Cobalt Green

See this colour in the real world

Colours in photographs vary with lighting, material, camera processing and screen calibration — the named colours below are visual approximations, not exact measurements.

Colour stories

Why a copper roof or statue turns green over decades, not days

Verdigris forms as copper reacts slowly with oxygen, moisture, carbon dioxide and airborne sulphur compounds — a process typically taking years to decades outdoors, not a sudden change. The exact shade and speed depend on local climate and pollution, which is why two copper structures in different cities can weather to noticeably different greens on different timelines.

In practice: There is no single 'verdigris green' reference colour — the same starting material weathers differently depending on where it is, which matters when specifying an aged-copper finish.

See cobalt greenImage credit

Uses & contexts

Using cobalt green in a real space

Worked out from this colour’s own measurements — its lightness, saturation and undertone — rather than written for it. That is why the guidance differs from one colour to the next even when the two look similar.

What role it can play

This works across a range of sizes. At chroma 39 it is assertive enough to register on a small object and restrained enough not to dominate a wall.

• Walls and large surfaces

  workable

  Chroma 39 is above the usual comfort level for walls and large surfaces, so expect it to take charge. That is a legitimate choice in a room that wants a subject. Walls set the room's baseline, so this is the decision everything else answers to.

• Secondary surfaces

  strong

  Chroma 39 sits inside the range secondary surfaces carry without taking over the room.

• Furniture

  strong

  Chroma 39 sits inside the range furniture carry without taking over the room.

• Rugs, curtains and bedding

  strong

  Chroma 39 sits inside the range rugs, curtains and bedding carry without taking over the room.

• Trim and joinery

  strong

  Chroma 39 sits inside the range trim and joinery carry without taking over the room.

• Accents and small objects

  strong

  Chroma 39 is exactly what an accent is for. The saturation that makes this difficult across a wall is the reason it works on a cushion, a door or a single chair.

How it behaves under different lightresilient

Under warm bulbs

Warm bulbs emit little short-wavelength energy, so there is less for a green to reflect. There is enough chroma here to survive it, though it will read warmer and slightly duller.

Under cool bulbs

Cool light flatters this — it will hold its identity and may read slightly more saturated than in warm light.

In daylight

A mid-tone reads most consistently across the day, which is why so much upholstery sits in this band.

In a dim room

Enough lightness and chroma to stay recognisable in a dim room, though it will lose some saturation.

Compared with the sample card

Expect a modest step darker than the chart, which is normal and is why sampling a large area matters.

What colour temperature actually means · Why two bulbs at the same rating can differ

With wood

• Oak

  needs care

  Opposed in undertone to Oak without much else to explain the difference, which is the combination the eye most often reads as an error. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Walnut

  needs care

  Opposed in undertone to Walnut without much else to explain the difference, which is the combination the eye most often reads as an error. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Pine

  needs care

  Opposed in undertone to Pine without much else to explain the difference, which is the combination the eye most often reads as an error. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Plywood

  needs care

  Opposed in undertone to Plywood without much else to explain the difference, which is the combination the eye most often reads as an error. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Light wood (ash, birch, beech)

  needs care

  Opposed in undertone to Light wood (ash, birch, beech) without much else to explain the difference, which is the combination the eye most often reads as an error. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Dark wood

  works well

  Opposite in undertone to Dark wood, and separated enough in depth that the difference reads as deliberate contrast rather than as a clash. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Reddish wood (mahogany, cherry, teak)

  needs care

  Opposed in undertone to Reddish wood (mahogany, cherry, teak) without much else to explain the difference, which is the combination the eye most often reads as an error. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

With metal fittings

• Brass

  works well

  Shares Brass's cool bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. They sit close in depth, so expect a quiet, tonal relationship rather than a contrast. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

• Gold-tone

  works well

  Shares Gold-tone's cool bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. They sit close in depth, so expect a quiet, tonal relationship rather than a contrast. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

• Chrome

  works well

  Shares Chrome's cool bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. There is also 24 points of lightness between them, which keeps the two readable as separate elements. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

• Stainless steel

  works well

  Shares Stainless steel's cool bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. They sit close in depth, so expect a quiet, tonal relationship rather than a contrast. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

• Black metal

  works well

  Shares Black metal's cool bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. There is also 50 points of lightness between them, which keeps the two readable as separate elements. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

• Copper

  works well

  Shares Copper's cool bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. They sit close in depth, so expect a quiet, tonal relationship rather than a contrast. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

Where it can go wrong

• No characteristic failure mode stands out from this colour's measurements — it sits in a comfortable range for lightness and chroma alike. The usual caution still applies: judge it from a large sample, in place, in the light the room actually gets.

Lighter, darker & directional variants

Calculated directional adjustments. Some directions converge on the same result from this starting colour — shown as one merged card with an explanation, not repeated duplicates. Generated shades link to a curated profile only when one is close enough.