When someone says they like light green, I think they really mean they like medium green. That’s because a true light green looks almost white, but a “lighter green” by most people’s definitions truly falls into the medium range.
So what exactly makes a medium green medium and not light or dark? The Light Reflectance Value (LRV), which measures how much light the paint color reflects back. Anything in the range 0–40 is typically classified as a dark color, 40–60 is medium, and 60–100 is light. That’s a pretty narrow band for medium, which I find restrictive. So in this list, you’ll find a few colors that fall outside of the medium range, but in my opinion, they still qualify. So let’s get to it… here are my five favorite medium green paint colors from Sherwin-Williams.
Sherwin-Williams Clary Sage
Let’s start off strong with this soft herbal green, SW Clary Sage. With an LRV of 41, this color sits right on the border of a dark and medium green, so it will look light and bright in direct sunlight but more like a dark olive in shady corners, as you can see in the kitchen above. It has a slight yellow undertone, which gives it that olive-y quality, but it’s cut by a gray undertone that mellows and softens the tone. If you’re worried about the yellow undertone, try SW Clary Sage in a north-facing room that receives cool light, which will help to balance the warmth.
Sherwin-Williams Quietude
Now let’s take it to the exact opposite end of the green color spectrum with SW Quietude, a calming green blue. This color is a true medium tone with an LRV of 48, meaning that it reflects almost exactly half of the light that hits it. In addition to its blue undertone, it also has a touch of gray that keeps it feeling mellow, soft, and complex. Because of this mix, it will change colors throughout the day in different lights like a chameleon. To bring out the green more, use it in a south-facing room that receives warm light to balance out the cool undertones.
Sherwin-Williams Rainwashed
If you like the idea of SW Quietude but want it even lighter and brighter, look no further than SW Rainwashed. This color borders on a light paint color with an LRV of 59 and also makes a perfect haint blue color for porches. SW Rainwashed also has blue and gray undertones, but the gray is less pronounced, meaning that this color will appear more vibrant and saturated, as you can see in the nursery above.
Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt
If you want a light green but SW Rainwashed is too blue and pigmented for you, try SW Sea Salt instead. This muted green gray has an LRV of 63 and still has a slight blue undertone but reads more as a cool green than a green-blue. If you like light, traditional, airy spaces, try SW Sea Salt on walls with white trim for a classic pairing. And based on the name, you can bet that this is a perfect beach house paint color.
Sherwin-Williams Wavecrest
And finally, we have SW Wavecrest, a vibrant and cheerful light cool green that reminds me of mint chip ice cream. But a more technical color description may be “light pistachio.” With an LRV of 69, this color is the lightest of the bunch but still packs a pigmented punch. SW Wavecrest is part of a Sherwin-Williams Designer Color Collection called Classic + Collected. Keep in mind that SW designer colors are often only available in their premium paint products, such as Emerald, so plan to splurge for the higher quality paint.
I hope this guide was helpful to you as you search for your perfect medium green paint color! For more free color suggestions, check out the rest of my favorite paint colors.
