Which 2027 Color of the Year Works in an Older MetroWest Home?

TL;DR: The 2027 color of the year from Benjamin Moore is Webster Green HC-130, a mid-tone historical green with a light reflectance value (LRV) of 20.2. Sherwin-Williams chose Celery SW 6421, a pale, airy yellow-green. In an older MetroWest colonial or Cape, Webster Green usually works hardest on cabinets, built-ins, a study or the front door, while Celery is the easier choice for whole walls in rooms that don't get much sun. Test both on your own walls before you buy gallons.

Thinking about one of the new greens? Call or text Dave at (774) 217-9567. We sample it on your wall first, in your light, before a drop of it goes on the room. You can also request a free, no-obligation estimate online.

Every fall the big paint brands each name a color for the coming year, and every fall we get the same question at estimates: will that color look right in my house? The honest answer depends less on the color than on the house. An eighteenth-century colonial, a mid-century Cape and a 1990s colonial all hold light differently, and the same can of green can read three different ways in them. Here is what the 2027 picks are, what the manufacturers say about them, and how we would use them in the kinds of homes we paint across MetroWest.

What is the 2027 color of the year?

There isn't just one. Each paint brand names its own, so the 2027 color of the year depends on whose fan deck you are holding. For the two brands we use on nearly every job, the picks are both green.

• Benjamin Moore: Webster Green HC-130. Announced on October 14, 2026, Benjamin Moore calls it "a confident hue with undeniable personality, this quintessential green transcends styles and timeframes with ease," in its press release naming Webster Green.
• Sherwin-Williams: Celery SW 6421. Sherwin-Williams describes it on its Color of the Year 2027 page as a color where "clarity and comfort unite," with "subtle yellow undertones" that make it a "soft, muted green."

Other paint brands made their own picks for 2027. Behr named Grounded T27-01, which it calls "an earthy olive green," in its August 26, 2026 announcement. Valspar chose Cottage Door, "a grayed-out blue hue, enriched with warm and inviting undertones," according to its 2027 color page. Glidden named Artifact PPG10-16, which it describes as "calm, grounded and easy to live with" on its color history page.

Read those together and the direction is clear: greens, olives and grayed blues, all a step softer or earthier than the bright whites and cool grays of a few years ago. Last year's picks leaned warm and earthy too, which we covered in the 2026 colors of the year in a MetroWest home.

What is Benjamin Moore Webster Green HC-130 like?

Webster Green is a true mid-tone green, neither sage nor forest. It sits in Benjamin Moore's Historical Colors collection, a natural fit for the trim and woodwork of an older New England house. Benjamin Moore's Webster Green color page lists its LRV at 20.2.

LRV is the number we lean on most when a homeowner is choosing a color for an older house. Benjamin Moore's guide to white and off-white colors puts it simply: "a high LRV means they reflect a lot of light." The scale runs from 0 for black to 100 for white, so at 20.2, Webster Green reflects roughly a fifth of the light that hits it. That makes it a color that holds a room rather than brightens it.

Benjamin Moore suggests it as "an expressive selection for kitchen cabinetry," "a welcoming front door," and "a distinguished choice for a living room or study," in the same announcement. Its color page lists four coordinating colors: Glacier White OC-37, Elmira White HC-84, Wild Aster 1240 and Cape May Cobblestone 1474.

The rest of the Benjamin Moore Color Trends 2027 palette, listed on its Color of the Year 2027 page, is White Down OC-131, Nelson Blue CW-635, Shakespeare Tan 228, Antique Copper 1169, Wild Aster 1240, Durango 2137-30 and Townsend Harbor Brown HC-64. White Down is the useful one for an older home: its color page lists an LRV of 76.69 and describes "hints of cream" that keep it from going stark next to a deep green.

What is Sherwin-Williams Celery SW 6421 like?

Celery is the lighter of the two by a wide margin. Where Webster Green is a statement, Celery behaves closer to a soft neutral with a green cast. Sherwin-Williams frames it as a balance "between an airy pastel and a grounded, herbal hue" on its color page.

In its trade article for designers, Sherwin-Williams shows Celery in a matte finish on walls, semi-gloss on trim and satin on kitchen cabinetry, and gives it fan deck location number 154-C1. Its color page pairs it with a coordinating set that includes White Flour SW 7102, Artichoke SW 6179, Cocoon SW 6173, Georgian Bay SW 6509 and Kirsch Red SW 6313.

Sherwin-Williams' blog post on Celery suggests it for bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen cabinets and living rooms. In the homes we paint, Celery makes the most sense on full walls in a north- or east-facing room, where a pale yellow-green can warm up flat winter light.

Which 2027 color of the year suits an older New England home?

It comes down to how much light the room gets and how much trim and woodwork the house has. Older MetroWest homes tend to have smaller windows, deeper casings and more rooms that face north than a new build does. A color with an LRV near 20 behaves very differently in that kind of room than it does in a bright showroom photo.

Here is how we would think about each style.

Center-entry colonials

Colonials have formal rooms on either side of a center hall, often with paneling, wainscot or built-in cupboards. That woodwork is where Webster Green shines. Painting a library wall of shelves, a fireplace surround or a dining room's wainscot in the deep green, with a warm white above, gives the room the historic depth these houses were built for. For whole-room wall colors in a colonial, our guide to interior paint colors for New England colonials goes room by room.

Capes with low ceilings and dormers

Capes are where we steer people toward the lighter pick. Sloped ceilings, knee walls and small dormer windows give upstairs rooms in a Cape much less light, and a low-LRV green on every surface can make them feel tight. Celery on the walls, with a white ceiling, keeps the green story without shrinking the room. If you love Webster Green, use it on a single built-in or a bathroom vanity downstairs.

Is the 2027 color of the year good for kitchen cabinets?

Both brands say yes. Benjamin Moore calls Webster Green an "expressive selection for kitchen cabinetry," and Sherwin-Williams shows Celery on cabinets in a satin finish. In practice, Webster Green suits lower cabinets or an island, with lighter uppers or open shelving, and Celery can go on a full run of cabinets in a smaller kitchen. We compared what MetroWest kitchens have been choosing in cabinet colors beyond sage, and our cabinet refinishing page explains how we prep and finish cabinet boxes and doors.

Can you use Webster Green on the outside of the house?

On a front door, shutters or a painted porch floor, yes, and Benjamin Moore suggests it for a front door. On vinyl siding, generally no. Benjamin Moore's Regal Select Exterior technical data sheet says not to paint vinyl "with any color darker than the original color or having a Light Reflective Value (LRV) of less than 55 unless it is in the Benjamin Moore approved Colors for Vinyl palette." Otherwise, it says, the color "will absorb more heat, possibly causing the siding to warp." At an LRV of 20.2, Webster Green is far below that line.

On wood clapboard or a door, the limit is the calendar. The same data sheet says not to apply the paint when "air and surface temperatures are below 40 °F (4.4 °C)." By November in MetroWest, that window is closing for the year, so an exterior Webster Green door is often a spring job. If your home sits in a local historic district, check with your town's historic district commission before changing a visible exterior color. Our exterior painting page covers how we schedule around New England weather.

How do you test a 2027 color of the year before you commit?

Sample it on your own wall, in at least two spots, and look at it morning, afternoon and under your evening lamps. A color chip is about the size of a postage stamp. A deep green on a 2-foot swatch next to your existing trim tells you far more.

• Paint two coats on the sample. One coat of a deep color never shows the true color.
• Put it next to the trim you are keeping. Webster Green reads very differently against a bright white than against a creamy one.
• Check the north wall. North light pulls greens cooler and darker. The south wall shows you the warm end of the range.
• Live with it for a few days. A deep color can feel cozy on a gray afternoon and heavy at night, and you want to see both before you decide.

The white you pair with a green matters as much as the green. If the room is on the dark side to begin with, read our notes on choosing white paint for dark rooms in New England before you pick the trim color.

What sheen and how much paint does a deep green need?

The sheen does a lot of work with a deep color. Flatter finishes hide wall flaws in old plaster but scuff more easily; higher sheens clean better but show every ripple. Our usual starting point, which matches how Sherwin-Williams shows Celery, is matte or eggshell on walls, satin on cabinets and semi-gloss on trim and doors.

Coverage is printed on the data sheet. Benjamin Moore's Regal Select Eggshell data sheet gives a spread rate of 400 to 450 square feet per gallon, lists a recoat time of 1 to 2 hours at 77 °F and 50% humidity, and says painted surfaces "can be washed after two weeks." It also sets a minimum air and surface temperature of 50 °F during application, which matters if you plan to paint a cold sunroom or a three-season porch room in winter.

Going from a pale wall to Webster Green, or from a dark wall to Celery, usually means a primer coat plus two finish coats. That is one reason a color change costs more than a same-color refresh. A same-color repaint over sound paint can often skip the primer.

How does the 2027 color of the year compare with the 2026 picks?

For 2026, Benjamin Moore chose Silhouette AF-655 and Sherwin-Williams chose Universal Khaki SW 6150: an espresso brown-gray and a mid-tone tan. For 2027 both brands moved to green, one deep and one pale. If you painted in 2026 colors, the good news is that the earthy browns and khakis sit well next to both new greens. A khaki hallway leading into a Webster Green study, or a Celery kitchen next to a brown-black island, is a natural pairing rather than a clash.

What doesn't pair well is the cool gray many MetroWest homes were painted in during the 2010s. A gray with blue undertones can make Celery look washed out and Webster Green look muddy. If you are keeping gray in adjoining rooms, sample the green in the doorway between them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 2027 color of the year?

Each paint brand names its own: Benjamin Moore chose Webster Green HC-130, a mid-tone historical green, and Sherwin-Williams chose Celery SW 6421, a pale yellow-green, while Behr named Grounded, Valspar named Cottage Door and Glidden named Artifact.

What is Benjamin Moore's color of the year for 2027?

Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year 2027 is Webster Green HC-130, announced on October 14, 2026, a mid-tone green from its Historical Colors collection with a light reflectance value of 20.2.

What is the Sherwin-Williams 2027 color of the year?

Sherwin-Williams named Celery SW 6421 for 2027, a soft, muted green with subtle yellow undertones that the company places between an airy pastel and a grounded, herbal hue.

What paint colors are trending for 2027?

Greens lead, since the Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams 2027 color of the year picks are both green, from the deep Webster Green and Behr's olive Grounded to the pale Celery, alongside grayed and smoky blues such as Valspar's Cottage Door and Glidden's Artifact.

Does the 2027 color of the year work in a dark room?

Celery is the safer choice for a dark room because it is a pale green, while Webster Green, with an LRV of 20.2, reflects about a fifth of the light that reaches it and suits accents, built-ins or cabinets in a room with little sun.

Can you paint vinyl siding Webster Green?

Generally no: Benjamin Moore's exterior data sheet says not to paint vinyl a color with an LRV below 55 unless it is in its approved Colors for Vinyl palette, because darker colors absorb more heat and can warp the siding.

Which 2027 color of the year is better for a Cape?

Celery is usually the better fit for a Cape, because its pale green keeps low-ceilinged, dormered upstairs rooms feeling open, while Webster Green works best downstairs on a built-in, a vanity or the front door.

What white goes with Webster Green?

Benjamin Moore lists Glacier White OC-37 and Elmira White HC-84 as coordinating colors for Webster Green, and pairs it with White Down OC-131, a creamy white with an LRV of 76.69, in its 2027 palette.

The bottom line

Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams each picked a green as their 2027 color of the year, but the two do different jobs. Webster Green is a deep, historic color that belongs on cabinets, built-ins, a study or a front door. Celery is a pale, warm green you can put on whole walls, even in a north-facing room or an upstairs Cape bedroom. Neither one should go on a wall until you have seen a real sample in your own light, next to the trim you are keeping.

Talk to Paint Pro

Paint Pro New England has painted homes across our 18 MetroWest towns for more than fifteen years. We are fully licensed and insured, including workers' compensation, use premium Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams paints, back all work with a 2-year warranty, and have more than 60 five-star reviews on Houzz. Dave personally oversees each project, from the color sample to the final walkthrough. See our interior painting service, then call or text Dave at (774) 217-9567 for a free estimate and color consultation.