the intensity is a little scary, back it off,” So, think about lighter greens, like sage or mint. “Those mid-tone greens are beautiful,” she added.

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