2027 Colors of the Year: Celery and Webster Green on Northern Virginia Homes

What Are the 2027 Colors of the Year?

Both brands picked a green for 2027, and the similarity ends there. Sherwin-Williams chose Celery (SW 6421) (opens in a new tab) from its 2027 Colormix forecast, Rewild, and describes it as “a soft, muted green with subtle yellow undertones.” Benjamin Moore chose Webster Green (HC-130) (opens in a new tab), calls it “a quintessential green” and builds its eight-color Color Trends 2027 palette around it.

LRV, or light reflectance value, is how much light a color bounces back, on a scale where 0 reflects none and 100 reflects all of it (Sherwin-Williams (opens in a new tab)). A familiar white such as Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (SW 7008) sits at 82. Celery, at 71.3, is light but clearly a color. Webster Green, at 20.2, reflects less than a third as much light: one brightens a room, the other anchors it.

Celery (SW 6421): A Light Green That Leans Yellow

Celery is light enough for whole rooms and calm enough to sit behind furniture, art and wood floors. Before you plan it for the outside of the house, though, note that Sherwin-Williams' own color record for Celery (opens in a new tab) lists its use as interior, while the record for Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (SW 7008) (opens in a new tab) reads interior/exterior. Treat Celery as an indoor color. If you want it on a porch ceiling or a door, ask Sherwin-Williams to confirm it can be made in an exterior product first.

How Celery Looks in North and South Light

Benjamin Moore describes north light as muted and toned down (opens in a new tab) and south light as having a warmer, amber cast (opens in a new tab). Expect Celery to look grayer and greener in a north-facing room and noticeably more yellow in a south-facing one, especially in summer. Sherwin-Williams suggests (opens in a new tab) higher-LRV colors with warm undertones for north-facing rooms. Celery has both, which makes it one of the safer greens for the shady side of a house.

Where Celery Fits in a Northern Virginia House

• 1970s split-levels. In many split-levels around Annandale, Springfield and Burke, the living room, dining room and kitchen share one level that opens onto the stairs. Celery is light enough to run through all of it without dimming the half-flights.
• Townhome main floors. An interior unit in a Loudoun or Prince William townhome row has windows only on the front and back. Celery keeps the middle of a long main level bright, where a deeper green would soak up the light.
• Kitchens, baths and bedrooms. Its yellow undertone sits easily with oak floors, warm whites and brass. Next to a stark blue-white it can look a little dull, so choose the trim white with care. For a whole-floor repaint, our interior painting page covers prep, coats and timing.

Colors That Go With Celery

Sherwin-Williams lists its White Flour (SW 7102) among Celery's coordinating colors (opens in a new tab), and at an LRV of 86.5 (opens in a new tab) it makes a soft, warm white for trim and ceilings. Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (SW 7008) is a step deeper if White Flour looks too bright beside the walls. For contrast, Sherwin-Williams Urbane Bronze (SW 7048) or Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (HC-154) on an interior door, a stair rail or the study next door gives the pale green something to play against.

Webster Green (HC-130): A Deeper Green From the Historical Colors

Webster Green belongs to Benjamin Moore's Historical Colors collection (opens in a new tab) and has an LRV of 20.2. Benjamin Moore suggests it for an accent, a living room or study, and a welcoming front door. The brand does not publish an undertone. On screen it shows as a medium green softened with gray, leaning slightly toward blue rather than olive; confirm that on a physical sample before you decide.

How Webster Green Looks in North and South Light

Webster Green reflects about a fifth of the light that reaches it. In a north-facing room it reads deeper and grayer, which suits a dining room or study used mostly in the evening but can feel heavy in a family room you sit in all day. South light brings out more of its green, and Benjamin Moore's own advice for south-facing rooms (opens in a new tab) is to look to greens and to slightly darker hues that won't wash out. Webster Green is both.

How Webster Green Compares With Familiar Greens

Webster Green on Front Doors, Shutters and Siding

Red-Brick Colonials

The two-story colonial with a red-brick front is a familiar sight in Vienna, McLean and Fairfax. Webster Green suits its door and shutters: green and brick red sit across the color wheel from each other, so the pair looks settled rather than busy. Red brick is itself a medium-dark surface, though, so Webster Green shutters read as a color change more than a strong contrast, and the trim has to supply the crispness. For shutters that stand out sharply, Benjamin Moore Essex Green (HC-188) or Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore (SW 7069) does more, and Webster Green can move to the door alone.

Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17) is the softer, warmer trim white; Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (OC-65) is brighter and cooler.

1970s Split-Levels

Many split-levels in Annandale, Springfield and Burke pair a brick lower level with siding above. Webster Green on the upper siding, with the brick left as is and white trim, gives the house a grounded, traditional look; on a smaller house, the front door alone may be enough. If that siding is vinyl, check any darker color against the vinyl-safe range first, as our exterior painting page explains. Inside, test Webster Green before using it in a half-below-grade family room, where low light pushes it darker still.

Loudoun and Prince William Townhomes

In planned communities such as South Riding, Ashburn and Bristow, the homeowners association often controls exterior colors, so the front door is where a Color of the Year is most likely to land. Webster Green on a door against beige or gray siding is a modest change that still reads from the street.

How to Test a Color of the Year Before You Commit

This routine follows Benjamin Moore's advice to judge samples on a painted board, through the day and in both natural and artificial light (south-facing guide (opens in a new tab), north-facing guide (opens in a new tab)).

1. 1

   Step 1: Order by code, not name

   Paint names repeat across brands and product lines. Ask for Sherwin-Williams SW 6421 or Benjamin Moore HC-130, not just “Celery” or “Webster Green.”

2. 2

   Step 2: Go bigger than a chip

   A small chip says little about a whole wall. Use a large peel-and-stick sample, or brush the sample paint onto a white foam board.

3. 3

   Step 3: Test it where it will live

   Inside, move the sample between the darkest and brightest walls, next to the trim and the floor. Outside, hold it against the brick, roof and trim, in sun and in shade, and look at it from the street.

4. 4

   Step 4: Watch it through the day

   Check it in the morning, in the afternoon and after dark under your own bulbs.

5. 5

   Step 5: Allow for the season

   Benjamin Moore notes that winter light is cooler and sharper than summer light. A sample you approve in December will look warmer in July, which matters most for Celery's yellow undertone.

Questions About the 2027 Colors of the Year

Are Celery and Webster Green new paint colors?

No. Celery has a standard Sherwin-Williams color number and a place on its color strips, and Webster Green is part of Benjamin Moore's Historical Colors collection. The title puts an existing color in the spotlight rather than introducing a new one.

How is Celery different from sage green?

Celery is lighter and yellower than the gray-greens many people call sage. Its LRV is 71.3, against 30.4 for Sherwin-Williams Evergreen Fog (SW 9130), a typical gray-green. Celery reads fresh and slightly sunny; sage-type greens read grayer and quieter.

Will these greens work with the gray walls I already have?

Usually, if the gray is warm. Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray (SW 7029) and Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter (HC-172) both lean warm and sit comfortably next to either green in an adjoining room. Cool, blue-leaning grays are a harder match for Celery's yellow undertone, so test the two samples side by side at the doorway where the rooms meet.

See Both Greens in Your Own Light

We paint with both Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore, so you can use either Color of the Year, or both in the same house. Book an in-home color consultation and mention Celery or Webster Green on the request: we bring physical Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore samples to judge in your daylight and lamplight, and leave a written palette with every color name and code. If your colors are settled, a free estimate starts with a walkthrough and ends with a written quote that names the product, sheen and color for each surface.