Sage green has earned a place as one of the most versatile colors in interior design: it reads as both grounding and elegant, and works just as well in a traditional English library as it does in a light-filled California bungalow. But the real test of any color is what you can pair it with.
Sage green can handle a lot. It plays nicely with warm terracotta and burnt orange, and it also works with cooler tones like navy and charcoal, which add weight and sophistication. Blush softens it, brass warms it up, and white keeps it fresh. The key is understanding what mood you're after—because this color can go in multiple directions depending on what you put next to it.
Whether you're painting a whole room sage or just adding a velvet chair in the shade, we dug through the ELLE Decor archives for designer-approved pairings that show there's a lot more to explore than you might think.
1. Sage Green and Red: In fashion designer Marc Valeanu’s chic Paris apartment, the sage green walls in the dining room are paired with bright red accents, like the French vintage mirror and the flower sconce by Garouste & Bonetti. The softness of the green next to the vibrant poppy is unexpected, not Christmasy.
Read more: https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/color/a69698546/colors-that-go-with-sage-green/