It’s essential to understand the color olive green if you want to use it throughout your home décor. Olive green is a darker shade of green between green and yellow.
It takes three colors to make olive green: three parts yellow, one part blue, and a splash of red. Olive green is a complex color, but its versatility allows it to pair well with many colors.
Olive green is a sophisticated color that you can also use in place of other neutral colors.
10 Unique Colors That Go With Olive Green
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When people think of the color green, the consensus is that it’s a serene color that soothes and helps relieve anxiety.
It’s by far the most prominent color in nature, connected to renewal, hope, and growth. When used for interior decorating, it promotes harmony.
However, depending on the shade of olive green that you choose, too much can have the opposite effect on someone’s emotions.
It’s about incorporating a hue with the right touch to uplift a space. On the other hand, going overboard with the olive green can feel depressing and make the setting seem heavy. You must have the perfect balance in your home.
1. Orange
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Pairing orange and olive green together is another combo you have to execute correctly to prevent it from looking outdated. Use a muted shade of olive green with touches of orange here and there.
The base color is always olive green, and you should use orange accents like small bowls or a vase or orange flowers. If you want something less vibrant but not dreary, go with a burnt orange or auburn color to make the room soft but toned down.
For retro vibes, search for wallpaper with orange and olive green patterns. If it’s autumn, you might consider making that a theme for the season, with olive-green wreaths with pumpkin centerpieces or vases.
2. Tan
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Tan is an attractive option to pair with olive green if you’re going for a more rustic and earthy feel to the room. You can feature these colors in a living room where you want a more modern and mid-century style mix to make a statement with a garden theme.
Kids that enjoy safari themes can have olive green walls with tan décor items like nets hanging from the ceiling, tan sheets, tan furniture, a rug, chairs, and stuffed animals all around.
For more adult ideas, tan and olive green give off a laid-back and casual feel when you add houseplants and natural fabrics to a room. Adding wooden furniture is also a nice touch to a nature theme.
Or, if your walls are olive green, get a tan sofa with dark green throw pillows or cushions and small décor items that are green and tan. You can also make your walls tan, hang olive green curtains, or get olive green chairs.
3. Blue
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You can pretty much use all shades of blue with olive green, so try mixing and matching the swatches to see which you prefer.
In general, navy blue looks incredible against olive green, making the room feel intimate and harmonious but not too heavy.
If you want something softer using less bold colors, choose a light olive green alongside sky blue or cornflower blue.
This combination is a good foundation for floral themes and patterns without being overwhelmingly feminine. This color combo also looks nice with beige and gray fabrics and accents.
4. Yellow
This color combination can be tricky, but all in all, olive green and yellow look nice together, especially if you have another color to tie them together.
For example, olive green, yellow, white, or beige as the neutral base color brings this scheme to life.
If you choose to paint your walls white, you can choose an olive green couch with bright yellow pillows that will bring out the yellow undertones in olive green.
It makes the space bright and open. However, try not to use a pale yellow with olive green because the combo can look rather unappealing.
5. White
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Olive green looks fantastic with white, as it becomes crisp and refreshing. Use white as the base color for your walls, and add in splashes of olive green to make it brighter and more inviting.
If you don’t mind white décor, you could also select a darker shade of olive green and add white accents.
These accessories could be small, like white photo frames and candles, or you could do something bigger, like a white couch with olive green pillows or a white rug.
If you wanted to be more adventurous, you could paint the walls a regular shade of olive green and include intricate white molding and paneling.
6. Pink
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Pink is a complementary color, just like green, so it’s not surprising that you can put them together in a room for a cross between feminine and earthy. A deep shade of olive green with baby pink or another soft pink variation looks fantastic in a living room.
Or you can decorate a little girl’s room with soft shades of olive green and pale pink for an upbeat and bubbly feel. There’s no need for a third neutral color, as these two can quite nicely stand up to one another.
You can choose pink or olive green for the wall color and use accents of the other in a bathroom, bedroom, or den, where these colors most often get used. They look sophisticated and elegant in any space, however.
7. Maroon
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Maroon is another color you can find in nature, typically appearing when the leaves on the trees change color in autumn. Maroon sits somewhere between red and brown, and it provides a desirable contrast with olive green.
You should consider using this kind of color combination when the goal is to create a cozy environment for relaxing or reading books.
Be sure to use olive green as your primary color and use maroon to accent it with faux fur cushion covers or maroon throw blankets.
Lastly, if you wish to use a third color to decorate with, try a gray or dark tan to keep the integrity of the cozy and intimate feel.
However, if you want the area to feel more spacious and open, use a light color, such as cream, to make it feel more airy and casual.
8. Black
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Black and olive green look beautiful together if you have a third color because they can both be dark colors. They can easily overpower one another without that third brighter color, like white, to balance them out.
Light gray also works well, or ivory off-white, or even beige. Use this as the base for the walls and add black and olive elements like photos, wall art, a rug, candle holders, and other small to medium accents.
Furniture, such as an olive green loveseat with wooden furniture painted black, looks striking and classy. In addition, olive green can add warmth to a room with black accents, making it feel more modern.
9. Brown
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It’s no surprise that brown and olive green go together quite well, especially when you consider that they are frequently seen together in nature.
If you’re trying to achieve a sleek and modern look, try a cooler gray-based brown; however, if you want a cozy and comfortable atmosphere, use a warm-toned brown to achieve such a feel.
Interestingly, leather and wood happen to be great ways to incorporate brown into any space. For example, in an olive green room, select deep brown wooden furniture along with a brown leather sofa to introduce masculine energy into a particular room.
10. Gold
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If a high-end, refined look is what you’re trying to achieve, use gold accents in conjunction with olive green. But, remember, you do not need gold accents in abundance. Less is more when trying to achieve a tasteful yet fashionable look.
Furnishings should have small flashes of gold, such as sofas with gold legs or some other golden detail. You can even buy art pieces with an olive green theme and frame them inside a gold picture frame.
What’s more, you can even use smaller décor items to put a splash of gold here and there with things such as a candle holder or gold decorative bowls. Gold serves as a warm color that creates an inviting space.
This particular color scheme can work well in the bedroom, living room, bedroom, or dining room. Try choosing a neutral color like cream and mixing it with gold and olive accents.
Alternatively, you could use green olives as the base for your decorations and create an infusion of these colors using accessories in different shades of olive and gold.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Below are answers to the most commonly asked questions concerning interior design using olive green:
Is olive green a trendy color?
Olive green is a trendy color right now in the world of design. This color can vary in saturation and hue from warm to cool tones.
This versatility alone gives you ample latitude to decorate with olive green in whatever way you choose.
Is olive green paint warm or cool?
Olive green paint is a neutral color because it has an earthy undertone, which makes it warm. Furthermore, it's a mid-tone hue.
In other words, it's neutral because both darker and lighter colors can complement it.
What color curtains go with olive walls?
If you have olive green walls, white curtains are a great color to pair with this particular green.
Additionally, the space will have an airy feel and look to it. Moreover, off-white is a great choice, such as ivory and cream colors.
Is olive green a good color for the bedroom?
Simply put, olive is perfect for any bedroom. The color gives off a serene feel that is always welcome in a room, and also it brings the beauty of the great outdoors inside!
How to incorporate olive green décor in my home?
You can use decorative items such as olive green rugs, accent pillows, or green drapes, which are relatively inexpensive to incorporate this color into your home.
Lastly, you can even try painting your ceiling olive green---an innovative way to put olive green into your home décor.
Wrap-Up
Olive green is a spectacular color that happens to play nicely with other colors. Furthermore, the versatility of the color allows you to pair it with virtually any color.
Even bright colors such as orange, pink, tan, gold, and white are all colors that pair well with olive green.
Likewise, darker colors such as black, brown, blue, and maroon work stunningly well when designed with an adept hand.