Each year, paint brands release their “color of the year.” It serves as a prediction of trending colors in the year ahead and as a guiding light to designers everywhere. Often, we can see them coming. Color trends evolve and develop over the year and then, at the end of the year, paint brands provide us with the validation we crave. In 2021, we saw nature-inspired tones playing a huge role in interior design. This included natural wood colors, beiges, greens, even warm sunset pinks. Hence, it’s not surprising that Sherwin Williams would deliver a color such as Evergreen Fog as their 2022 color of the year. Read on for my 2022 SW Paint Color of the Year Review: Evergreen Fog!
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Sherwin Williams describes Evergreen Fog as: “a versatile and calming hue, a chameleon color of gorgeous green-meets-gray, with just a bit of blue. It’s a simple but sophisticated wash of beautiful, organic color for spaces that crave a subtle yet stunning statement shade.” Say that 5 times fast!
So, naturally, I NEEDED to get my hands on it. The color actually surprised me a lot. After viewing some photos online, I anticipated more of a green paint color (like the photo below).
But when I got a sample and created a paint swatch, it looked very gray (see photo below). I later discovered that this was because I was in the natural, cool-toned, mid-day light of my kitchen.
It turns out, Evergreen Fog is more of a baby step towards green paint for those who totally rocked the gray movement a few years ago. (Agreeable Gray for the win!)
Evergreen Fog is a chameleon green-gray paint color. For those who may be unfamiliar with chameleon colors, it’s a color that changes depending on the tone and brightness of the light it’s in. Of course, all colors change a little when faced with different lighting situations, however, chameleon colors change A LOT.
Evergreen Fog looks gray in cool-toned or dim lighting situations, and it looks green in warm-toned or brighter lighting situations. When placed in a north or east facing room, it tends to lean gray. When placed in a south or west facing room, it will lean more green.
This green paint color also has the tendency to change the way it looks throughout the course of the day. In the cool morning light, it would appear more gray. In the warm afternoon/evening light, it will appear more green.
I personally love it in a warm light because a tiny little hint of yellow undertone is revealed. This makes the green look fresh and vibrant. However, I will say that it would be difficult to achieve this color all the time.
Look at how green Evergreen Fog appears in this next picture:
Now, granted, this is on the light blue wall in my powder room (currently under renovation) which could have an impact on the way we see the color. However, there’s no question that this paint color gets greener under warm lighting conditions.
This next picture is in the same bathroom with the same lighting but at a different angle. Evergreen Fog is on the bottom right and appears very gray here. Crazy, right?!
Another characteristic to consider in a review of Evergreen Fog (or any paint color) is its LRV. LRV stands for Light Reflecting Value and it indicates how much visible light will be reflected from the paint color. It’s basically a way to describe how dark or light the color is. Pure white has an LRV of 100 and black has an LRV of 0. Most wall colors have an LRV that falls between 50 and 90 (give or take a few). Evergreen Fogs LRV is 30!
Now, this is not to say that it shouldn’t go on your walls. It would look STUNNING in a moody bathroom or lounge area. It would also be a super calming green paint for a bedroom. However, it’s probably the reason why you’ll see it used more often as an accent color. Check out how it looks here in this cozy office:
And as an accent wall in this adorable nursery:
So if I were giving a brief summary of this color, I would say that it is a darker gray/green shade that leans gray 90% of the time. It’s definitely not going to lighten a dim room, however, it can add an interesting design element to rooms in need of some personality.
When using this color, SW recommends pairing it with other nature-inspired paint colors such as Shoji White (SW 7042), Urbane Bronze (SW 7048), Accessible Beige (SW 7036), Uber Umber (SW 9107), Woven Wicker (SW 9104), and Bakelite Gold (SW 6368).
Evergreen Fog looks AMAZING with wooden or black decor elements. Feeling bold? Add in some pink or terra cotta pieces for contrast.
Check out these super cute decor pieces:
If you’re intrigued by green shades but aren’t sure if Evergreen Fog is the one for you, check out these other popular green paint colors:
Benjamin Moore – Soft Fern 2144-40
Sherwin Williams – Sea Salt SW 6204
Here’s one of my personal favorites for a more eclectic vibe: Behr – Grape Vine 410F-6
And there you have it! My unbiased 2022 SW Paint Color of the Year Review: Evergreen Fog. I hope you’ve gained some clarity on the complexities of this color and how it can best be used in your space!
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