Color spec
| Brand | Magnolia Home |
| Name | Olive Grove |
| SKU | JG-026 |
| Hex | #7C7B5A |
| RGB | 124, 123, 90 |
| HSL | 58°, 16%, 42% |
| LRV | 18 |
| Undertone | warm yellow tone |
| Family | Green |
What Color Is Olive Grove, Really?
Olive Grove (JG-026) is a deep, dusty olive that sits right on the line between green and brown. Its hue lands in yellow-green territory, but the color is fairly muted, so it never reads like a bright grass green. Instead you get a soft, earthy olive with a warm yellow cast, the kind of shade you would see on a jar of cured olives or a canvas field jacket.
With an LRV of 18, it is a genuinely dark color that soaks up light and holds real weight on a wall. It became a go-to because Joanna Gaines used dark olive-yellow-greens like this in modern-farmhouse kitchens, where it grounds white cabinets and natural wood.
It suits people who want color with a nature-based, lived-in feel rather than another gray. It rewards rooms with good daylight or warm evening lighting.
Olive Grove leans warm and yellow-green. The measured hue sits at the yellow end of green, so next to a true forest green it looks softer and more golden, and next to a brown it looks distinctly greener. Its saturation is moderate, around 16 percent, which is enough to keep a clear olive character without ever turning vivid or springy.
The undertone shows most in strong daylight and under warm bulbs, where the yellow warms up and the green settles down. In dim or very cool light it can drift toward a mossy brown-gray, which is why testing matters. Hold a sample against a clean white and against a natural brown wood. Against white it reads olive-green; against wood it reads more green and less muddy. Also compare it to a true khaki or greige so you can confirm you are seeing green and not just a warm neutral.
Best Rooms and Uses for Olive Grove
Because it is dark, treat Olive Grove as a statement and contrast color rather than a whole-home light. On kitchen cabinets, especially island bases and lowers, it is a strong choice and matches the modern-farmhouse look it is known for. It also works well on built-ins, a dining room accent wall, a study, or a powder room where a little drama is welcome.
As full four-wall color it can work in rooms with good daylight, giving a cocooning, nature-based feel, but it will make a small or dim room feel smaller. On trim it is generally too dark unless you want a deliberately moody, tone-on-tone effect.
Outdoors it is a great fit for shutters, a front door, or a whole exterior body on a home tucked into greenery. The earthy olive reads naturally against stone, brick, and landscaping.
How Lighting Changes Olive Grove
At an LRV of 18, Olive Grove is a dark color, and dark colors are far more sensitive to how much light a room gets. In a bright south-facing room it opens up and the warm yellow-green stays lively and clear all day. In a north-facing room the cooler light mutes it, pulling it toward a heavier, grayer olive that can feel almost brown by late afternoon.
East-facing rooms give you a warm, golden olive in the morning that cools and deepens after noon. West-facing rooms do the opposite, staying flat earlier and glowing warmer in the evening.
Bulb choice is a big lever here. Warm white bulbs around 2700K push the yellow and keep the olive rich and inviting. Cooler daylight bulbs flatten it and can make it look drab. In any low-light spot, plan on more layered lighting so the color does not go dull.
Most complaints about Olive Grove 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.
TEST IT IN YOUR LIGHT →Olive Grove vs Similar Colors
Celery Seeds (JG-58), LRV 19, is very close in depth but reads a touch cooler and greener, with less of the yellow warmth. If you want the olive to feel more like a straight green and less golden, Celery Seeds is the pick; Olive Grove is the warmer, earthier of the two.
Elemental (JG-129) shares the same LRV of 18 but leans brown rather than green. Side by side, Olive Grove clearly looks like a green and Elemental looks like a warm taupe-brown. Choose Elemental if you actually want a neutral and Olive Grove if you want visible olive.
Remote Trail (JG-165), LRV 17, is darker in feel and distinctly more brown and tan. It is the choice when you want an earthy, almost khaki wall, while Olive Grove keeps a stronger green identity at nearly the same darkness.
Colors That Go With Olive Grove
For crisp trim and ceilings, pair it with a soft white like True White (JG-079), LRV 87, or One Horn White (JG-090), LRV 82. Both are warm enough to sit comfortably beside the olive without the cold contrast a stark white would create. Silos White (JG-189), LRV 84, is another warm option if you want the trim to feel slightly creamier.
For a second, lighter wall or cabinet color, Sage (JG-022), LRV 35, keeps the green story going in a soft, airy way and works well above Olive Grove lowers. Honey Hush (JG-139), LRV 60, adds a warm golden note that flatters the yellow undertone.
For grounding accents, Coal (JG-040), LRV 3, gives near-black contrast on hardware and window frames, while Old World (JG-102), LRV 14, brings in a warm brown that reads like natural wood. Add real oak or walnut tones and either brass or matte black metal to finish the scheme.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Magnolia Home JG-026 directly — but if you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches:
Similar Magnolia Home colors
closest in the Magnolia Home deckThe nearest shades to Olive Grove within Magnolia Home's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #7C7B5A in HSL space. Pair Olive Grove with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Accessibility (WCAG contrast)
WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.
The Questions Everyone Asks
Is Olive Grove warm or cool?
Olive Grove is a warm color. Its hue sits in yellow-green, and the yellow gives it an earthy, golden warmth rather than a cool, blue-based green. Under warm bulbs and good daylight the warmth is obvious. In cool north light it can look grayer, but it still belongs on the warm side of the green family.
What trim white goes with Olive Grove?
A warm white works best. True White (JG-079), with an LRV of 87, gives a clean, bright trim without a cold shock against the dark olive. If you want something slightly creamier, One Horn White (JG-090) at LRV 82 or Silos White (JG-189) at LRV 84 both soften the contrast while still reading white.
Does Olive Grove work on kitchen cabinets and exteriors?
Yes to both. On cabinets it is a strong pick, especially on island bases and lowers in a modern-farmhouse kitchen, where it grounds white uppers and wood counters. Outdoors its earthy olive suits shutters, front doors, or a full house body tucked into greenery, reading naturally against stone, brick, and landscaping.
What does an LRV of 18 mean for Olive Grove?
LRV measures how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for pure white. At 18, Olive Grove is a genuinely dark color that absorbs most light hitting it. In practice that means it adds drama and weight, needs good daylight or warm bulbs to stay rich, and will make a small or dim room feel more enclosed.
How is Olive Grove different from Sherwin-Williams Edamame?
They are close cousins in the same muted olive range. Sherwin-Williams Edamame (SW 7729) sits at a slightly higher LRV of 20, so it reads a touch lighter and softer on the wall. Olive Grove is marginally darker and moodier. For a full cross-brand comparison, see the dedicated equivalents section on this page.
Should I sample Olive Grove before painting?
Definitely. Dark colors like this shift the most between rooms, so a swatch on a screen or chip is not enough. Paint a large sample on two different walls, look at it in morning and evening light, and check it under your actual bulbs. This confirms whether it reads as warm green or drifts toward brown-gray in your space.
Will It Work in YOUR Room?
No page can promise how Olive Grove behaves in your light. Upload a photo and see it on your own walls in seconds — before you spend a cent on samples.
TRY OLIVE GROVE ON YOUR ROOM →Ask a Question
Not sure about Olive Grove in your room?
Ask Jessica below — every question gets a real reply, usually within a day.