Feeling over the typical black and white color scheme…but still kind of want it? Greenblack is a fresh take on black that looks black enough to still pair with all manner of white paint colors.
Let’s explore Greenblack with different whites, check out a more colorful palette, see it in real homes, and finally, find you some dupes!
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What Color is Sherwin Williams Greenblack (SW 6994)
SW Greenblack is a pretty simple color: It’s a green black!
(Go figure.)
Designers and homeowners like this color because it reads like a black, but the green makes it feel a bit cozier and more interesting.
LRV of Sherwin Williams Greenblack
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 the paint world, we are working in a range of about 3 – 93 because no paint color is purely black or completely white.
The LRV of Greenblack is 4. It’s just as dark as many truly black paint colors!
What Are the Undertones of Greenblack
When Greenblack looks like a color, it looks like an ultra dark, smokey, forest green. It’s technically a blue green, but I wouldn’t say that it ever looks teal.
Is Greenblack Warm or Cool
Because it is a blue green, Greenblack is a cool-toned paint color. It is sooo dark and desaturated that you can use it like a neutral, but it never looks warm or olivey.
Greenblack Color Strip
Their is no official Sherwin Williams color strip, so I added it to the closest one that I could find:
These beautiful blue-green-gray shades from Still Water to Riverway, would also make for great coordinating colors.
Lighter Version of Greenblack
A nice option from Sherwin Williams that is close to the same color as Greenblack but lighter, would be Still Water (SW 6223). The LRV of Still Water is 10, so it is right on the border of what I would consider a “dark” paint color.
Sherwin Williams Riverway is only a bit lighter, with an LRV of 16.
For a nice mid-toned color, you might like Moody Blue (SW 6221). That has an LRV of 27, so it is a good bit lighter than Greenblack.
The color strip that I made stuck to grayish colors, but you might also like Sherwin Williams Cascades. It is not technically lighter, but it reads lighter because it’s a bit more vibrant.
Sherwin Williams Greenblack Color Palette
Before we get into other coordinating colors, I wanted to show Greenblack with a whole bunch of different white paints.
What White Should You Use With Sherwin Williams Greenblack?
Most people looking to use Greenblack are looking to pair it with a white, and not looking for other colors necessarily.
I got you!
The good news is that Greenblack will work with almost any white!
Why?
The cleanest whites tend to be green whites, which of course will work with a green black.
Creamy whites on the other hand, are typically in the orangey-red color family, which is directly across the color wheel from blue-green (and Greenblack!).
This means that creamy whites are the perfect complementary color for Greenblack.
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
Overwhelmed with the world of white paint? Who isn’t!
If you want a nice white white, one that looks white but not hospital white, just pick yourself up some Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace and thank me later. (This one is a green white.)
Sherwin Williams Extra White
Extra White is actually pretty similar to Chantilly Lace. It’s one of two whites that Sherwin Williams specifically recommends for Greenblack. (Another green white!)
The rest of these are all creamy whites:
Sherwin Williams Snowbound
Snowbound is the second white that Sherwin Williams recommends with Greenblack. I like this one because it’s still very neutral.
Sherwin Williams White Flour
SW White Flour is soft, creamy, and still has a bit of brightness to it. This is probably my favorite creamy white.
Allie from @thenottinghome used it on her home’s exterior with Greenblack trim:
Sherwin Williams Alabaster
Alabaster is Sherwin Williams OG creamy white. I can appreciate that it’s a very nice color, but if you’re choosing an unexpected black like Greenblack, you should choose a less expected white. (In my opinion.)
Sherwin Williams Simply White
Simply White has the rare ability to be both bright and creamy. A white like Simply will make Greenblack look darker and richer.
Those are all of my favorite whites for pairing with Greenblack, but here are a few more options:
If any of these strike your fancy, I have posts for most of them!
- Sherwin Williams Whitetail (This one is really grabbing me against Greenblack)
- Sherwin Williams Shoji White
- Behr Diamonds Therapy
- Sherwin Williams Greek Villa
I really should have included Ethereal White too, so here’s an honorable mention for this creamy white with a hint of green:
Complementary & Coordinating Colors for Greenblack
I saved two additional whites for this section!
Sherwin Williams Pure White
Pure White comes across in real life like a pure white, but in reality it is a little bit warm and gray. It’s not clean or bright, but rather soft and subtle.
When we get to real homes, I have lots of Greenblack with Pure White to show you!
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee is one of the most popular warm whites out there. Is a little less neutral than Pure White. It’s more of a “farmhouse white” which is perfect if that’s the look you are going for with Greenblack.
Swiss Coffee is a whole category of color! Check out my post: Swiss Coffee Paint Colors Reviewed (Are They All the Same?)
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
Gray Owl is a warm grayish neutral with a hint of green. That hint makes it a perfect whole home color to use with Greenblack.
Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze
Acacia Haze is a gorgeous, smokey, gray-green that would look amazing with Greenblack.
Want to see Acacia Haze in real life? I’ve got lots of photos in my post: Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze: A Delicious Gray Green
Definitely check that out, because a swatch just doesn’t do it justice!
Sherwin Williams Acier
I plopped Acier into my palette on a whim, thinking that it wouldn’t work, but I actually really like it with Greenblack!
Acier is a taupey neutral, and Greenblack seems to cancel some of the purple undertone. Acier is a pretty dark color, so it would make a nice secondary accent if you are planning to use Greenblack for trim or on an exterior.
See more from SW Acier here: Sherwin Williams Acier Review and Dupes (The Perfect Taupe?)
Sherwin Williams Greenblack Home Interior
Let’s get to seeing Greenblack in real life! The funnest part of any good post.
I won’t make you wait, today we will start off in the kitchen:
Sherwin Williams Greenblack Kitchen Cabinets
If you have spent time looking around here, you will have spotted Jake and Candi’s home @bridlewoodacres in a couple of my posts.
Their home is a labor of love that is quickly turning into a masterpiece.
In their kitchen, Jake and Candi chose Greenblack for their cabinet color, with the exception of the hood fan, which is Sherwin Williams Pure White.
The stone on their waterfall island has got to be some of the prettiest that I have ever seen!
Copper hardware and fixtures really pop against the subtle softness of Pure White, and the richness of Greenblack.
I think it’s so fun that they chose copper!
Not just because it’s different and more colorful, but because the exterior I will show you later is also white with Greenblack and copper.
(A totally different house! Isn’t that interesting?)
Love green cabinets? You will love this post: Trend-Setting Green Kitchen Cabinet Ideas (Plus: 22 Paint Colors to Use!)
Sherwin Williams Greenblack Living Room
Here’s the thing about Greenblack: Once you use it, you will need to find more places to use it!
Jake and Candi have pops of Greenblack all over their home! Here it is on some built-ins:
I love their cozy living room!
I also love a black ceiling:
Pure White just looks sooo pretty with Greenblack and the other decor.
The art is a custom piece by @thatblonde.art.
Sherwin Williams Greenblack Office
I showed you a glimpse of Allie Nottingham’s exterior when we talked about coordinating white colors, but she actually used Greenblack in a few places.
(See what I mean? Once you start with Greenblack: Can’t stop, won’t stop!)
This moody office is the perfect place to show off Greenblack at its best!
As you may have spotted, they went all out and used it on the ceiling too.
Here is the one shot I have of Greenblack where it actually looks pretty darn green:
So satisfying!
Let’s pop into Allie’s kitchen for just one minute, so that you can see Greenblack on the window trim.
(But actually to ogle her sink.)
Actually you may find this spot helpful if you are considering using Greenblack with existing oak or other wood cabinets.
It’s just a little taste of the combo, but I think Greenblack looks great with the wood.
(But that sink! Amiright?)
Sherwin Williams Greenblack Exterior
Back to Allie’s exterior, where I have a couple more pictures for you.
This is White Flour with Greenblack for the trim.
You could totally use Greenblack on the shutters if you are also using it for the trim, but Allie went with copper:
She also chose copper for the gutters, downspouts, lights, and more.
The copper really does something amazing for White Flour, I have to say. It looks so luxurious and creamy here!
Why have one Greenblack exterior when you can have two?
The Nottinghome also features Greenblack on the barns!
This next photo is probably my favorite picture of Greenblack.
It’s a simple shot, but Greenblack just looks so moody and mysterious nestled in the trees.
Front Door
Finally, let’s take a look at Allie’s gorgeous front door:
Greenblack looks a little more colorful here. I think I need to take a class from Allie on porch styling.
At my house there is pumpkin season, rotting pumpkin season… and then the other nine months of the year.
Sneaking away from the Nottinghome, I have one more Greenblack exterior. This one belongs to Ashley and Matt (@homesweetiepiehome).
It’s not quite finished, but I think you can look past that and appreciate a few more faces of Greenblack.
On this exterior Greenblack is looking pretty darn black! I wanted to show this because I feel like it’s probably really accurate.
This next one is probably the darkest and blackest that Greenblack ever looks:
Greenblack Compared to Other Dark Sherwin Williams Paint Colors
When it comes to deep dark paint colors, there are a few cult classics from Sherwin Williams that will come up: Iron Ore, Tricorn Black, and Urbane Bronze.
Let’s take a look at how Greenblack stacks up against these heavy hitters:
Sherwin Williams Greenblack vs Iron Ore (SW 7069)
Iron Ore is a real chameleon. On paper it looks like a warm charcoal, but in real life it most often looks like a smoky blueish charcoal.
Iron Ore can also look black or even a bit green. Iron Ore is lighter than Greenblack, with an LRV of 7.
You can read about Iron Ore here: Sherwin Williams Iron Ore vs Peppercorn (Full Comparison!)
Sherwin Williams Greenblack vs Tricorn Black (SW 6258)
Tricorn Black is the color you want to choose if you are going for inky blackness! It is Sherwin Williams blackest black.
Greenblack on the other hand, is a good option if you want a hint of color and softness.
Tricorn Black has an LRV of 3.
Check out Tricorn Black in my post: Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black (Is it the Best Black? Plus Dupes!)
Sherwin Williams Greenblack vs Urbane Bronze (SW 7048 )
Urbane Bronze is really nothing like Greenblack in general.
There are occasions where Urbane Bronze looks a little bit green, but I wouldn’t say it’s typical.
Where they are similar is that they are both dark colors that can have a bit of a smoky overtone.
The LRV of Urbane Bronze is 6.
You know I’ve got more! Check out this post: Urbane Bronze Review and Dupes (It Goes With Literally Everything!)
Greenblack Dupes
Can you get a color like Greenblack in other brands?
Well you can get pretty close! I’ve got dupes from Benjamin Moore, Behr, and Valspar.
Benjamin Moore Greenblack Equivalent
I found a couple of good alternatives for Greenblack from Benjamin Moore: Black Forest Green and Essex Green.
Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green (HC-187)
Black Forest Green looks pretty similar to Greenblack on the wall, but it is a more saturated color.
Where Greenblack is pretty gray, Black Forest tends to look like a color a bit more often – as opposed to a pure black. (More like how Greenblack looked in the office at Allie’s house.)
You can read all about this color in my post: Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green (Review and Dupes!)
Benjamin Moore Essex Green (HC-188)
Essex Green is another almost-black green that is just a bit more saturated than Greenblack.
In the case of Essex Green, it is a bit more of an emerald green as opposed to the blue green of Greenblack and Black Forest.
Valspar (Lowe’s) Equivalent to Greenblack
From Valspar I have two more solid alternatives to Greenblack: Forest Canopy and Nocturnal Green. Although neither are as dark as I would like.
Valspar Forest Canopy (5010-1)
Valspar says the LRV of Forest Canopy is 3.7, but it’s probably in the 6-8 range.
Other than being lighter, Forest Canopy is a great dupe for Greenblack. The actual color is nearly perfect.
Valspar Nocturnal Green (5011-1)
Nocturnal Green tends to look a bit more teal than Greenblack, but it’s not too far off:
Here it is in real life:
Valspar says the LRV of Nocturnal Green is 3.277, but that is clearly measured differently than Greenblack, as it is actually still lighter.
Greenblack Behr Equivalent (Home Depot)
One thing that Behr doesn’t do a lot of, is ultra dark greens. We have one possible alternative in Limousine Leather.
Behr Limousine Leather (N490-7)
Unfortunately, Behr just doesn’t make many variations on black, and Limousine Leather is the only green-based black.
Luckily it is a blue-green black, and not far off from Greenblack, but this color is sooo gray that the color family almost doesn’t matter.
The LRV of Behr Limousine Leather is 4.
Greenblack Final Moody Musings
That’s us done with Greenblack. What do you think?
- Use Greenblack for a fresh and unexpected take on black
- Greenblack most often looks black. If you want a deep green, choose a different color
- Greenblack is a great choice for cabinets and built ins
- Pair Greenblack with creamy whites to your heart’s content!
Not the green for you? Well let me tell you, I know green! Check out these other posts:
Don’t Forget Your Supplies!
This little brush might look funny, but it’s my absolute ride or die!
Rollers like these hold the most paint and make the job faster. Get a metal roller cage for easy on and off.
DryDex is the fastest (and funnest!) way to make chips and dents disappear. (Make sure you get a small spackling tool that actually fits in the container, and a sanding sponge.)
This tool will save your back and limit time on a ladder.