Olive green vs Retreat
Where Olive green belongs to RAL Classic's range, Retreat is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Olive green belongs to the green-yellow family and Retreat to the grey family. Retreat (LRV 21) reflects noticeably more light than Olive green (LRV 11), a difference of 10 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 20.3, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Olive green vs Retreat in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Olive green and Retreat in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Retreat reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Olive green.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Retreat will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Olive green would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Retreat reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Olive green.
Color Details
Olive green vs Retreat Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Olive green on one side and Retreat on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Olive green comparisons
See how Olive green stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
