What do I write about besides green and cream? I genuinely don’t know.
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage is a great sage green option that reads like a true sage. Here you will see it in some real homes, on cabinets, and an exterior.
I will also compare it to other popular sage greens and show you some dupes from other brands.
Ready? Let’s go!
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What Color is Sherwin Williams Clary Sage
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage is a mid-toned yellowy gray-green.
It most often appears like a true sage green, but it can be heavily influenced by the colors around it.
LRV of Sherwin Williams Clary Sage
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.
Clary Sage has an LRV of 41. This means that it absorbs more light than it reflects.
41 may sound pretty dark, but truly dark paint colors are in the 3 – 10 LRV range, so Clary Sage is a medium color.
What Are the Undertones of SW Clary Sage
Clary Sage is an interesting color because it has definite yellow undertones, but most often they are not on display.
It should almost come across as a muted olive color, but it never does, thanks to a good amount of gray.
Is Clary Sage Warm or Cool
Technically Clary Sage should be a warm color, because it is well into the yellow side of green on the color wheel. However it tends to run the whole range of possibilities!
I would say from the homes that I have seen, Clary Sage most often looks neutral or cool. There is enough gray in Clary Sage that your brain says true gray green.
Of course next to truly cool colors, Clary Sage will look warm. I would be very hesitant to pair Clary Sage with any cool grays in particular.
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage Interior
Let’s go inside to take a look at Clary Sage on the wall.
Clary Sage Bedroom
In this simple nursery, Clary Sage lends a soothing pop of color to the other natural tones.
The warm lighting in this main bedroom shows off the warmer tones of Clary Sage.
That bedroom is the warmest that I have seen Clary Sage look, barring any heavy Instagram filters.
Clary Sage Bathroom
Just because I can’t wait, let’s go first to what is possibly my all-time favorite bathroom.
How could you wake up anything but cheery with a bathroom like the one in @littlelincolnbungalow?
That wallpaper is just the right amount of too much.
Next up is another unique example of color in a bathroom!
There’s a good chance that I’m too much of a baby to paint my ceilings a bold color, but I absolutely love when other people do!
Clary Sage looks beautiful with these soft white walls and black accents.
Spa day anyone?
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage Cabinets
Green cabinets are everywhere this year, and probably here to stay for a while!
I just did a post of all my favorite gray green paint colors, and there are a LOT of cabinet photos. That seems to be where everyone is getting bold and sagey!
Surprisingly, Clary Sage is not the easiest color to find on cabinets, but I did eventually score some photos!
Here is Clary Sage in the pin-spirational kitchen of Madison (@withmadisonaz).
To be honest, you will probably want to check out the whole house, because his use of color is off the chain.
I think that photo is the most accurate that I have in terms of how Clary Sage really looks in this kitchen.
I am quite sure it is still brightened and warmed up a bit for the gram, but these cabinets are looking similar in color to an exterior I will show you in just a minute.
I have a few more photos of the same kitchen, but you can kind of see how the other items in the room are looking quite bright:
(Take these photos with a sunshiney grain of salt!)
Madison used the Sherwin Williams color Iron Ore on his island, which is a dark charcoal.
In real life, Clary Sage will not look limey at all.
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.
Here is a photo of the same kitchen where the brightness is cranked up, but not the warmth:
If you have a hard time visualizing color, those won’t have been the most helpful photos, but unfortunately it was the best I could find.
Hopefully you can kind of picture the color accurately from the other photos and adjust how you view that kitchen.
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage Exterior
Here is the one and only Clary Sage exterior that I was able to find.
(Besides front doors!)
Clary Sage looks nice on this exterior siding, but it does get a little washed out in the sun. I would probably go for a darker sage color.
These homeowners opted to leave their brick red, but I don’t think Clary Sage was the right choice with red brick. Of course this is no shade on the folks at Prodigious Painting, they did an excellent job! It was down to the customer’s preference.
I wasn’t originally going to show the front of the house, but I thought I should, just in case someone was contemplating the right shade of sage for their brick.
If you have a red brick exterior and want to go with sage green, I would choose a darker color with a bit more blue in it.
Sherwin Williams Pewter Green, or Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull would work better.
If you want to stick with a brighter sage, consider painting your brick, or toning it down with a whitewash or limewash.
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage Front Door
Clary Sage is a great front door color if you want to show some personality, but don’t want to make a polarizing choice.
It is very fresh and palatable!
Clary Sage Complementary and Coordinating Color Palette
Complementary Color
The official complementary color for Clary Sage would be a smoky purple color, but that doesn’t hold a lot of widespread appeal for interior paint colors.
A navy blue like Benjamin Moore Hale Navy or Evening Dove would be a good compromise.
Coordinating Colors
I had so much fun making a palette off of the inspiration from the bathroom at @littlelincolnbungalow!
Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
Hale Navy is often regarded as a paint color that goes with absolutely everything. Navy blues may not be as popular as they have been in recent years, but they are totally classic, and look great with sage!
Sherwin Williams Rayo de Sol
A sunshiny bright color that would make for great accents with Clary Sage and Hale Navy.
Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray
Agreeable Gray is actually a warm greige color, so it is a neutral that works well with almost any other color. There’s a reason it has been a Sherwin Williams favorite for years and years.
Sherwin Williams Snowbound
Snowbound is a warm white with no obvious undertone. It is a nice choice if you want a soft white but not a creamy color.
A creamy white that would work equally well in this palette would be Sherwin Williams White Flour.
Clary Sage All Neutral Color Palette
I don’t often share palettes as specific as that last one, so here is a more palatable palette. (I’ll see myself out.)
Sage greens work very well in modern farmhouse color schemes with warm creamy whites and bold black accents.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster
Alabaster is one of Sherwin Williams’ best selling whites. It is very soft and creamy.
Sherwin Williams Shoji White
Shoji White is not actually white, but a soft pale beige or off-white. It’s a nice alternative to using a creamy white or a true beige.
Sherwin Williams Black Magic
Black Magic is a slightly softer alternative to Tricorn Black.
Now it’s time to compare Sherwin Williams Clary Sage with some other popular sage greens!
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Sage (SW 2860)
Sherwin Williams has many paint colors with “sage” in the name, including one called simply: Sage.
Sage has an LRV of 42 so it is tiny bit lighter than Clary Sage at 41. The only difference is that it is significantly more brown (yellow).
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Svelte Sage (SW 6164)
Sherwin Williams Svelte Sage has an LRV the same as Clary Sage at 41.
Svelte Sage kind of splits the difference between Clary Sage and Sage. It is more yellow-brown than Clary Sage, but not as yellow as Sage.
Having said that , Svelte Sage still looks plenty green. Here it is with Shoji White:
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Softened Green (SW 6177)
Sherwin Williams Softened Green is the exact same as Clary Sage, but just one shade lighter.
The LRV of Softened Green is 49.
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Benjamin Moore Saybrook Sage (HC-114)
Benjamin Moore Saybrook Sage is just a little lighter and more green than Clary Sage. You can see from the comparison that it looks a little cooler toned.
The LRV of Saybrook Sage is 44.86.
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Benjamin Moore Sage Wisdom (CSP-775)
Benjamin Moore’s Sage Wisdom is not especially similar to Sherwin Williams Clary Sage, but I wanted to compare it because it is one of Benjamin Moore’s more popular sage colors.
Sage Wisdom is significantly more green, and a touch more gray than Clary Sage.
The LRV of Sage Wisdom is 44.43, so it is also a tiny bit lighter than Clary Sage.
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Benjamin Moore October Mist
Sherwin Williams Clary Sage is pretty similar to Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year for 2022: October Mist.
October Mist is a little lighter than Clary Sage, with an LRV of 46.33. It is also a hint more green.
Clary Sage Benjamin Moore Version
I have two solid options that would work well as Clary Sage alternatives from Benjamin Moore!
Benjamin Moore Weekend Getaway (473)
Benjamin Moore Weekend Getaway was formerly known as Nature Lover (CC-726). It is darker than Clary Sage, having an LRV of 38.6.
It is also a little more green and less olive.
Benjamin Moore Croquet (AF-455)
Benjamin Moore’s Croquet is a little lighter than Clary Sage, with an LRV of 45.
It is also slightly more green than Clary Sage, but not quite as much as Weekend Getaway.
Valspar Equivalent to Clary Sage – Jade CI32
I was expecting Valspar’s Jade to be more yellow than Clary Sage, but it is actually a little more green.
The extra whiff of brightness is down to Clary Sage being a touch more gray. All in all, a pretty great dupe!
The LRV of Jade is 41.96.
Clary Sage Behr Equivalent – Bay Water S380-4
Behr Bay Water is another reallyyyy close color match to Sherwin Williams Clary Sage.
Bay Water is a little less gray than Clary Sage, and a little more green.
The LRV of Bay Water is the same as SW Clary Sage: 41.
Clary Sage Final Moody Thoughts
If you are looking for a medium to light sage green that has some warmth to it, you will want to take a closer look at Clary Sage.
I probably wouldn’t choose Sherwin Williams Clary Sage for an exterior because of it’s tendency to look a little bright or washed out.
All things considered, Clary Sage is a nice “true sage” color, but your lighting will be super important.
Not the right shade for you?
Call me the green queen! I have many more options for you to leaf through:
