Green Onyx
The muted sage-green sitting almost on top of Sherwin-Williams' famous Evergreen Fog — reviewed honestly: where it earns its keep, the light that flattens it, and what to pick instead.
Jessica has spec'd whites and neutrals for more than 300 rooms and keeps a sample wall of painted drawdowns in her studio. Every color review is checked against real reader rooms in the comments and re-tested when a formula changes. About the testing process →
- 1Vintage Vogue12
- 2Sage Green22
- 3Green Onyx31
- 4Clary Sage41
- 5October Mist47
The Fast Verdict
Green Onyx is a grayed-down, warm sage-olive green that behaves like a neutral until you get it in real daylight, when the green shows up on its own terms. Run the hex numbers next to Evergreen Fog — SW's widely photographed 2022 Color of the Year — and the two are nearly the same paint: same LRV band, same warm gray-green DNA. Green Onyx just never got the marketing push, which makes it the version of that look most of your neighbors haven't already painted.
Kitchen cabinets and islands · exterior siding with white trim · bedrooms and home offices that want a grounded, quiet green · anyone who likes the Evergreen Fog look without the Pinterest saturation
You want a true saturated grass or forest green · your room stays cool and dim all day with no warm light source · you're pairing with cool gray stone or quartz · you specifically want the exact, most-photographed Evergreen Fog shade rather than its cousin
- Muted, grounded sage-olive green that reads as an easy neutral from across the room
- Warm, yellow-leaning undertone flatters oak, walnut, butcher block, and brass
- LRV 31 keeps kitchens and living rooms from feeling dark
- Rated for both cabinets/interior walls and exterior siding
- Nearly the same color as the famous Evergreen Fog, without the same market saturation
- Loses its warmth and reads flat, muddy olive-gray in cool, dim light
- Too muted for anyone who wants a true saturated grass or forest green
- Argues with cool gray stone, quartz, or chrome-heavy fixtures
- Close enough to several other SW sage-greens (Evergreen Fog, Halcyon Green, Illusive Green) that picking the right one takes a real side-by-side sample
What Color Is Green Onyx, Really?
A muted, grayed sage-olive green — not bright, not saturated, closer to a green-tinted neutral than a color that announces itself from across the room. The RGB numbers behind the hex (152, 154, 130) tell the story: green edges out red by only two points, and blue trails both by over twenty, which is the fingerprint of a warm, yellow-leaning green-gray rather than a cool or blue-based one. It reads as "sage" more than "forest," and it is muted enough that most people's first reaction is "nice neutral" before they clock that it is a green.
Here is the angle nobody markets: put Green Onyx's hex (#989A82, LRV 31) next to Evergreen Fog's (#A0A38E, LRV 30) — Sherwin-Williams' 2022 Color of the Year and one of the most-painted colors of the last five years — and the two are close enough to be mixing variations of the same base. Both sit in the same cluster of warm, grayed sage-greens the SW deck keeps returning to (Halcyon Green and Illusive Green are cousins too), but Evergreen Fog got the ad campaign and Green Onyx did not. If you love that look but don't want the color everyone on your street already used, this is the honest substitute — not a knockoff, a genuine sibling from the same fan deck.
Undertone in one line: warm, yellow-leaning gray-green — never blue, never pink. In cool light it grays out toward a flat olive; in warm light the green comes forward and it reads distinctly, quietly green.
Where It Shines
This is a color built for surfaces, not just walls. On kitchen cabinets and islands it sits beautifully against warm wood counters and brass hardware, staying muted enough not to fight granite or butcher block. Sherwin-Williams also rates it for exterior use, and it earns that rating: against white trim it reads as a quiet, grounded green-gray siding color rather than a loud statement, the kind of exterior that photographs well in every season instead of just spring.
Where It Fails
Almost every disappointed story about Green Onyx comes down to one of three mismatches, and all three are predictable before the first coat goes on. None of them are the paint's fault — but if your room or your expectation matches one, this is not your color.
The warmth in this color depends on light doing its job. In a north-facing room on an overcast day, with no lamps on, the yellow drains out and the wall reads flat, muddy olive-gray instead of green. The color did not fail — the light did. Add warm 2700K lamps or accept the cooler read.
This is a grayed sage, not a grass green or a forest green. If you're picturing something vivid and clearly green from across the room, Green Onyx will look washed-out and disappointing next to it — the muting is the whole design, not a flaw, but it's the wrong pick if bold green is the goal.
Green Onyx's undertone is warm and yellow-leaning; cool blue-gray stone sits at the opposite temperature and the pairing reads muddy rather than harmonious. With warm quartz, butcher block, or beige-toned stone it's a different, much better story.
Room by Room
Lower cabinets or a full kitchen in Green Onyx against a light wall reads calm and current without going full hunter-green. Satin cabinet enamel; pairs well with brass or matte black hardware and warm wood open shelving.
Sherwin-Williams lists this color for exterior projects, and against crisp white trim it reads as a grounded, seasonal-proof green-gray rather than a loud statement. Full sun brightens it; deep shade pulls it toward gray.
In a room with genuine south or east light it holds a quiet green presence all day. Pair with warm neutrals and wood furniture rather than cool grays.
Calming and grounded at night under 2700K lamps. If the bedroom is north-facing and stays dim through the day, expect a flatter, grayer read than the chip promises.
A muted green wall behind a desk reads focused rather than sleepy, and it's forgiving of the clutter and cable mess a real office collects. Eggshell for wipeable durability.
With warm-toned tile, wood vanities, and brass it works well. Against cool gray-blue marble or chrome-heavy fixtures, the undertone clash shows up fast — sample first rather than guessing.
Your Light Is the Risk
Real sun brings the yellow-green forward and the color reads distinctly, quietly green rather than gray. This is the light to sample in.
Cool, flat daylight strips the warmth and leaves a muddy olive-gray. Fine if you half-wanted gray; disappointing if you wanted green.
Bright and green-leaning in morning east light, richer and warmer as afternoon west sun comes in. A genuine, gentle shift through the day.
2700K warm bulbs keep the green grounded and cozy. Cool white LEDs push it toward a flatter gray — swap the bulb before you swap the paint.
Most complaints about Green Onyx 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 Sherwin-Williams SW 9128 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behr | Shadow TaupeBNC-24 · Behr | 1.1 | 32 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Raintree Green1496 · Benjamin Moore | 1.3 | 32 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Irish Paddock5006-4A · Valspar | 3.8 | 32.1 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Cavern MossPPG1124-5 · PPG / Glidden | 2.2 | 30 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Eucalyptus Tree10GY 30/104 · Glidden | 2.3 | 30 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Cypress Garden424-4DB · Dutch Boy | 3.1 | 32 | Color page → |
Similar Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Green Onyx within Sherwin-Williams'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.
Green Onyx vs the Colors You're Also Considering
Every Green Onyx sample board has the same rivals on it. The numbers show the real lightness gap — then it comes down to which risk you would rather live with.
Pick this if you want the same warm sage-gray DNA without painting the color half of Pinterest already used.
Sherwin-Williams SW 9130 · LRV 30Evergreen FogPick this if you want the famous, most-photographed version of nearly the same color — Evergreen Fog is SW's 2022 Color of the Year.
Pick this for the warmer, more clearly green of the two.
Sherwin-Williams SW 6213 · LRV 33Halcyon GreenPick this for a hair lighter, slightly cooler sage-gray from the same deck family.
Green Earth SW 7748, at #9A9883 and LRV 31, is the closest thing to a twin inside the deck. It is a fraction warmer and browner, and on a finished wall most people could not tell you which is which. Jade Dragon SW 9129, at #909886 and LRV 30, goes the other way: a touch cooler and more clearly green, better when you want the green to announce itself. Evergreen Fog SW 9130, at #95978A and LRV 30, is slightly darker and softer, the safer pick when the green should stay in the background.
Across brands, Magnolia Home Garden Essential JG-57 at LRV 31 is a deltaE of 0.45 from Green Onyx, which is a true match. Behr Shadow Taupe BNC-24 at LRV 32 and Dunn-Edwards Battle Harbor DE6257 at LRV 30 are visually identical in normal room light. PPG Cavern Moss PPG1124-5 at LRV 30 is very close, but sample it first.
Green Onyx Coordinating Colors
The rule for coordinating with Green Onyx is simple: keep whites bright and clean rather than warm-cream, and let it stand next to true darks rather than competing mid-tones. It flatters warm wood, brass, and butcher block, and it holds its own next to a genuinely dark accent. These are the partners that keep showing up in rooms and exteriors that work:
The Evergreen Fog Question
Every wave of sage-green popularity eventually points people back to Evergreen Fog, Sherwin-Williams' 2022 Color of the Year and one of the most-painted colors of the last several years. What most people don't realize while scrolling: the SW deck has an entire cluster of warm, grayed sage-greens sitting within a few LRV points of each other, and Green Onyx is close enough to Evergreen Fog's hex and LRV to be treated as the same paint family, not a distant relative.
That makes Green Onyx a genuinely useful option for two different readers: the one who loves the Evergreen Fog look but doesn't want to paint the exact color half their neighborhood already has, and the one whose painter or supplier simply doesn't have Evergreen Fog in stock that week. It is not a cheaper knockoff — it comes from the same fan deck, at the same price, with the same behavior in light.
Green Onyx With Wood Tones and Floors
Warm wood is this color's best friend. Oak, walnut, and butcher block all sit comfortably against Green Onyx because its undertone is warm and yellow-leaning, the same direction as most wood floors and countertops. Brass and matte black hardware both read well against it — brass picks up the warmth, black grounds it.
The pairing to sample first is cool, gray-washed flooring. Because Green Onyx leans warm, a cool gray floor can pull the wall toward a muddier, less distinct green than it reads over warm wood. It isn't an automatic clash the way honey oak fights a violet like Sleepy Hollow, but it's worth a large sample above the actual floor before committing to a full kitchen or living room.
Three Ready Palettes Built on Green Onyx
A color is never alone on the wall. These are complete combinations in the 60-30-10 pattern, with the reason each one holds together. Every one opens in the visualizer.
Alabaster keeps the kitchen light while the cabinets carry the muted green; Iron Ore on the island gives the room its one deep anchor. Brass hardware and warm wood countertops complete the look Green Onyx was built for.
Try this palette in your roomCrisp Extra White trim keeps the muted siding from reading dull, and a Tricorn Black door supplies the single dark note a green-gray exterior needs to look intentional instead of accidental.
Try this palette in your roomAlabaster trim keeps the room from feeling closed in, while a single Urbane Bronze accent wall behind the bed adds depth without turning the room into two competing dark colors. Warm 2700K lamps hold both colors' warmth after dark.
Try this palette in your roomGreen Onyx FAQ
Is Green Onyx warm or cool green?
Warm — a yellow-leaning gray-green, never blue and never pink. In cool, dim light it grays out toward flat olive, but it never shifts toward a cold or blue read the way some sage-greens do.
Is Green Onyx the same as Evergreen Fog?
Not identical, but close: #989A82 at LRV 31 versus Evergreen Fog's #A0A38E at LRV 30. Both are warm, grayed sage-greens from the same Sherwin-Williams family, and side by side most people would call them variations on one color rather than two different ones. Evergreen Fog is the more famous, more-photographed of the pair.
What trim white goes with Green Onyx?
A clean, bright white reads best — Extra White or Pure White outside, Alabaster indoors if you want the trim slightly softer than stark white. Avoid pairing it with a warm cream trim, which can make the green read muddier than it is.
Does it work on kitchen cabinets?
Yes — it's one of the color's best jobs. Muted enough not to fight granite, quartz, or butcher block, and warm enough to flatter brass hardware. Satin or semi-gloss cabinet enamel for durability.
Does Green Onyx work on exterior siding?
Yes, Sherwin-Williams rates it for exterior use. Against white trim it reads as a quiet, grounded green-gray that holds up through every season rather than a loud seasonal statement. Full sun brightens it; deep shade pulls it grayer.
Will it look different in a north-facing room versus a south-facing one?
Yes, noticeably. South and east light bring the green forward and keep it warm all day. North light and overcast skies strip the warmth and leave a flatter, muddier olive-gray — sample it in your actual room before committing to a whole kitchen or exterior.
Have you painted with Green Onyx?
Rate it — one tap helps the next reader decide.
Ask a Question