Can you believe it’s already time for a new group of colors to define our year? Behr was the second brand to announce their pick for 2027 “Color of the Year” with the shade Grounded. (Valspar was first with Cottage Door.)
I have put together coordinating colors for Grounded, but we will also take a look at what to expect from this color (Hello, undertones!) and I will show you some dupes and alternatives from the other big brands!
What Color is Behr Grounded?
Grounded is a moody green paint color that is warm enough to sometimes look a little bit brown. Behr describes it as: “A mossy olive with earthy brown undertones.” Which checks out!
Grounded has an LRV of 11, which puts it right on the line between dark and mid-toned.
The LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of a color indicates on a scale of 0 – 100 how much light a color reflects (or doesn’t reflect). True black has an LRV of 0 and pure white has an LRV of 100.
In the paint world, we are working in a range of about 3 – 93 because no paint color is purely black or completely white.
In my opinion, truly dark paint colors typically have LRVs of around 10 or less, and 11 is close enough. Being right on that line, you may find that it flexes a lot between dark dark and…not.
What Are the Undertones of Behr Grounded?
As Behr mentioned and I mentioned, Grounded is not a straightforward green paint color. It has brown undertones, and it is also muted by a bit of gray.
I wasn’t able to find a lot of people using Grounded, so I will have to illustrate with some similar colors. Here is Sherwin Williams At Ease Soldier, which is a warm green color that also has brown undertones:
This color is quite a bit lighter than Grounded, but here it looks close. You should expect Grounded to look similar to this, but just a little bit cooler.
Next we have Sherwin Williams Cast Iron, to also illustrate the green-meets-brown look to Grounded:
Here is how Grounded and Cast Iron compare on paper:
You can see that Cast Iron is actually not as warm as Grounded, so the warmer look from that kitchen is a pretty perfect example for Grounded!
Finally, here is an example of the more true green look that Grounded can have:
The left wall and ceiling are quite good representations of how Grounded will look. This color is actually Benjamin Moore Army Green, which is fairly close to Grounded, but just a little warmer:
Is Grounded a Good Color of the Year for 2027?
I have a couple of thoughts about Grounded in terms of “trends.” I actually predicted colors in this category of earthy green/browns to rise in popularity in my 2026 colors post.
Paint colors and home decor actually move quite slow, so it is still the perfect time to get in with Grounded!
What I am hemming and hawing about (don’t know how to type that) is how fresh or interesting it is for 2027. Make no mistake, love the color. I think you should go out and buy it today! But typically the color of the year is forward-thinking, and this seems quite safe.
We’ve been loving greens for quite a while, we’ve been back on warm tones for quite a while, so this pick feels a bit like scrolling Instagram and picking something that pops up a lot.
I feel like last year’s color, Hidden Gem, is still more forward-thinking than this.
This is just my two cents. You can still use Grounded today, and love your walls ’til they look tired! My beef is with the excitement of it all, and not really with the color.
Behr Grounded in a Color Palette
Behr did release quite a large collection with their “2027 Color Trends Palette” but not all of these are shades that necessarily work with Grounded.
Here are the ones that I think coordinate the best:
Coordinating White Paint Color for Grounded
While their 2027 collection did include 21 colors, not one of them was a true white! I went ahead and added Behr Whisper White into the palette, as a true neutral white option for trim etc.
Whisper White is quite similar to Benjamin Moore Simply White.
For their “white” option, Behr went with Coastal Beige, which is actually not beige at all. This off-white is almost light enough to be a true white, but it has very strong creamy undertones.
If you aren’t a yellow hater, these two colors work very well together! For a Sherwin Williams option, Dover White is quite similar.
Try Grounded with Behr Environmental
Environmental isn’t quite a lighter version of Grounded, but it’s not too far off!
This is a great option if you want some rooms or features to be lighter, but still in the same realm. Environmental is actually the Behr dupe for Benjamin Moore October Mist, which is quite a popular shade.
Neutral Paint Color to Use with Grounded
You could almost use any beige, brown, or taupe with Grounded, and you will find that the color adapts depending on what you use.
I went with Behr Introspective, because it has a taupe undertone that is complementary to Grounded, and that should emphasize the green more.
Dupes for Behr Grounded from Other Brands
Here are some other colors to help you get the Grounded look from Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, and Valspar:
Benjamin Moore Version of Grounded
Benjamin Moore has the best dupe for grounded, with their color Mohegan Sage:
You may be wondering, what is the difference?
Mohegan Sage is just a little bit cooler and more gray than Grounded, but I’m not sure that from room to room you would be able to tell!
Grounded in Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams has a lot of colors that look pretty close to Grounded on the wall (Cast Iron, Garden Gate, At Ease Soldier, and probably more!), and nothing that is a perfect lookalike on paper.
The closest option is Eclipse:
Eclipse is quite a good alternative to Grounded, but it is lighter, a little warmer, and not quite as muted. It’s in the same spirit of Grounded, if not exactly the same.
Grounded Equivalent in Valspar (Lowe’s)
Finally over at Lowe’s, we get the Valspar dupe for Grounded, with the shade Wetlands.
Wetlands is quite a bit cooler than Grounded, so it is more likely to read “dark sage” and less likely to look brown (although it’s still a possibility!).
Here is one more look at each of these dupes:
Thank you so much for reading until the end! That really helps my blog. I am feeling so grateful to still be covering color with you for another year!
