Sea Green: How to Wear It and Decorate With It

“There is a moment, just before noon on a clear summer day, when shallow ocean water catches the light in a very particular way. It is not quite turquoise, not quite blue, not quite green” That is sea green. Cool enough to soothe, warm enough to welcome, it can make a room or an outfit calm and serene. Sea green has been having a moment for quite awhile. It began in the coastal-living palettes of the early 2010s and never really left. Unlike trendy colors that arrive loudly and vanish the next season, sea green is a mainstay. Have you have ever wondered whether sea green could work for you in your wardrobe or your home? Let’s join Mary Ann and Annie for our Sunday faves and chat about sea green: how to wear it and decorate with it.

Wearing Sea Green: A Color That Meets You Where You Are

Sea green is one of those rare colors that does not demand a particular type of complexion it adapts.

Sea Green Across Skin Tones

Fair and Light Skin

On very fair skin, especially with pink or cool undertones, sea green creates a striking and flattering contrast. The cool blue notes in the color harmonize with rosy complexions without washing them out. Opt for mid-toned or slightly deeper sea greens. Pale, icy versions can sometimes grey out fairer skin. A sea green wrap dress or blouse in a medium-depth shade will make blue and grey eyes luminous.

Medium and Olive Skin

Olive and golden-toned complexions were made for sea green. The green undertones complement warm yellow pigment in the skin rather than fighting it, creating that effortless glow. Medium and olive skin tones can carry the full range from pale celadon sea greens to the richest, most saturated versions.

Deep and Dark Skin

On deeper skin tones, sea green can be electrifying. The contrast between a rich, warm-toned complexion and a cool, bright sea green creates great visual impact. Choose saturated, jewel-toned versions of sea green rather than pale or muted ones, which can disappear against darker skin. A sea green blouse on deep brown skin is one of the most beautiful color combinations in fashion.

Outfits of the Week

I thought I would take one for the team this week. I am not normally drawn to the paler versions of sea green. This beautiful jacket from Etsy is lovely combined with sea geen, neutrals, and chambray.

I have had this Kantha jacket saved on Etsy for a long time (love the side tie detail) the green girlfriend jeans from J Jill have always been a fave, the denim shirt is from J Crew, raffia loafers from Birdies, tote from Cole Haan from Nordstrom Rack.

I love this chambray dress from Gap, the loafers are a splurge and on my wish list from Stuart Weitzman (they come in wide) I never go wrong with his shoes and boots. Earrings are from Machete.

I paired the jacket with my favorite Rag and Bone Miramar jeans, my fave Michael Stars tee, and sandals and tote from The Sak.

I love the J Crew linen pants and shirt (I own them in several colors) I paired them with a pair of great Quince sandals and bag.

Shop Outfits of the Week

Pretty Bespoke Etsy Jewelry in Sea Green

Sea Green in the Home: A Color That Breathes

The same qualities that make sea green so wearable ,its balance, its adaptability, its quiet presence make it one of the most pleasant colors to live with. It never dominates a room. It becomes part of it. When Jenna was a baby her nursery was painted in a seafoam color that I am sure is no longer available. It was such a soothing color for a nursery. The trim was dove white. Unfortunately I do not have a reproduceable picture (it is very similar to the nursery room wall color below) ! Sea green is a chameleon in natural light, and this is something to understand before you commit.

Sea green is a chameleon in natural light, and this is something to understand before you commit. This charming nursery from Little Crown Interiors is pure magic.

In north-facing rooms, which receive cool, indirect light, sea green will read bluer and more subdued. Which is wonderful in a room you want to feel contemplative and still. In south-facing rooms flooded with warm light, the green notes become more prominent and the color warms considerably, taking on an almost “tropical luminosity”. East-facing rooms catch sea green at its most magical: in morning light, the color glows like the sea before settling into something more grounded by afternoon.

Always test sea green paint swatches in your actual space and at different times of day before committing. What looks perfect in a paint chip can surprise you on a large wall trust me I have been there!

No one does green quite like Heidi Caillier; she’s mastered the balance in this Seattle kitchen. I once tried a similar palette for my cabinets in Chualar, but sadly, I found myself ready for a change much sooner than I anticipated I have been considering a wall color in my guest bedroom in a shade similar to the cabinetry above.

This beautiful Jeffrey Alan Marks Connecticut kitchen is so inviting with it’s mix of blues, greens and terra cotta. Terra cotta and sea green. Using these hues alongside each other adds contrast and balance, making each colour stand out effortlessly.

The question I get asked most often? What paint color I used on my old front door, gates, and garage doors. It was Kensington Green by Benjamin Moore.

Pretty Sea Green Pillows from Etsy

Rebecca Katz Asparagus Soup with Pistachio Cream

This recipe is adapted from Rebecca Katz recipe here. I did not save any of the asparagus tips for garnish and I added a bit of parm for flavor at the end.

I hope you enjoyed a Sunday look at Sea Green: How to Wear It and Decorate With It. What makes sea green so interesting as a lifestyle color? It is not a safe neutral, but it is not a risk either. It is a choice that says something about the person who makes it. : a preference for the thoughtful over the showy, the timeless over the fashionable. When you reach for sea green whether it is a linen shirt, or the color you finally commit to for your bedroom walls I hope it is a hue you will love! Sea green does not tire. It settles in.

Let’s pop over and visit Mary Ann and Annie and see what they are loving this week!

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