Clary Sage

SW 6178 · Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams

Clary Sage

SW 6178

Hex code

#ACAD97

Light reflectance value (LRV)

41Light-medium, light with some depth

0 black100 white

Undertone

Noticeable yellow-leaning green, a green color

Color family: Green
Sold for: Interior and exterior

Try it on your walls Get a sample

Sherwin-Williams Clary Sage SW 6178 is a soft sage green with an LRV of 41, deep enough to read as a real color yet still light enough for four walls. A noticeable yellow lean keeps it warm rather than minty. It is a whole-room color for bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens with decent light, a common cabinet color, and it is rated for exteriors.

Is Clary Sage warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers

leans yellow-green

Undertone

Noticeable yellow-leaning green

graysaturated

A visible lean you see in daylight.

Clary Sage sits in the yellow-green part of the green family, with no blue in it: the lean is all on the yellow side, and there is enough color that the green shows on a wall in ordinary light instead of fading into gray. The yellow lean is the thing to manage: strong warm light or a warm beige like Accessible Beige SW 7036 nearby tips it toward yellow-sage, while next to Sea Salt SW 6204 it looks warmer and more saturated. Its closest catalog matches are Willow Tree SW 7741, a very close sibling at the same depth, and Cascade Green SW 0066, a touch lighter.

Clary Sage in north, south, east and west light

Clary Sage suits east, north and west rooms well; it is one of the more forgiving greens in a north room, where cooler light tones down the yellow and leaves a quiet gray-sage. South rooms are the ones to watch, since strong afternoon sun brings the yellow forward and it can read closer to khaki, so sample the sunniest wall in mid-afternoon before committing.

Watch for

In a bright south room the yellow side comes forward and it can read khaki by afternoon.
Next to warm beige or honey oak the yellow shows; a neutral white or gray nearby balances it.
Warm bulbs keep the yellow side up at night; a cooler bulb pulls it back toward gray-green.

Best rooms and surfaces for Clary Sage

Bedrooms are Clary Sage's most common use, because it reads restful without going dark, and living and dining rooms with two windows take it well. In a kitchen it goes on cabinets more often than walls: a full run of sage cabinets with a white counter and a white wall is a well-worn combination. Interior doors and a bathroom vanity work the same way; on a ceiling it is too dark for most rooms. It falls flat in a room with a lot of yellow already in it, honey oak floors, yellow-beige tile or cream walls. White oak, ash, stone and white quartz or marble counters suit it; keep trim white rather than cream.

Clary Sage on an exterior

Outdoors Clary Sage reads lighter than the chip, a pale sage on siding that can look nearly off-white on the sunny side, so judge it on the shaded side too. It suits cottages, farmhouse siding and shingles, with a darker green like Dried Thyme SW 6186 or Pewter Green SW 6208 on shutters or the door. Sagey SW 6175 trim keeps the contrast low, Pure White SW 7005 keeps it sharp, and Iron Ore SW 7069 on the front door gives a dark anchor.

Try Clary Sage on your own walls

Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Clary Sage onto the walls so you can judge it in your light, with your floors and furniture. Your first five renders are free.

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Clary Sage vs Evergreen Fog, Sea Salt and Dried Thyme

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Evergreen Fog SW 9130, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Clary Sage vs Evergreen Fog SW 9130

Clary Sage is much lighter; undertone noticeable yellow-leaning green vs subtle yellow-leaning green.

Evergreen Fog SW 9130 is much darker than Clary Sage, with a subtle yellow lean where Clary Sage's is noticeable. That makes Evergreen Fog the grayer, moodier green and Clary Sage the warmer, lighter one. Pick Evergreen Fog for a dim room you want to feel enclosed, or for cabinets against a white wall. Pick Clary Sage for walls in a room you want to stay airy.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt SW 6204, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Clary Sage vs Sea Salt SW 6204

Clary Sage is much darker; undertone noticeable yellow-leaning green vs subtle green.

Sea Salt SW 6204 is much lighter than Clary Sage, and its green is subtle with no yellow lean, so it reads as a pale gray-green. Sea Salt is the near-neutral for a bathroom or a small room where Clary Sage would feel like a decision. Clary Sage is the one to pick when you want the room to read plainly green.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Dried Thyme SW 6186, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Clary Sage vs Dried Thyme SW 6186

Clary Sage is much lighter; both have a noticeable yellow-leaning green undertone.

Dried Thyme SW 6186 has the same yellow-leaning green classification but sits much darker, so it reads as an olive where Clary Sage reads as a sage. They pair well, Clary Sage on the walls and Dried Thyme on an island, doors or a built-in. On its own, Clary Sage is the safer whole-room color; Dried Thyme needs good light or a smaller surface.

Questions about Clary Sage

Is Clary Sage green or gray?

Clary Sage is a green, a soft sage with a noticeable yellow lean, and it reads gray only in a dim north room. It has enough color in it to show on a wall in ordinary light. If you want something grayer, Evergreen Fog SW 9130 is the next step in that direction.

Does Clary Sage look yellow?

It can, in a bright south room or next to warm beige and honey oak, because its yellow lean is noticeable rather than subtle. In north, east and most west rooms it reads as a plain sage. If yellow is a worry, keep nearby whites neutral rather than cream and sample it on the sunniest wall.

What colors go with Clary Sage?

Sagey SW 6175 is the Sherwin-Williams coordinating white, with Pure White SW 7005 the clean neutral option and Dover White SW 6385 the creamy one. White oak, ash, stone and white quartz or marble counters all suit it; keep trim white rather than cream.

What is one shade lighter than Clary Sage?

Softened Green SW 6177 is one shade lighter, the next color up on Clary Sage's fan-deck strip. One step darker on the same strip is Green Onyx SW 9128.

Is Clary Sage a good color for kitchen cabinets?

Yes, it is a common sage cabinet color. It is light enough for a full kitchen of cabinets without darkening the room, and muted enough not to read as a bright green. It pairs best with a white counter and a plain white wall such as Pure White SW 7005.

Get a sample before you paint

Use the visualizer to narrow your shortlist, then confirm the finalist on your actual wall. A peel-and-stick sample of Clary Sage, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.