Washed Olive
S350-3 · #C5C0A3 · LRV 52 — warm yellow tone, light — bounces daylight without going clinical.
- 1Dorian Gray39
- 2Pashmina44
- 3Washed Olive52
- 4Agreeable Gray60
- 5Pale Oak69
What Color Is Washed Olive, Really?
Washed Olive S350-3 is a light, muted green. Its hex value is #C3CEA2 and its LRV is 58, which puts it comfortably in the light range. A wall at 58 gives back a good amount of daylight, so the room stays open and the color never turns heavy. The hue sits at 75 degrees, on the yellow side of green, with saturation around 31 percent. That is soft, but it is not a near-neutral. You will read this as green, not as a green-tinted white.
People choose it when they want color that still feels calm. The yellow lean keeps it from going minty or cold, and the low saturation keeps it from looking like a child's room. It behaves like a pale olive or a soft celery, the sort of green that sits well with wood, linen, and unbleached whites.
The thing to check is how yellow it goes in warm light. At 75 degrees the hue is already close to yellow-green, and a 2700K bulb or strong afternoon sun can push it toward a pale chartreuse that not everyone expects. In cool north light it does the opposite and settles toward a quiet gray-green. Sample on two walls of the room, not one.
The base is green with a clear yellow pull. A hue of 75 degrees sits between green and yellow, closer to the olive and celery end than to sage or eucalyptus. There is no blue in it, which is why it never reads mint. Saturation near 31 percent gives it enough color to be obvious on a full wall while staying quiet on a chip.
The yellow shows most against clean white trim and in direct sun. Against a warm cream or a beige the green comes forward instead, because the surrounding warmth cancels its own. Next to a gray-green like a true sage it will look noticeably more yellow and more cheerful.
Stone, tile, and countertops matter here. A speckled beige counter can pull the yellow out hard. A cool gray quartz will make the same paint look softer and more gray. Hold the sample against the fixed surfaces in the room before you judge the wall.
Best Rooms and Uses for Washed Olive
With an LRV of 58 this is a full-room wall color. Bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and home offices all take it easily, and it is light enough for a hallway or a small room without closing anything down. It reads restful rather than loud, which makes it a common choice where people want color without commitment.
It also suits kitchens, either on walls above wood or white cabinets, or on the cabinets themselves if you want a pale, aged-olive look. On bathroom walls it pairs naturally with brass or aged bronze fixtures. A laundry or mudroom is another good fit, since the green hides ordinary wear better than a pale neutral.
Outdoors it works as a soft body color on a cottage or a small house, especially with white trim and a darker door. Keep trim in a separate white rather than painting trim in the same color, or the green loses its definition.
How Lighting Changes Washed Olive
At LRV 58 there is plenty of light coming back off the wall, so this color rarely looks dull. What changes is the direction of the hue rather than the brightness. In north-facing rooms, where daylight is cool and even, the yellow gets pulled down and Washed Olive reads as a soft gray-green. That is often the most flattering version of it.
South-facing rooms do the opposite. Strong warm sun pushes the 75 degree hue toward yellow, and mid-afternoon the wall can look pale chartreuse. East rooms are fresh and green in the morning, then calm down. West rooms stay quiet until late day and then warm up quickly.
Bulbs finish the job. Warm 2700K lamps add yellow and make the color cozier or sallower depending on your taste. Neutral 3500K to 4000K bulbs hold it closer to green. Because this shifts more than most light colors, look at your sample at midday and again at night.
Most complaints about Washed 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 Behr S350-3 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 | Recycled GlassSW 7747 · Sherwin-Williams | 3.7 | 51 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Lichen StoneCSP-820 · Benjamin Moore | 1.1 | 51 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Bayou Shade6006-3C · Valspar | 1.6 | 52 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Northern LandscapePPG1113-3 · PPG / Glidden | 0.6 | 53 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Northern LandscapePPG1113-3 · Glidden | 0.6 | 53 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Willowed Tree324-2DB · Dutch Boy | 3.2 | 51 | Color page → |
Similar Behr Colors
The nearest shades to Washed Olive within Behr'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.
Washed Olive vs Similar Colors
Inside Behr, Urban Nature S380-3 shares the same LRV of 58 but its hex is #BAD0A8, which is a cleaner, truer green with less yellow. Sage Brush S370-3 at LRV 60 goes further the same way. Seasoned Salt S330-3 at #CDCD9F and Crisp Celery ICC-58 at #CDCCA6 both hold LRV 59 while pulling toward yellow-beige, so they read warmer and less green on a wall.
Across brands the field is crowded. Valspar Zen Garden 6001-5C at LRV 57 and hex #C4CB9F has a deltaE of 1.37, which is visually identical in normal room light. Glidden In The Dale PPG11-10 at LRV 58 sits at deltaE 1.95 and behaves the same way. Benjamin Moore Landscape 430 at LRV 58 is deltaE 2.14 and Sherwin-Williams Baize Green SW 6429 at LRV 59 is deltaE 2.42, both very close but worth sampling first. Dunn-Edwards Watercress DE5528 at LRV 51 and deltaE 4.15 is close but visibly different side by side, noticeably darker and duller.
Colors That Go With Washed Olive
White trim is the easy answer. A warm or slightly creamy white keeps the yellow in the green looking intentional. A very cold, blue-based white will fight it and make the wall look more yellow by contrast, so if you want crisp trim choose a clean white rather than a stark one.
Within Behr, the near neighbors work as adjacent-room or ceiling partners rather than contrast. Sage Brush S370-3 at LRV 60 and Urban Nature S380-3 at LRV 58 shift the same lightness toward truer green. Seasoned Salt S330-3 at LRV 59, Crisp Celery ICC-58 at LRV 59, Final Straw S320-3 at LRV 57 and Anjou Pear MQ4-41 at LRV 56 all step toward yellow and beige, which is useful for an open plan where you want the rooms to flow.
For contrast, go dark rather than bright. Natural oak and walnut both sit well with it, as do rattan, unbleached linen, and aged brass. Black hardware gives a sharper, more modern edge.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #C5C0A3 in HSL space. Pair Washed Olive with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Washed Olive FAQ
Is Behr Washed Olive warm or cool?
It leans warm for a green. The hue sits at 75 degrees, on the yellow side of green, so there is no blue in it and it never reads mint. In cool north light the yellow gets damped down and the color can look like a soft gray-green, but its base character is warm.
What LRV is Behr Washed Olive?
Washed Olive S350-3 has an LRV of 58. Light reflectance value runs from 0 for black to 100 for pure white, so 58 is solidly in the light range. The wall reflects a good amount of daylight, keeps a room feeling open, and works on all four walls without making the space feel closed in.
Does Behr Washed Olive work in a dark room?
Yes, better than most greens. At LRV 58 it still gives light back, so a room with limited windows will not go gloomy. Expect it to read grayer and less yellow in that setting. If you want the green to stay obvious in a dim room, use warmer bulbs, which push the hue back toward its yellow side.
What white trim goes with Behr Washed Olive?
A warm or soft white is the safest match, because it echoes the yellow already in the green and keeps the whole wall looking deliberate. A very cold blue-white will make the wall look more yellow by contrast. If you want sharp definition, choose a clean bright white rather than a stark one.
Is Behr Washed Olive good for cabinets or exteriors?
It suits both. On cabinets its LRV of 58 gives a pale, aged-olive look that works with wood floors and brass or bronze hardware. Outdoors it reads as a soft cottage body color and pairs well with white trim and a darker door. Behr sells at The Home Depot, so a sample quart is easy to pick up for a real test.
How is Washed Olive different from Behr Seasoned Salt?
They are close in lightness, LRV 58 for Washed Olive and 59 for Seasoned Salt S330-3, but the hue splits them. Washed Olive is #C3CEA2 and keeps a clear green cast, while Seasoned Salt is #CDCD9F and leans further toward yellow and beige. Pick Seasoned Salt if you want something closer to a warm neutral.
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