The Numbers
Retreat: true neutral
Evergreen Fog is slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 21, 9-point delta).
What Each Color Really Is
A gray-green whose green has to be earned. On the chip it looks like a slightly dirty gray; on a full wall or a run of cabinet doors the sage finally shows up, because color builds as you add square footage. That gap between chip and wall is the single most common surprise with this color — people buy it expecting gray and get green, or buy it expecting green and get gray, depending entirely on how much of it they end up looking at.
At LRV 30 it is a genuine mid-tone with weight. Put it next to Sea Salt (SW 6204, LRV 63) and Evergreen Fog is more than twice as dark — Sea Salt is a tint you barely notice, Evergreen Fog is a color you commit to. Go the other way to Dried Thyme (SW 6186, LRV 21) and Evergreen Fog suddenly looks soft and half-neutral. It sits in the useful middle: dark enough that cabinets read as painted furniture, light enough that a whole room in it does not close in.
A dark gray that keeps one thread of green. The measured hue sits at 96 degrees, which is technically green, but the saturation is only about 4 percent — so weak that the color spends most of its life behaving like a neutral and only shows its green when something warm sits next to it. That is exactly why people buy it. It gives you the feeling of a sage room with none of the commitment, and it does not go out of style the way a saturated green does.
The number that decides everything is LRV 21. Put it beside Evergreen Fog (SW 9130) at LRV 30 and the nine points read as a full step, not a nudge: Evergreen Fog is a soft sage that keeps a room feeling light, and Retreat is a color with weight that pulls a room inward. Most disappointment with Retreat comes from expecting the first and getting the second. The chip in your hand is lit by the store; the wall is lit by your window.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Evergreen Fog | Retreat |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams |
| SKU | SW 9130 | SW 6207 |
| Hex | #95978A | #7A8076 |
| RGB | 149, 151, 138 | 122, 128, 118 |
| LRV | 30 | 21 |
| Undertone | yellow / warm | true neutral |
| Family | Green | Gray |
How Light Changes Them
Evergreen Fog
Retreat
Both Colors in Real Rooms
Photos from our full reviews — the same rooms and captions, so you can judge each color where it actually lives, not on a chip.
When to Pick Which
The Questions Everyone Asks
Which is lighter, Evergreen Fog or Retreat?
Evergreen Fog is lighter: LRV 30 vs 21. Evergreen Fog is slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 21, 9-point delta).
Which is warmer, Evergreen Fog or Retreat?
Evergreen Fog is the warmer of the two (yellow / warm); Retreat reads true neutral.
How similar are Evergreen Fog and Retreat?
Evergreen Fog and Retreat are close but distinct (ΔE 8.62). Visible difference on the wall, especially in flat daylight. The only reliable test is seeing both in your own room and light — a side-by-side on a screen or chip flattens the difference.
Can I use Evergreen Fog and Retreat together in one house?
Yes, in separate rooms. They are close enough to feel related but different enough to notice, so give each its own room and connect them with a shared trim white. Avoid putting them on adjoining walls.
Still Torn? Let Your Room Decide
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart — the difference is obvious immediately.
Ask a Question