I Found the Perfect Green Gray Paint Color

We finally did it! We painted the foyer and stairway. It only took me 4 months of debating over paint color samples to choose, but I finally found the most perfect green gray paint color of my dreams!

Every so often a paint color comes along that looks beautiful in literally every single type of lighting. (Sherwin Williams Sea Salt and Farrow & Ball Pigeon to name a couple.)

Sherwin Williams Willowleaf

Ever since I saw this green gray paint color called Sherwin Williams Willowleaf, there was no going back. It is THE one that is neutral with just the right hint green to make it interesting and unusual.

It is a beautifully muted green that strikes the perfect balance between earthy and elegant. It has a calming, refreshing, grounded vibe that would be versatile in all kinds of decorating styles: modern, traditional, boho, or rustic.

I’m so in love with it as an alternative to a true neutral when you want a color pop while keeping the flexibility to pair it with lots of other colors in a room.

Do you remember our all white foyer before? I still love that look, but I wanted a little bit of color. (Sherwin Williams Willowleaf felt just colorful enough without straying away from neutral. It feels daring yet safe all at the same time.)

neutral all white foyer with traditional decor

Why you should contrast trim instead of painting an entire room

There was no way I wanted to bust out scaffolding to paint the two-story wall going up our staircase. So painting the trim in a contrast color while keeping the existing white wall gave us the refresh we craved without starting completely from scratch.

Saves money
Saves time
Requires less effort
Looks historical
Hides dirt

It took way less time, energy, and money to paint just the trim rather than repainting the entire space. We were able to keep our walls the same Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace color so we had less work on our plate.

Plus, I love how it can instantly give a room some historical charm. It almost feels like something out of Colonial Williamsburg.

An even bigger plus? The darker color hides dirt and smudges really well as opposed to white. Our girls leave evidence of dirty fingerprints everywhere, but painted trim disguises all of it.

green gray paint color in a front entryway foyer

More Green Gray Paint Colors We Love

I’ve shared before other sage green paint colors we considered for other room makeovers we’ve done in the past. These are some of our top favorites.

Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog
Farrow & Ball French Gray
Benjamin Moore October Mist
Benjamin Moore Saybrook Sage

I’m sure we’re going to make some people mad that we didn’t stain our wooden door, but we ended up painting the back of our front door the same SW Willowleaf color to feel continuous with the trim.