CP

Taupe & Sage Color Scheme

A grounded mix of warm taupe and soft green that feels calm, earthy, and easy to live with. Every shade here is matched to real paint you can buy.

By Emily Roberts · DIY Editor & First-Timer's Guide

Start with Smoky Taupe, a warm, grounded neutral that wraps a space in quiet comfort. It is soft enough to feel like a true neutral but has just enough depth to read as intentional, not beige-by-default. As the dominant color it sets a calm, earthy mood, the kind of backdrop that lets natural light, wood, and greenery feel like the stars of the room.

Against that warmth, Dusty Sage brings a hushed, organic green that cools things down and adds a layer of life. Used on trim or built-ins, it frames the taupe and nods to the outdoors without ever shouting. Then Soft Cream steps in as the accent, a creamy near-white that lifts the whole scheme and keeps it from feeling heavy. Together these three are endlessly flexible, settling just as easily into a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, or flowing across a whole home.

View palette in
Smoky Taupe
walls
Behr Safari Chic · MQ2-20
#B4A796
LRV 40
Dusty Sage
trim
Glidden Edamame · PPG1030-4
#9CA389
LRV 35
Soft Cream
accent
PPG / Glidden Edelweiss · PPG14-23
#EDE7D8
LRV 80

Buy These Colors

Each color matched to the closest real paint in every brand, by ΔE2000. Tap a swatch for its full guide or + to save it — take any SKU to the store, they mix on demand.

Smoky Taupe
#B3A696 · LRV 39 · walls
Sherwin-Williams · SW 6080 · ΔE 2.05
Behr · MQ2-20 · ΔE 0.52
Benjamin Moore · AF-150 · ΔE 0.89
Valspar · M132 · ΔE 1.29
PPG / Glidden · PPG1020-4 · ΔE 1.47
Glidden · PPG1020-4 · ΔE 1.95
Dutch Boy · 404-3DB · ΔE 2.05
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 3085 · ΔE 2.05
Dunn-Edwards · DEGR21 · ΔE 2.19
Magnolia Home · JG-110 · ΔE 1.12
Farrow & Ball · NO. 17 · ΔE 2.45
Diamond Vogel · 0233 · ΔE 2.02
Hirshfield's · 0226 · ΔE 2.05
Rodda · CA047 · ΔE 1.26
C2 Paint · C2-814 · ΔE 1.03
Clare · PNT100-DP-78 · ΔE 13.71
Portola Paints · HAVANA · ΔE 6.07
Annie Sloan · DUCK EGG BLUE · ΔE 14.15
Backdrop · BD-NU · ΔE 8.4
Rust-Oleum · 371674 · ΔE 9.02
Kompozit · 0226 · ΔE 2.05
Dusty Sage
#9AA189 · LRV 34 · trim
Sherwin-Williams · SW 2812 · ΔE 2.81
Behr · MQ6-51 · ΔE 3.29
Benjamin Moore · HC-113 · ΔE 2.27
Valspar · T617 · ΔE 1.68
PPG / Glidden · PPG1126-5 · ΔE 1.34
Glidden · PPG1030-4 · ΔE 0.89
Dutch Boy · 424-3DB · ΔE 1.88
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 3255 · ΔE 2.79
Dunn-Edwards · DET517 · ΔE 1.64
Magnolia Home · JG-57 · ΔE 2.58
Farrow & Ball · NO. 19 · ΔE 3.08
Diamond Vogel · 0428 · ΔE 1.55
Hirshfield's · 0435 · ΔE 1.67
Rodda · CA172 · ΔE 1.99
C2 Paint · C2-683 · ΔE 1.26
Clare · PNT100-MD-64 · ΔE 5.31
Portola Paints · BRONSON · ΔE 4.04
Annie Sloan · FRENCH LINEN · ΔE 7.88
Backdrop · BD-CT · ΔE 8.55
Rust-Oleum · 371674 · ΔE 3.03
Kompozit · 0435 · ΔE 1.67
Soft Cream
#EDE7D9 · LRV 80 · accent
Sherwin-Williams · SW 7101 · ΔE 1.57
Behr · HDC-SM16-01 · ΔE 0.99
Benjamin Moore · 970 · ΔE 0.8
Valspar · 7007-1 · ΔE 0.5
PPG / Glidden · PPG14-23 · ΔE 0.42
Glidden · PPG14-23 · ΔE 0.46
Dutch Boy · 018W · ΔE 0.81
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 4033 · ΔE 0.81
Dunn-Edwards · DET653 · ΔE 0.8
Magnolia Home · JG-23 · ΔE 0.49
Farrow & Ball · NO. 2010 · ΔE 2.12
Diamond Vogel · OW4 · ΔE 1.55
Hirshfield's · 0418 · ΔE 1.46
Rodda · CA008 · ΔE 0.67
C2 Paint · C2-596 · ΔE 1.63
Clare · PNT100-LT-62 · ΔE 2.37
Portola Paints · KASHMIR · ΔE 2.54
Annie Sloan · OLD OCHRE · ΔE 10.09
Backdrop · BD-DS · ΔE 3.69
Rust-Oleum · 329598 · ΔE 4.41
Kompozit · 0418 · ΔE 1.46

Questions

What colors go well with smoky taupe?

Soft greens, warm creams, and gentle off-whites are its best friends. Taupe is a quiet, grounded base, so it loves a calm green like sage and a creamy lift to keep things from feeling flat.

Is taupe and sage too muted to feel interesting?

Not at all. Because taupe leans warm and sage leans cool, the two play off each other and add quiet depth. The cream accent keeps the whole thing feeling fresh rather than sleepy.

What undertones should I watch for here?

Taupe can swing pink or green in different light, so check it on your wall at different times of day. The sage already brings a soft green, so a taupe with a warmer, browner undertone keeps everything balanced.

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