Are you searching for a pretty sage green paint color? Today we’re exploring Sherwin Williams Clary Sage including how it looks in real rooms, which colors coordinate with it, and what other sage green paints are similar to it.

And since I love working with colors and have for decades, I’ve also curated several color palettes based around this surprisingly neutral paint color.

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Sage greens are more popular every year and several national paint brands chose sage green colors as their paint color of the year for 2022. It’s a rising trend that won’t be going away any time soon.

FYI: The 2024 Sherwin Williams color trends have just been released and you can see them all here: 2024 Sherwin Williams Colors

All About Sherwin Williams Clary Sage SW6178

What color is Clary Sage?

Clary Sage is a medium tone gray green with a subtle hint of soft yellow. It truly does look like the color of fresh sage that you’ve just clipped from your garden, as you can see in the photo below. I literally just clipped the sage from my herb garden.

And like all colors, it looks different in various lighting conditions so it’s always best to sample it in your own home. I use and recommend Samplize Peel and Stick Paint Samples and you can get one here: Clary Sage Peel and Stick Paint Sample

Is Sherwin Williams Clary Sage warm or cool?

Clary Sage is unique because it’s somewhat cool and somewhat warm, depending on the lighting and time of day. In south-facing rooms it will appear warmer and in north-facing rooms it will appear cooler.

What’s the LRV of Clary Sage?

The LRV, or light reflective value of Clary Sage is 41 on a scale that ranges from 0 to 100, with 0 being the darkest and 100 being the lightest. This means that it’s a medium tone color, slightly on the darker side.

But I wouldn’t call it a dark color at all. It’s on the top half of the color strip.

How does sage green make a room feel?

The color green is a restful , quiet, and soothing color and evokes the feeling of being in nature. It reminds us of being in our favorite park or garden.

Green walls have a calming effect and can sometimes relieve stress and anxiety.

What whites and off whites go with Clary Sage for trim?

Since it’s a soft, muted color it doesn’t look as good with stark or gray whites as it does with soft warmer whites. Here are the best whites and off whites to use with Clary Sage:

• Greek Villa
• Alabaster
• Pure White
• Shoji White

What are the lighter and darker shades of Clary Sage?

There are several great options that coordinate with Clary Sage if you want to use a monochromatic color scheme in your house. Here are the lighter and darker shades of it:

• Softened Green is one shade lighter.
• Green Onyx is one shade darker.
• Artichoke is two shades darker.

What colors go with Clary Sage?

The question really should be what doesn’t go with it? It’s actually quite neutral and you could pair it with darker, lighter, warmer, or cooler colors but I’ll try to narrow it down for you.

Since it’s a color found in nature let’s first look to nature to see other natural colors that coordinate with it. The following list of hues perfectly complement Clary Sage. They’re also soft muted colors that are easy to live with for a long time.

• Warm wood tones
• Soft gray blues
• Natural linen
• Sea grass
• Dried lavender
• Burnt caramel

Here’s an example of the soft natural color palette that I used in a flower arrangement for our dining room last year. You can see more of it here: Fall Table with Soft Muted Colors

Now let’s take a look at some rooms in real homes that have Clary Sage and see what colors have been used with it. And be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for 2 different color palettes for this versatile color.

Clary Sage Kitchen Cabinets

In researching for this post I found several kitchens with Clary Sage cabinets. They all have a color palette similar to the one below with copper, terracotta, black, warm wood, and soft whites. Isn’t it so warm and welcoming?

Traditional Kitchen with Clary Sage Cabinets and wood floors

The warm wood floors and hood complement the sage green cabinets so beautifully in this kitchen from Our Huntington Home. The black cabinet hardware looks perfect on them as well. The Shoji White walls are nice and soft against the green cabinets.

Kitchen with Clary Sage Island

The Clary Sage Island in this kitchen from Owings Brothers Contracting really steals the scene. The copper hood and sink along with the warm wood on the island really make this a space you’d want to hang out in for hours. Cabinet color is Antique White.

Tall kitchen cabinets in Clary Sage

This old-fashioned kitchen from Sarah Stacey Interior Design looks like it could be from any era. The classic design and accents make it a look that would stand the test of time and the Clary Sage cabinets look incredible. And the vibrant wallpaper and accent rug really adds personality to this kitchen.

Boho Kitchen with Clary Sage Cabinets

This lively kitchen with Clary Sage cabinets from Madison Wetter is full of personality and whimsy. The terracotta floors really pop against the green. And the orange accents really give the room a burst of energy. The Moravian star pendant is so fun.

Wet Bar with Clary Sage painted cabinets

Here’s a wet bar from Covington Signature Homes with cabinets painted in Clary Sage. The warm wood counter and floors perfectly complement the earthy green. Walls are painted with Svelte Green.

Sherwin Williams Clary Sage Exteriors

For a cozy exterior, consider using Clary Sage as your paint color. All colors look lighter out in the sunlight so be sure to test it first to make sure it’s dark enough for you.

Bungalow style home with Sherwin Williams Clary Sage Exterior

This charming bungalow from Modern Craft Construction has Clary Sage siding. It’s a wonderful backdrop for the landscaping and white railings and trim.

Craftsman style home with Clary Sage and other colors

Brio Design Homes has used Clary Sage on the top half of this craftsman style home. The color palette is stunning.

Clary Sage Upper, Artichoke Lower, Croissant Trim, Roycroft Copper Red Accent

Front door painted with Sherwin Williams Clary Sage

If you want a front door that makes a welcoming and subtle statement then consider painting it Clary Sage. The bricks on this home are painted with Alabaster.

See more beautiful colors for front doors here: 37 Front Door Colors + Tips for Choosing the Right One

Rooms painted with Clary Sage

There’s not any room that Clary Sage wouldn’t look good in. I’ve seen it in bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, nurseries, and more!

Here are some rooms painted with it to give you an idea how it will look on the walls.

NOTE: Colors will look different on your computer monitor or phone screen so testing the color in your home is crucial.

Clary Sage walls, door, and trim in living room

In this cozy living room from House Homemade all of the painted surfaces are Clary Sage. She has used a beautiful rug with complementary colors. And the floating natural wood bookshelves look perfect with all of it.

Nursery with Clary Sage wainscoting

Here’s a sweet nursery with Clary Sage wainscoting. It adds just the right amount of color to create a soothing and peaceful space which is always a good idea for a nursery. KASL Design Co

Girl nursery with Clary Sage

Cami Swisher painted her nursery with Clary Sage and Agreeable Gray and it’s so adorable. The colors are soothing and cozy and are perfect for any bedroom, really.

If you want to see more bedroom paint colors in real rooms, visit this post: Best Bedroom Paint Colors

Clary Sage bead board in a bathroom

I love how this bathroom from Little Lincoln Bungalow has the bold wallpaper paired with Clary Sage bead board. What a fun space.

Clary Sage Dining Room

Donna Frasca used Clary Sage on the top of the dining room walls for a subtle yet sophisticated look. The dark wood accents really pop and look stunning.

Living Room painted with Clary Sage

This cozy living room with a lovely view from Blue Sky Building Company has Clary Sage walls the mimic the colors outside the window. Using green paint really brings a bit of nature indoors.

What colors are similar to Clary Sage?

There are so many great sage green paint colors and here’s how Clary Sage compares to them.

Clary Sage vs Evergreen Fog

Let’s compare it to the 2022 color of the year from Sherwin Williams, Evergreen Fog. Clary Sage lighter and a tad more yellow. Both are great sage green paint colors though.

See more of Evergreen Fog and the 2022 SW Paint Colors here: Sherwin Williams 2022 Paint Colors

Get a peel and stick sample of it here: Evergreen Fog Peel and Stick Paint Sample

Benjamin Moore October Mist vs Clary Sage

Did somebody say that sage green paint is in for 2022? Benjamin Moore also has a sage green as their color of the year for 2022, October Mist. It’s slightly lighter and a bit more muted than Clary Sage but is very similar.

You can see more of this color plus the other Benjamin Moore 2022 colors here: 2022 Benjamin Moore Colors

Get a peel and stick sample of it here: October Mist Peel and Stick Paint Sample

SW Majolica Green vs Clary Sage vs Evergreen Fog

Another popular green from Sherwin Williams is Majolica Green. It’s a little more yellow than Clary Sage but is basically the same depth of color.

Get a peel and stick sample of it here: Majolica Green Peel and Stick Paint Sample

Benjamin Moore Tree Moss vs Clary Sage

Benjamin Moore Tree Moss is another very popular sage green paint color. Compared to Clary Sage, it’s slightly lighter and has a very small amount of more yellow undertones.

Get a peel and stick sample of it here: Tree Moss Peel and Stick Paint Sample

Benjamin Moore Weekend Getaway vs Clary Sage

Weekend Getaway is such a great color name, isn’t it? Compared to Clary Sage it’s a tiny bit darker and grayer.

Get a peel and stick sample of it here: Weekend Getaway Peel and Stick Paint Sample

Benjamin Moore Soft Fern vs Clary Sage

Soft Fern is noticeably lighter with a slightly more yellow hue than Clary Sage. It’s one of Benjamin Moore’s most popular colors.

Get a peel and stick sample of it here: Soft Fern Peel and Stick Paint Sample

Benjamin Moore Saybrook Sage vs Clary Sage

Saybrook Sage is the slightly less yellow than Clary Sage. But they’re basically the same depth of color.

Get a peel and stick sample of it here: Saybrook Sage Peel and Stick Paint Sample

Benjamin Moore Sagebrush vs Clary Sage

Clary Sage is darker and more yellow than Benjamin Moore Sagebrush.

Get a peel and stick sample of it here: Sagebrush Peel and Stick Paint Sample

SW Clary Sage Color Palette

Creating color schemes is something I love and have been doing for clients more than 20 years. Since SW Clary Sage is so neutral, I’ve created two color schemes.

Clary Sage Sherwin Williams bold color scheme

Here’s a breakdown of this bold color scheme for Clary Sage:

• two whites that would work well as trim colors: Shoji White and Greek Villa
• One lighter and two darker shades of Clary Sage
• A complementary color that would be nice for accents or in an adjoining room: Silver Mist
• Two bold accent colors that are perfect for decor, cabinet hardware, and accents: Tricorn Black and Spiced Cider
• Dark woods and copper also look beautiful with Clary Sage

SW Clary Sage Muted Color Scheme

For a softer color scheme centered around Clary Sage it’s best to use colors that are close the same depth of color (LRV). Here’s an explanation of this muted palette:

• A soft white for trim or cabinetry – Greek Villa
• An off white that would be a great wall color paired with Clary Sage as the trim color – Grecian Ivory
• Three lighter, softer companion colors: Silvermist, Quietude and Softened Green
• Three complementary accent colors that are ideal for adjoining rooms or accents: Halcyon Green, Roycroft Vellum, Likeable Sand

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Recap of Clary Sage

Clary Sage is a lovely sage green paint color that’s appropriate for any room in your home or on the exterior as well. It’s the right color for you if:

• Medium tone colors aren’t too dark or too light for you
• You want a soft green that’s somewhat warm and somewhat cool
• A calming, muted color is on your wish list

Get a sample

Are you in love with this beautiful color now? It looks different in person so you should definitely try a sample first. Peel and stick samples are made with two coats of real paint and are the easiest way to test a color. They’re repositionable and no paint brush is required. Grab one here: Clary Sage Peel and Stick Paint Sample

Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think of this color.

Want to see more gorgeous paint colors in real rooms? Visit these posts: