Decorating & Design

How To Decorate With Emerald Green

Author: Meg Crossley

Published on January 29, 2016

Interiors director Meg Crossley discusses this year’s House & Home Color Of The Year. 
Meg-Crossley-FeaturedImgChoosing the right shade of green is notoriously difficult. I repainted a bedroom three times just to get the right one! I think this is why we see so many different greens being popular at one time. One year it could be mint, olive and Kelly green, all jockeying to be the “It” hue. But for 2016, something unique has happened. There’s been a return to a single classic and pure shade: emerald.

Honestly, I can’t remember seeing a color in so many places at once! It’s popped up at trade shows, in magazines and in countless product lines this year, almost like a declarative statement by the design world at large: this is the green. I think this is why our design editors at H&H have been so responsive to the hue, picking it as one of our top paint colors for our January trends issue.

If this is your first foray into emerald, try using introducing the color in small doses, first by painting a front door, the walls of a den or even a powder room. Adding some saturated green accessories is another quick, low-commitment way to embrace the trend – and for those who want to embrace the color wholeheartedly, a big statement piece is the way to go. Here, I’ve shared some of my favorite emerald pieces in the shops right now.