Active Green vs Green Jewel paint color comparison

Active Green vs Green Jewel

Active Green and Green Jewel come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. These are both greens, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within green to land. The 11-point LRV gap — 60 for Green Jewel vs 49 for Active Green — means Green Jewel will open up a space more effectively. Both share a cool character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 12.1 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Active Green vs Green Jewel in Real Spaces

10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Active Green and Green Jewel in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.

Living Room

A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Green Jewel reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Active Green.

Active GreenA minimalist living room painted in Active Green

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Green JewelA cozy living room painted in Green Jewel

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Bedroom

Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Green Jewel returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

Active GreenA art deco bedroom painted in Active Green

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Green JewelA traditional bedroom painted in Green Jewel

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Kitchen

Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Green Jewel returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

Active GreenActive Green — modern luxury kitchen

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Green JewelGreen Jewel — classy kitchen

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Dining Room

Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Green Jewel will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Active Green would.

Active GreenActive Green paint in a rustic modern dining room

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Green JewelGreen Jewel paint in a parisian dining room

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Bathroom

Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Green Jewel returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

Active GreenActive Green — vintage bathroom

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Green JewelGreen Jewel — wabi-sabi bathroom

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Home Office

Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Green Jewel returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

Active GreenA industrial home office painted in Active Green

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Green JewelSherwin-Williams Green Jewel in a moody home office

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Mudroom

In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The LRV gap is large enough that Green Jewel will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Active Green would.

Active GreenActive Green paint in a classy mudroom

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Green JewelGreen Jewel paint in a coastal mudroom

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Patio

Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. The LRV gap is large enough that Green Jewel will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Active Green would.

Active Greencoastal patio featuring Active Green by Sherwin-Williams

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Green Jewelcoastal patio featuring Green Jewel by Sherwin-Williams

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House

A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Green Jewel returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

Active GreenActive Green color — traditional house inspiration

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Green JewelGreen Jewel color — eclectic house inspiration

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Front Door

On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Green Jewel reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Active Green.

Active Greentraditional front door featuring Active Green by Sherwin-Williams

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Green Jewelmodern luxury front door featuring Green Jewel by Sherwin-Williams

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Color Details

Active Green
Sherwin-Williams · 6986
LRV49.4
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number6986
Undertone—
TemperatureCool
BrightnessMedium
Green Jewel
Sherwin-Williams · 6985
LRV60.2
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number6985
Undertone—
TemperatureCool
BrightnessLight

Active Green vs Green Jewel Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Active Green on one side and Green Jewel on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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.