Is Green a Warm or Cool Color?

With a warm and cool pedigree, green can go either direction on the temperature scale. A pure green is generally considered cool, if the blue and yellow are equally balanced. The green you see on a color wheel is that perfectly balanced green. But, it’s also a green that is more suited for business logos, toys, and garden plastics.

Seeing the nuances of warm versus cool greens is the secret to choosing the right green. Knowing the basics of warm versus cool colors is going to make all of your color choices easier as you select fabric, furniture, and paint.  

In the architectural paint industry, greens are expressed using RGB (red, green, blue) values. If you view the RGB value of a green paint color, you can get a hint of warm versus cool by the ratio of (R) to (B) in the formula. A green paint color like Sherwin Williams Aloe is a cool green, as the (B) blue value is slightly larger than the (R) number in the RGB value description on the color detail page. The architectural paint industry also uses color descriptions which identify some greens as yellow-greens. These are considered warm greens, while the blue-greens are considered cool. 

Cool Greens - How to Use them

Cool greens have a few color personalities. A sage green, which is muted with gray, is one of the most popular greens in decorating and is often referred to as a neutral. Sage green, and other gray-greens, can take some trial and error to get the right color because of blue undertones that may be present. A blue undertone may only become apparent once you’ve added sage green near a warm colored item in the room. Medium to light wood cabinets and furniture are often the foils of blueish sage green, because of the juxtaposition of blue and yellow on the color wheel. A warm green might be a better choice if your sage green feels cold next to the existing colors in the room. 

Green-blue or aqua, can also be considered cool greens. These fresh and fun colors are much more straightforward to the eye than sage green. Though they are more vibrant than sage green, they can also be soothing and relaxing colors. Without the mysterious gray tones, it’s much easier to choose the right color. Aqua is a surprisingly versatile color that transcends beachy decor, into contemporary color schemes with ease. 

Warm Greens - How to Use Them

When you see the term ‘warm green’ what it really means is yellow-green. Apple green, chartreuse, wasabi, are all popular warm greens in decorating today. Warm greens can bet muted or clear and crisp. 

A contemporary color scheme with dark woods and other deep colors, works well with a muted olive or wasabi green. A vibrant yellow-green is fun in a vintage palette, with pops of pink and yellow, or even red. Sampling a vivid warm green in a room is essential, as this lively color can overwhelm in big doses. This makes warm green a perfect accent color.