St. Patrick’s Day is here again, and it’s the time of year when everyone thinks green. This season interior designers are big on green as well, and that’s not going to change after March 17. Green’s a lucky color this year, and that’s not just for the Irish!

It’s not only shamrock green that’s hot in 2022. In addition to bright greens, we’ll be seeing gray-greens, olives and greens in combination with other colors. Don’t be green with jealously when you see green showing itself off in stylish homes. Make your own statement in nature’s favorite color!

The Colors of the Year

Paint manufacturers have been practically tripping over each other to proclaim their own variations on green as the “must have” color for 2022. The trendy tones this year tend toward the grayish greens, such as Benjamin Moore’s color of the year, October Mist. Sherwin-Williams’s Evergreen Fog is a similar tone that goes especially well with bolder neutrals such as bronze. Behr offers a similar color in Breezeway, and Dutch Boy goes a little brighter and a little greener with Cypress Garden. PPG offers Olive Sprig, Valspar has its own color of the year in Blanched Thyme, and Farrow and Ball features Breakfast Room Green.

These grayish greens work in many types of spaces to promote a relaxing ambiance!

See our trend board: Sherwin Williams Color of The Year 2022 Evergreen Fog

The Psychology of Green

Green is nature and nature is green. It’s among the calmest and most serene of colors. At the same time, it represents growth and freshness. It rejuvenates and restores balance. It stands for vitality, generosity and, as any St. Patrick’s Day celebrant knows, good luck!

In general, the subdued greens are the calmest one, and the darker and more vibrant greens evoke liveliness and prosperity. Bluish greens, such as aqua, connote healing and protection, and olive green is the color of peace.

Green Color Combinations

You can theme an entire room in complementary shades of green and create drama with the contrast, but green “plays nice” with a variety of colors.

Green against white or white-and-black is elegant and timeless. Green and yellow are bright and vivacious, suitable for a lively sunlit family room. Blue, like green, is a calming shade, so the two tones adroitly mixed yield a double dose of serenity. Green with brown and beige is natural and of the earth. Light green with gray lends a sophisticated modern feel.

Making Green Your Own

How much green do you want in your room? No answer to that is the wrong one! It can be the theme color, there might be a few green major pieces or green can play a role as an accent. Green can be dramatic or subtle depending on what shade you choose and how much you use.

Style in Seating

A green sofa is a creative choice to center any living room. It can be a subdued green that meshes with the room’s color theme or a more assertive green that pops. In either case, it lifts the visual interest in the room and lends a touch of character.

Chairs can match the sofa, or a green accent chair might be the most significant green piece in the room, making the leading statement as a secondary color.

Pizzazz on the Patio

Green patio furniture is a staple, but it’s by no means uninteresting. Subtle patterned greens let the outdoor lawn, plants and garden have the spotlight. Bright greens, especially in combination with white and yellow, create a riot of color celebration that brings fun to any gathering!

Adaptable Area Rugs

With green area rugs, you can match or contrast the color in the room, but that’s not all! You might also vary the texture and pattern to maximize the visual diversity. Think of a high-pile rug beneath a smooth leather sofa or a boldly patterned rug not only making a statement in green but also injecting a new liveliness into the space.

Plus, when adding green to your floors, why not go green? Some of today’s top manufacturers, such as Karastan, offer rugs that are made in the USA from 100% SmartStrand fibers, which is made partly from annual renewable plant-based ingredients that consume less energy with fewer GHG emissions. Plus, SmartStrand is OEKO-TEX® certified. You can feel good about your floors looking so good!

Dashing Decor

You can think of green decor as a volume control, dialing up the vivacity of the room with the number of green touches you choose to use. Even a few accents harness the artistry of green, and you can keep adding more until you have just the level you want.

For example, mix green throw pillows with neutrals. Or use two shades of green, or display a solid green pillow with a green patterned one. In the bedroom, add just a dollop with green runners and throws or go all out with green coverlets and curtains. For an unexpected dining room touch, lay out green dishware along with green accessories like salt and paper shakers. Don’t forget to add some green plants to your room to really bring your design to life!

Whether it’s green wall art, vases, lampshades or bowls, the brighter and more assertive greens are the ones that stand out best as decor.

So if you embellished your home with green for St. Pat’s Day, you may not have to stash the emerald exuberance in the closet until next year. With the right shades and the right design approach, you can enjoy green good luck during every season!