Olive
Olive · #746B4A · LRV 15 — warm yellow tone, dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.
- 1Nocturne8
- 2Olive15
- 3Dorian Gray39
- 4Pashmina44
What Color Is Olive, Really?
Olive reads as a warm yellow tone — dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs. The notes below cover how Annie Sloan Olive behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Olive
Olive works best as a feature — a single wall, built-ins, a study or dining room — rather than wrapping a whole bright space. Greige-leaning neutrals like this are the safe whole-home choice when you want warmth without committing to a color.
How Lighting Changes Olive
With an LRV of 15, Olive is a deep, dramatic shade. It soaks up light in north-facing rooms and looks richest where strong daylight hits it. Its yellow undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. Warm artificial light softens it; cool LED can make it look flat, so match your bulbs to the mood you want.
Most complaints about Olive are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Annie Sloan Olive directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.
| Brand | Closest color | ΔE | LRV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Eminent BronzeSW 6412 · Sherwin-Williams | 4.2 | 14 | Color page → |
| Behr | Butternut Wood710D-6 · Behr | 3.0 | 14 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Sage2143-10 · Benjamin Moore | 0.7 | 15 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Vineyard View8003-27F · Valspar | 2.5 | 14 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Olive OrchardPPG11-08 · PPG / Glidden | 2.9 | 14 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Olive OrchardPPG11-08 · Glidden | 2.6 | 14 | Color page → |
Similar Annie Sloan Colors
The nearest shades to Olive within Annie Sloan's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #746B4A in HSL space. Pair Olive with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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