Sometimes the color of the year misses the mark (*cough* Behr in 2025 *cough*) but for 2026 we have one that is right on the money! Behr Hidden Gem strikes the perfect balance between bold color and sophistication.
Here we will talk all about this beauty, and I’ll show you how to use it!
What Color Behr Hidden Gem is, and Why it’s Perfect for 2026
Hidden Gem is somewhere between a cool sage and a grayed down teal. Which is exactly the reason that it is the perfect color to take you through 2026 and beyond!
Sage green is still on and popping, and I don’t really see it going anywhere fast. I have covered a huge number of sage paint colors here, and I’m still constantly finding new ones. I have however, also seen a lot of interest in teal recently.
Hidden Gem is like the perfect baby of “right now” and “up and coming.”
If you’re curious, the 2025 Color of the Year was Rumors. I actually didn’t even bother covering that one because I don’t think it was on trend at all.
You can also look through the Colors of the Year from 2024 and earlier here.
What Are the Undertones of Behr Hidden Gem?
Hidden Gem is a little bit more green forward, but it has cool blue undertones. Some might also say it has gray undertones, but I think the gray is pretty evident at face value.
If Hidden Gem was a perfume, gray and green are top notes, but blue is just under the surface!
Hidden Gem in the Behr Color Strip
Hidden Gem is the second darkest color in this strip from Behr:
All very pretty colors!
I have covered the darkest shade: Black Evergreen, in my post : Dark Green Paint Colors
The LRV of Hidden Gem is 14.
The LRV 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 my opinion, truly dark paint colors tend to have an LRV of 10 or less.
At 14, Hidden Gem is getting dark, but I would say it’s at the darker end of mid-toned.
Behr Hidden Gem in a Color Palette
Here are the colors that I recommend pairing with Hidden Gem:
Personally, I wouldn’t go too loud with my coordinating colors, because I wouldn’t want to overwhelm Hidden Gem. It’s such a beautiful color that it would be a shame to lose it amongst bolder, more forward tones. Because the color is pretty nature-adjacent, it may have a tendency to hide.
(Think Go-Away-Green!)
Coordinating White Paint Color for Hidden Gem
I chose two white colors to pair with Hidden Gem that might seem pretty close on paper, but I promise they’re different!
Behr Cameo White
Cameo White is almost an off white, but it is still technically a true white.
The undertones of Cameo White are very complementary to Hidden Gem. You might also like Sherwin Williams Snowbound.
Sherwin Williams Ethereal White
Unlike Cameo White, Sherwin Williams Ethereal White actually is an off-white:
I have been a big fan of this color for a while, and it’s finally getting some recognition! This white has neutral undertones that manage to read both “creamy” and green. While that sounds a bit swampy, I promise you it isn’t!
Originally I was going to go creamier with the white options, but I didn’t love how they looked with Hidden Gem. I think the cool blue undertones of Hidden Gem tend to make creamy whites look a touch more yellow.
Try Hidden Gem with Behr Cracked Pepper
From one Color of the Year to another, why not try Hidden Gem with Cracked Pepper?
Cracked Pepper was the Behr Color of the Year in 2024. This soothing charcoal pairs well with a lot of other colors, including Hidden Gem! Use these two to create a moody vibe.
Neutral Paint Color to Use with Hidden Gem
For my neutral wall color pick with Hidden Gem, I went with the taupey color Doeskin Gray.
I wanted to stick with something on the lighter end of neutral, because Hidden Gem is pretty dark. You could also go with a warmer, more true beige, but I like a taupey mushroom color with Hidden Gem.
Behr Hidden Gem on Kitchen Cabinets
Prior to being named the Color of the Year, Hidden Gem has been exactly that: A hidden gem. This is a rarely used color, so we are going to have to get close enough when imagining what it will look like in your home.
When I first saw the color it reminded me a lot of Sherwin Williams Rocky River. Here are a few pictures of that color, to give you a good idea of what Hidden Gem will look like in real life.
You can expect Hidden Gem to be just a tiny bit darker than this.
You can see more in my post: 9 Tantalizing Teal Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets (#5 is Controversial)
Hidden Gem in the Bedroom
Sherwin Williams Succulent is a little warmer than Hidden Gem, but at its most cool, it looks very similar.
Here is an example of that color where it looks very close to Hidden Gem:
And one more:
When Succulent leans more teal like we see here, it may as well be Hidden Gem!
Hidden Gem on the Walls
Here are a couple of photos of how Hidden Gem will look on your other walls:
This color is actually Sherwin Williams Foggy Day, which is a chameleon blue gray. Here though it looks quite green, and quite like Hidden Gem!
Same thing here:
You can expect Hidden Gem to look a little more saturated and a bit more green than that photo.
Here is one more example but using the color Sherwin Williams Peppercorn:
Peppercorn is also a gray with blue undertones, but in this picture it skewed very green, and very like Hidden Gem!
Hidden Gem for Your Home’s Exterior
Here is a good idea of how Hidden Gem will look on an exterior:
Again this is actually SW Succulent, but it looks almost perfect here!
Here is another exterior that looks like Hidden Gem:
The siding here is Sherwin Williams Homburg Gray and the dormers are Sherwin Williams Shoji White.
Homburg Gray is similar to Hidden Gem, but it typically looks more gray than this.
Here is an example of how Hidden Gem will look on your front door:
This color is Sherwin Williams Rookwood Dark Green, but it actually looks more like Hidden Gem here than itself!
Dupes for Hidden Gem from Other Brands
Now that we know what Hidden Gem looks like, here are some colors from other brands that will get you the same look!
Hidden Gem in Sherwin Williams
As I mentioned earlier, Rocky River is the closest color match for Hidden Gem from Sherwin Williams.
Rocky River is just a little bit lighter than Hidden Gem. It is also a hair more green leaning and a touch less saturated, but you can see that the difference in actual tone is negligible.
This color is from the same Sherwin Williams color strip as Jasper – A favorite of mine for exteriors.
The Best Benjamin Moore Color Match for Hidden Gem
The best dupe for Hidden Gem from Benjamin Moore, happens to also be the best dupe over all! Their color Jack Pine is a near perfect match.
Jack Pine is a tiny bit more saturated and green leaning than Hidden Gem, and just a whiff lighter. Having seen it in real life, I don’t think you would know the difference.
Hidden Gem Valspar Equivalent
From Valspar we unfortunately don’t get as close of a match as I would like.
Their color Blueridge Fir is as good as it gets. For some reason the next darker shade jumps to a very deep color.
In Blueridge Fir we see the same “spirit” as Hidden Gem but it is obviously lighter. This color is also a decent bit warmer and more green.
The second best option from Valspar was Northern Juniper, but that color ended up being much cooler and more blue, even more so than Blueridge Fir is green.
Here is another look at each of these dupes:
I hope this helped you decide if the Behr “Color of the Year” is going to be your color of the year in 2026. Thanks so much for reading until the end! That really helps my blog.
Still not sold? Here are some scintillating alternatives:
