Color of the Week: 10 Tangy Ways with Citrus Green

Ever notice that certain colors evoke a happy time, place or feeling for you? To me, summery hues such as sunny yellows, watery blues and citrus greens bring out a joyful and lighthearted vibe. The latter conjure up tropical locales, exotic flora and fauna, and, my favorite, ice-cold citrus-infused cocktails (hello, margarita!).

By adding some citrus green elements to your home, you can enjoy that summer happy-hour vibe inside year-round, even as the weather changes from warm and sunny to cold and dreary. Read on to see some of my top citrus green paint picks, along with examples of how to inject this zesty hue into your home.

These citrusy green hues are not full-on lime green but rather a lighter lemon-lime, having a bit more yellow in them. They are best used in small to medium amounts as they tend to command a good bit of attention with their brightness and vibrancy.

Some citrus greens to try out, from left to right: Chic Lime from Benjamin Moore, Glimmer of Lime from Pratt & Lambert, Lime Sorbet from Dunn-Edwards and Citron from Behr.

Keep in mind that the colors you see on your monitor do not exactly match what comes out of the paint can, so always get samples and test the colors in the intended space to make sure you like how they look.


Create a focal point in a space with a bold citrus green statement wall. This particular color works really well with blues and yellows, its adjacent colors on the color wheel. Analogous color schemes such as these have a harmonious feel to them, despite the smattering of different colors used.


This happy hue is one of my favorites for a kitchen. It adds such life and vitality to the space. You can usually pull off a bold color on a kitchen wall because kitchens tend to be well-lit and the exposed wall area fairly small, which keeps the intensity dialed down a bit. I like how the lemon-lime hue, along with the wood floors, adds warmth to an otherwise cool black, white and stainless steel color scheme. This is a good example of getting the right mix of light neutrals and more dramatic hues.


Less is definitely more when it comes to vibrant colors. If you are a fan of our featured hue but don’t see yourself painting an entire wall or walls with it, think about adding it in smaller touches, such as on the trim. We tend to default to shades of white when painting baseboards, so I love the unexpected dash of lime green here.


Citrus green need not be limited to modern or contemporary interiors. Here it’s used as an accent color in a more traditional-style kitchen. The lime hues break up and play off the warm wood tones nicely. It’s such an inviting space; no matter how gray and dismal the weather, the inside of this kitchen exudes happiness.


A relatively quick and affordable way to upgrade an unfinished concrete floor is to paint it. Citrus green porch paint was used to dress up this studio floor. The floor color mirrors the landscaping outside, contributing to the much-coveted indoor-outdoor feel.


Speaking of outside, citrus green is a terrific color choice for outdoor spaces. It can be tough to pull off in large amounts as a house color, unless your home is a clean-lined contemporary like the one pictured here. But there are plenty of other ways to use citrus green outside, such as in furniture, textiles and other outdoor decor.


Lime-hued walls might not be the best choice in a bedroom, where you typically want to be surrounded by more restful colors. But they’re great for an office, where you are more likely to appreciate being hugged by a lively and energetic hue.


Use bold hues to draw attention to the good stuff in a room. My eye immediately goes to the back wall and all of the interesting decorative items displayed against it. It’s also nice to repeat the color elsewhere in the room, for balance.


This is such a fun way to bring vibrant color into a space. An entire bookcase bathed in bright lime would be quite intense. Using it on just the back of the individual niches gives a nice peekaboo effect that’s not at all overdone or overwhelming.


Citrusy greens add just the right dash of color to this charming almost-all-white bath. If everything in a room is the same color, it all tends to blend together and can render the space cold and stark. You can add interest and variety through the use of different textures and with a few bits of your favorite lively color.

Tell us: Are you keen on citrus green? How have you used the color in or on your home?

More Colors of the Week: Warm gray | Sunny yellow | Tulip red | Easter lily | Mango | April sky blue | Watery blue | Spring green | Kelly green | Spring blossom yellow

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