COLOUR CODES
A calm, tranquil and fresh hue, our colour guru, Amelia, shares why you can’t go far wrong with this nearly neutral
To create a calm and collected vibe, you can’t go far wrong with sage green. Just like the herb that it’s named after, the shade varies in tone from a greeny grey hue to a deeper, richer colour. Merging all the fresh yet soothing feelings of green with a hint of serene and ‘grown up’ grey, sage brings a tranquillity that can’t be matched.
The word, ‘sage’ in French literally translates as ‘wise,’ suggesting a sense of strength and stability. In nature, green acts as a neutral – there isn’t a colour that doesn’t work with it. But sage, with its nod towards grey, has the strongest neutral properties of all the shades of green.
‘Sage works with most colours as it is practically a neutral,’ says Simon Temprell, interior design manager at Neptune. ‘Yellow tones don’t sit particularly well with sage, unless tempered to mustard, but most other colours can be shaded to sit comfortably alongside it.’
‘Sage green is highly versatile and can be paired with many colours, including pinks,soft blues, warm neutrals, and earthy browns,’ says Flora Hogg, interior design consultant and colour specialist at Craig & Rose.
As with any shade, the direction your room faces in relation to the sun will determine what specific hue will work best. ‘For a north-facing room, choose a rich sage to help bring warmth to the cool light, and for a south-facing room, choose a cooler, crisp shade,’ says Marianne Shillingford, creative director at Dulux. Always remember to try out multiple shades on all the walls you intend to paint before you buy. Take the time to look at them at various points in the day to see how the shade varies in different lights.
Whi
