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Why Sherwin Williams Clary Sage is Worth Repainting For (See the Dupes!)

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage is a great sage green option that reads like a true sage, but like any color, if you’re going to pick up the brushes and rollers: It better be worth it!

    Here we will take a look at Clary Sage in real homes, peruse a palette of coordinating colors, and sneak a peek at some other colors that you can use to copycat this look!

    Clary sage swatch over a background of Clary Sage

    I will also compare Clary Sage to other popular sage greens!

    Ready? Let’s go!

    What Color is Sherwin Williams Clary Sage?

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage is a mid-toned yellowy gray-green.

    Paint dot of Clary Sage next to the hex chart for the same, over a background of clary sage flowers on an aqua background

    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.

    LRV of Clary Sage plotted at 41 on a chart from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) over a plate of pistachio macarons

    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.

    Neutral SW Clary Sage Palette

    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.

    Clary sage in a bathroom with floral wallpaper
    Background photo credit: @littlelincolnbungalow

    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.

    The Sherwin Williams Clary Sage Color Strip

    Here are all of the colors from the same color strip as Clary Sage:

    The Sherwin Williams Clary Sage color strip features from light to dark Liveable Green, Softened Green, Clary Sage, Green Onyx, Artichoke, Oakmoss, and Secret Garden

    The other colors are:

    • Liveable Green (SW 6176)
    • Softened Green (SW 6177)
    • Clary Sage (SW 6178)
    • Green Onyx (SW 9128)
    • Artichoke (SW 6179)
    • Oakmoss (SW 6180)
    • Secret Garden (SW 6181)

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage for Your Home’s Interior

    Let’s go inside to take a look at Clary Sage on the walls.

    Clary Sage in the Bedroom

    In this simple nursery, Clary Sage lends a soothing pop of color to the other natural tones.

    Clary Sage in a sitting room
    Photo credit: @kasldesignco

    The warm lighting in this main bedroom shows off the warmer tones of Clary Sage.

    Clary sage on bedroom walls with four poster bed
    Photo credit: @walkerdesignco

    That bedroom is almost the warmest that I have seen Clary Sage look, barring any heavy Instagram filters.

    Clary Sage in the Bathroom

    Just because I can’t wait, let’s go first to what is possibly my all-time favorite bathroom.

    Clary sage on wainscoting in a bathroom below pink rosy floral wallpaper
    Photo credit: @littlelincolnbungalow

    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!

    Clary Sage on bathroom ceiling
    Photo credit: @tygerlilypaint

    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!

    Check out my post: Can You Really Have a Black Ceiling? for more gutsy designs!

    Clary Sage looks beautiful with these soft white walls and black accents.

    Clary Sage on bathroom ceiling
    Photo credit: @tygerlilypaint

    Spa day anyone?

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage on Kitchen 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. (I also wrote a post about The Best Colors for Sage Green Kitchen Cabinets.)

    I have a couple of Clary Sage kitchens to show you, and they run the full spectrum of how this color can look!

    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.

    Clary Sage on kitchen cabinets
    Photo credit: @withmadisonaz

    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!)

    Clary Sage kitchen cabintes
    Photo credit: @withmadisonaz

    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.

    Clary sage kitchen
    Photo credit: @withmadisonaz

    Here is a photo of the same kitchen where the brightness is cranked up, but not the warmth:

    Clary sage kitchen cabinets
    Photo credit: @withmadisonaz

    I think this next kitchen photo is probably the most accurate in terms of color from this job:

    The owner of GR Cabinet Painting poses in a kitchen that was transformed from golden oak to SW Clary Sage
    Photo Credit: @grcabinetpainting

    The proud owner of GR Fine Finishes (@grcabinetpainting) says:

    “This Clary Sage color has got to be one of the nicest colors I’ve done. Our customer says she is obsessed and I must say, so are we.”

    High praise! Here it is again where it looks warmer:

    Clary Sage looking warmer on kitchen cabinets with warm colored floors
    Photo Credit: @grcabinetpainting

    …and here is something in between:

    Clary Sage on kitchen cabinets with warm wood floors
    Photo Credit: @grcabinetpainting

    Here it looks the most minty:

    Clary sage looks lighter and more minty on a wall of cabinets
    Photo Credit: @grcabinetpainting

    Finally we have one last kitchen by the team at Very Good Painting (@verygoodpaintingllc) :

    Clary sage on a built in hutch with benjamin moore simply white walls
    Photo Credit: @verygoodpaintingllc

    Both the hutch and island got the Clary Sage treatment in this otherwise Simply White kitchen:

    Clary Sage on a kitchen island with simply white walls and cabinets
    Photo Credit: @verygoodpaintingllc

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage on Your Home’s Exterior

    Here is the one and only Clary Sage exterior that I was able to find.

    (Besides front doors!)

    Clary sage house exterior
    Photo credit: @prodigiouspainting

    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.

    clary sage and brick exterior
    Photo credit: @prodigiouspainting

    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.

    Clary sage on a front door with white trim and black siding
    Photo credit: @cornbreadandcambria

    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. If you are open to a purple undertoned charcoal, you will like Sherwin Williams Perle Noir.

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage Palette
    Background photo credit: @littlelincolnbungalow

    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.)

    Shoji white house with palette of neutrals posed over top.

    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.

    White Trim Colors for Sherwin Williams Clary Sage

    Here is how a few popular white paint colors would look with Clary Sage walls:

    Clary Sage background with trim colors Alabaster, Pure White, Snowbound, and Simply White

    Alabaster which we just looked at with the color palette, is a nice warm white to go with Clary Sage. This is more likely to emphasize the cool gray undertones in this color.

    Pure White is the perfect neutral white for almost any wall color. It’s just a whisper warm, and a dash gray.

    Snowbound is a great choice with Clary Sage because the ever so slightly pink udertone, while not usually visible on trim, will be complementary to the green.

    Finally the Benjamin Moore white: Simply White. This one is about as bright as you can get while still being visibly warm and creamy.

    Of course you can always give white trim a pass entirely, and drench everything in Clary Sage!

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage Compared to Other Popular Sage and Gray-Green Colors

    Clary Sage is faaaar from being the only popular sage green paint color right now, so let’s look at a few others vs Clary Sage:

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Evergreen Fog (SW 9130)

    Evergreen Fog is darker, more gray, and a little cooler than Clary Sage:

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage on half of a wall compared to Evergreen Fog on the other half of the wall behind a gallery of black and white photos

    I do have a post for this one that you can take a look at: How 5 Experts Used Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog and You Can Too!

    Here is a glimpse where Evergreen Fog looks very close to Clary Sage:

    Evergreen fog cabinets in a kitchen with warm wood floors
    Photo Credit: @residencedesignbuild

    Normally Evergreen Fog looks much darker and more gray than this.

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Oyster Bay (SW 6206)

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage on half of a wall compared to Oyster Bay on the other half of the wall behind a chair and side table

    You can see that SW Oyster Bay is about the same LRV as Clary Sage, but it is significantly cooler and more gray.

    In real life this comes across as being more blue green than warm green.

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Sage (SW 2860)

    Clary Sage vs Sage

    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 Sea Salt (SW 6204)

    Sea Salt is actually from the same color strip as Oyster Bay, it’s just a lighter shade. You can see that it is cooler than Clary Sage and a whole lot lighter:

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage on half of a wall compared to Sea Salt on the other half of the wall behind a light green sofa

    Sea Salt can run the whole range from seafoam to almost beigey-green. It is one of my favorite colors to recommend as a non-traditional neutral.

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Softened Green (SW 6177)

    Clary Sage vs Softened Green

    You might remember seeing Softened Green earlier! It is just one shade lighter than Clary Sage on the same color strip.

    The LRV of Softened Green is 49.

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Svelte Sage (SW 6164)

    Clary Sage vs Svelte Sage on the wall

    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:

    Shoji White with Svelte Sage on bedroom wall
    Photo credit: @highlohome

    I like Svelte Sage because it’s such a surprise! I would never gravitate towards its color chip, and yet it’s a beautiful color on the wall.

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Benjamin Moore October Mist

    Clary Sage vs October Mist

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage is pretty similar to Benjamin Moore October Mist.

    October Mist is a little lighter than Clary Sage, with an LRV of 46.33. It is also a hint more green. I do find that these colors look pretty similar in real life.

    Sherwin Williams Clary Sage vs Benjamin Moore Sage Wisdom (CSP-775)

    Clary Sage vs Sage Wisdom

    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 Saybrook Sage (HC-114)

    Clary Sage vs Saybrook Sage on wall

    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.

    Dupes for SW Clary Sage

    Looking to get Clary Sage from another brand? Here are all the best color matches and equivalents!:

    Paint dot of Clary Sage and paint dots of dupes Croquet, Bay Water, Jade, and Weekend Getaway

    Clary Sage Benjamin Moore Version

    I have two solid options that would work well as Clary Sage alternatives from Benjamin Moore: Weekend Getaway and Croquet.

    Benjamin Moore Weekend Getaway (473)

    Clary Sage vs Weekend Getaway

    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)

    Clary Sage Benjamin Moore Croquet

    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)

    Clary Sage vs Valspar Jade

    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)

    Clary Sage Behr Bay Water

    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.

    Here is another look at all of the dupes:

    Swatches of dupes Croquet, Bay Water, Jade, and Weekend Getaway over a background of Clary Sage

    So, Why is Clary Sage Worth Repainting For?

    If you are looking for a medium sage green that has some warmth to it, Clary Sage might be just the ticket! Sage is trending, but still super neutral and timeless. If you’re going to invest in a repaint, this is a solid choice that will be in style until your walls are ready for a fresh coat.

    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. For that, you might like Sherwin Williams Rosemary.

    Not the right shade for you?

    Call me the green queen! I have many more options for you to leaf through:

    Fieldstone in a color palette with Simply White, Natural Choice, Evergreen Fog, and Hale Navy over a background of a living room with Fieldstone trim and Simply White walls
    Benjamin moore Dry Sage swatched over a background of dry sage leaves spilling out of a bowl.
    Coordinating Color Palette for Valspar Sparkling Sage features Du Jour, Toasty Gray, Porpoise, Chimney Smoke, and Sparkling Sage, all on paint lids beside a bundle of flowers and sage.