October Mist was Benjamin Moore’s 2022 Color of the Year. It was super on trend at the time, but does it still work in 2026 and moving forward?
Let’s take a look at this sagey shade, see it in real homes, revisit our color palette, and of course, check out some alternatives!
Is October Mist Still Stylish in 2026?
First things first: Is this color so last year? Or will it still wow in your home?
Something that you should know about any “Color of the Year,” is that they do take a bit of time to catch on. Most people are not obsessively checking for the latest color and ready to repaint their homes, so you will actually be at the height of style if you use it a year or two after release.
After a color reaches peak popularity, it will typically ride that wave for another 5 to 7 years.
All this to say: No you aren’t too late with October Mist.
On sage greens in general, I would say that the trend is still climbing.
What Color is October Mist by Benjamin Moore? Undertones and More
October Mist is a subtle sage color that is versatile enough for your whole home, not just for accents here and there!
This is what Benjamin Moore says about CC-550 (October Mist):
This gently shaded sage quietly anchors a space, while encouraging individual expression through colour.
Allow me to read into that description a little. “Quietly anchors a space” implies to me that this is meant to be a darker neutral. That’s not a description that would be used for light and bright colors.
“Encouraging individual expression through color” tells me that this is intended to be a color that plays well with many other bolder colors. That holds true, as you will see in a moment! October Mist does work really well with a lot of other shades.
Is October Mist Green or Beige?
October Mist is green, but it can translate as a muddier green depending on the lighting and other factors. If you really hate beige or olive, you may want a cooler shade of green.
October Mist LRV
The LRV of October Mist is 46.33
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.
It surprised me that October Mist is that dark, to be honest. Any color with an LRV under 50 will absorb more light than it reflects. I was expecting it to be in the 50 – 60 range.
What Are the Undertones of Benjamin Moore October Mist?
October Mist is a gray green color with undertones that range from mossy to minty.
You could also say that it appears anywhere from cool sage to light khaki.
Is October Mist Warm or Cool?
In my opinion October Mist is a true neutral. I have seen pictures of it where I think it looks cool toned, and then I see it somewhere else and I think it looks warm.
On the color wheel, it is ever so slightly into the warm end of green.
October Mist in a Color Palette
Since October Mist was announced as color of the year back in 2022, tastes have changed a little bit. When I first wrote this article and came up with a color palette, crisper, high contrast color schemes were more popular.
Here is the orginal color palette, which may have led you to this post! :
I paired October Mist with true white paint colors, and non-traditional neutrals. This color scheme still works today, especially if you are after a mid-century modern look.
The coordinating colors for October Mist in this color palette are:
- Benjamin Moore Healing Aloe
- Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
- Sherwin Williams Cavern Clay
- Benjamin Moore White Dove
- Benjamin Moore Venetian Portico
The more popular use of sage green currently, is in moody, warm, lower contrast color schemes. I have given our October Mist color palette a makeover, to bring it in line with current trends.
Here are all of the latest and greatest coordinating colors for October Mist. Each of these hit on what I am seeing as up and coming categories of color.
Coordinating White Paint Color for October Mist
I chose Benjamin Moore Sand Dollar because it’s a soft white with an undertone that leans pink rather than yellow, which makes it complementary to the green of October Mist.
Creamy whites are still very much in style, but I wasn’t personally feeling the more yellow options with October Mist. Any beige white would also work well here.
Neutral Paint Color to Use with October Mist
Sherwin Williams Grecian Ivory is a light beige that has a subtle green undertone.
The green undertone coordinates nicely with October Mist, but you shouldn’t expect to see too much of it next to the stronger sage green. Grecian Ivory will stay fairly beige, or maybe even off-white.
Along the same interesting monochromatic theme, you might like the very subtle contrast of Benjamin Moore Urban Sophisticate.
Urban Sophisticate is a greige color with a subtle sage undertone. Originally I was deciding between Sherwin Williams Ethereal Mood or Jogging Path, but I decided to go with the Benjamin Moore dupe for Jogging Path instead.
I envision Urban Sophisticate as a great ceiling color in an October Mist color drenched room, but of course, there are less dramatic ways to use this pair!
Try October Mist with Benjamin Moore Silhouette
The 2026 “Color of the Year” from Benjamin Moore was Silhouette. I was delighted with this choice because I have not only talked about it before, but it pairs sooo well with these earthy green color schemes that we are seeing.
October Mist in Real Homes
Here is a look at October Mist in a fabulous dining room:
Something about this room by Louise Dover Interiors gives “royal hunting lodge.” The crown moulding looks similar to Sherwin Williams Shoji White.
If you like this space, you will like the vibe of some of the other homes in my Fabulous Sage Green Trim Colors post!
This next project by @thenorthernjoinery might be small, but it’s a perfect example of October Mist in all different lighting.
In that first photo, October Mist looks pretty light.
Now from another angle, we see the darker and warmer tones of this gray green:
Here’s another, where it looks somewhere in the middle:
Let’s pop on back to the light side, with this project by Gina of @bayberrymoon:
Bear in mind that there is a more reflective finish on this dresser than your walls are likely to have.
Finally we have October Mist on a kitchen island:
Aimee from @lildeserthome used October Mist on her island, with the soft white of Farrow & Ball Off White on the rest of the cabinets, as well as on the pantry door.
For a similar color to Off White, you might like Sherwin Williams Oyster White. For more sage green cabinet inspo, check out my post: The Best Colors for Sage Green Kitchen Cabinets.
October Mist on an Exterior
Too bad so sad for us, October Mist is not yet a popular exterior choice! Here is the very similar Saybrook Sage on an exterior, to at least give you an idea:
October Mist will look a bit warmer than this. Think just a touch more “spring green.” (I’ll compare the two properly in just a minute!)
Here is another example, using Benjamin Moore Gettysburg Gray. You should expect October Mist to look similar in tone to this, but it will be a lot lighter, and a touch more overtly green.
Any color you choose for your exterior will look around 2 shades lighter outside. (Except whites of course, which tend to do all kinds of things.)
October Mist Compared to Other Popular Gray Green and Sage Colors
There are a LOT of great greens, so while I have several in this article, I also cover even more in my Ultra Sophisticated Gray-Green Paint Colors post.
Looking for a color like October Mist, but haven’t quite found the perfect one yet?
Fear not! Let’s compare this color to others that you might want to consider.
October Mist and Camouflage aren’t especially similar, but if you are looking for a neutral that isn’t gray, either of these might work for you.
Camouflage is definitely warm where October Mist is pretty neutral. They are about the same level of lightness.
October Mist next to Camouflage truly reminds me of camouflage. Both are shades that you could find in Khaki.
Clary Sage is a little bit darker and warmer than October Mist:
You can see more of this color in my post: Sherwin Williams Clary Sage (and Dupes!)
I find that Clary Sage reads not lighter but a bit “brighter” than October Mist, which is just a bit more subdued in comparison.
It’s the battle of the former Colors of the Year!
I don’t know if this has happened before, but I was surprised to see how similar both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams went with their Colors of the Year in 2022:
That’s right, Sherwin Williams also chose a gray-green sage color to represent 2022. I feel like Evergreen Fog is Sea Salt’s sophisticated big sister. It’s darker and richer than Sea Salt, but still a bit more cool-toned than October Mist.
For me personally, the big difference is that I would not paint my whole house in Evergreen Fog. It is just that little bit too dark. I would use it in areas with good natural light, in small rooms, or on an accent wall, but in the dark days of winter I think Evergreen Fog would be too much.
If we’re talking about tone, I might prefer Evergreen Fog ever so slightly over October Mist. If you LOVE Evergreen Fog, but are leaning lighter, check out Acacia Haze.
For 2024, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams copied each other again, and both chose periwinkle leaning blues as their Color of the Year: Blue Nova and Upward.
Benjamin Moore Grecian Green is another color that is very similar to October Mist. It is a little bit greener and lighter.
Mizzle is a little bit lighter and less gray than October Mist:
Oil Cloth is darker and significantly more gray than October Mist:
I do think they look more similar in real life than they do on the swatch.
Our last color vs color battle for now is October Mist vs. Oyster Bay by Sherwin Williams.
Oyster Bay is definitely more gray than October Mist. Besides that, it is probably the closest Sherwin Williams color that we’ve compared.
I really like Oyster Bay. The grayness does make it seem a bit darker than October Mist on paper, but it is pretty similar. In real life Oyster Bay can have an aquatic gray green look that October Mist doesn’t quite get to.
Either of these would be a good sage color for your home.
Benjamin Moore Sage Wisdom is a little bit more gray than October Mist, but a whole lot cooler (more green).
Another Benjamin Moore vs Benjamin Moore battle is October Mist against Saybrook Sage.
This one might surprise you!
Saybrook Sage is more green (cooler) where October Mist is slightly more yellow (warmer).
I took a quick look and Saybrook Sage is a Benjamin Moore Color from their Historical Collection, which was inspired by America’s Historical Landmarks. What does that mean? This color has been out since 1976!
Saybrook Sage is so similar to October Mist that if you like one it may be hard to choose between them. I would say that Saybrook reads a little brighter.
Sea Haze would be perfect if you like October Mist but aren’t sure if it’s a little too green and a hair too warm.
Sea Haze still reads “sage” very much, but without even a hint of olive or khaki. Not going to lie, I’m selling myself on Sea Haze!
Silver Sage is like a lighter version of October Mist, which is interesting, because it’s not on the same color strip:
Soft Fern is lighter and less gray than October Mist:
Soft Fern is more likely to look warm than October Mist.
Tree Moss is just a little bit warmer and less gray than October Mist.
Dupes for October Mist from Other Brands
Can’t make it to the Benjamin Moore store? Here are the best alternatives for October Mist from Sherwin Williams, Valspar, and Behr:
October Mist Sherwin Williams Version
The best October Mist alternative from Sherwin Williams, is the color Softened Green.
Softened Green is a little bit lighter and warmer than October Mist. These colors look very similar, but Softened Green is a touch more likely to have the mossy undertone.
Home Depot (Behr) Dupe for October Mist
Behr Environmental is probably the best overall color match for October Mist of all of these dupes.
Environmental is a little bit darker and more saturated than October Mist, but the tone is right on the money.
Valspar (Lowe’s) Color Match for October Mist
From Valspar, the best dupe for October Mist is the shade Light Patina.
Light Patina is a bit lighter and more gray than October Mist. This makes it have a slightly cooler undertone. Light Patina is more likely to have that misted sage look that we saw on the October Mist dresser earlier in this post.
October Mist Final Moody Musings
I hope you found this article helpful! October Mist is a versatile not-too-dark sage green that you could use in your whole home.
It is warmer than a blue-gray sage color and works well in modern farmhouse color schemes with creamy whites.
Fear not, if you haven’t found your perfect paint! Here are some more posts to help you find “the one” :
