Essential guide to using green in your interiors

Welcome nature, tranquillity and comfort into your interior with the colour green. Read my essential guide to using green in your home.

 
 

Image: Farrow and Ball, Sap green

Green is one of the most popular interior colours right now — but why?

Traditionally, shades of green have been associated with growth and harmony. In most mythologies, green is believed to create balance in any space, encouraging positive growth and protecting us from anxiety.

Green is warm, earthy and mutable. It can be neutral, dropping into the background, or it can be the shining star of any colour scheme.

In interior design, we use shades of sage green, emerald, teal, olive, and more to create positive environments that look good and make us feel good.

We often know what feeling we want in our homes, but we underestimate the best colour to create that feeling. Green is the perfect colour to use in spaces such as the living room and bedroom, where we want a calm and tranquil feel.

3 green interior colour combinations for your home.

  1. Monochromatic colour scheme, varying shades and tones of one colour.

Teen boy green bedroom

Using varying tones of one colour can soften the overall look. It is perfect to use this scheme in a darker bedroom, helping to create light and contrast.

 

Image: Paint colour Sir Lutyens Sage. Walls, Olive colour woodwork both Little Greene.

 

2. Complementary colour scheme, colours sit opposite each other on the colour wheel.

Green and pink living room

Green and pink together are the most popular interior colour combination. As a complementary colour, they are a perfect match; opposites attract. Often, if you paint a wall green and place a pink or red item of furniture in front, the colour in the foreground will pop. For more information on how to choose a paint brand, download my FREE Paint Guide here.

 
 

Image: Pale pink and green living room in an Edwardian house in Bath. wall paint colour Old Ochre, Fired Earth.

3. Harmonious colour scheme, colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel.

Open plan living and dining room - Green, blue and grey

In this scheme, we managed to bring the outside in by adding plants. The greens and blues marry harmoniously. Houseplants naturally cleanse the air around them, improving the air quality of your home. Their leaves' calming green colour helps calm our nerves, creating the perfect atmosphere where we want to relax at the end of a long day.

This is the mood board and beautiful house of travel writer Lindsay Hawdon in Bath.

Green is also the poster colour for sustainability. I champion environmentally friendly design and believe that a little extra effort to source vintage, upcycled, and pre-loved furniture will add charm to your home — the kind of charm that a brand new piece doesn't have. Who doesn't love beautiful furniture that is as kind to the planet as it is to the eye?

For more inspirational colour schemes using green, read my blog, 5 interior colour schemes to compliment sage green.

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If you need further guidance in colour planning and confidence in choosing paint colours and fabrics or creating a design scheme for your home, please check out my design services or contact me.

 
 
Lola Swift

Lola Swift, Interior designer and colour consultant, guiding you to design your home with colour and creativity. Let your home tell your story.

https://www.lolaswift.co.uk
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Teen boy bedroom ideas

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An interior design style guide to the historic city of Bath