Farrow & Ball Card Room Green 79 Review: Undertones

Card Room Green No. 79 from Farrow & Ball looks like a straightforward deep green on the swatch. But get it on a wall and the blue undertone starts running the show. I’ve painted with it and here’s exactly what you’re dealing with.

What Is Card Room Green 79?

Card Room Green No. 79 is a dark, muted green from Farrow & Ball with an LRV around 16. That’s firmly in the deeper end — rich enough to anchor a room but not so dark that it reads black in decent light.

On a chip it looks like a dusty forest green. On a wall, the complexity shows up fast. I used it on built-in bookshelves in my living room and the whole piece looked like it had been there since the 1800s. The name references the card rooms of Georgian country houses, and the color carries that kind of weight. It’s moody green with real substance.

What Undertones Does Card Room Green 79 Have?

Blue. That’s the big story. Card Room Green carries a definite blue-gray cast underneath the green surface, and it’s what keeps this color from reading as a straightforward hunter or forest green.

I pulled it up on Paintuma on a real wall photo and the blue came through immediately — it looked more teal-influenced than the tiny chip suggested. In cool light the blue pushes forward and the color reads almost blue-green. In warm light the green reasserts itself.

There’s gray holding everything together, keeping it muted and sophisticated rather than bright. No yellow here, no olive warmth. Card Room Green stays firmly on the cool side of the green family. If you want a warm, golden-green, this isn’t your color.

Card Room Green 79 vs. Studio Green No. 93

This is the matchup most people want to see, since both are deep Farrow & Ball greens with serious mood. But the differences are significant.

Studio Green is much darker — its LRV sits around 6, making it nearly three times as dark as Card Room Green. In dim rooms, Studio Green reads almost black. Card Room Green stays clearly green even in lower light.

Undertones diverge too. Studio Green is warmer and more yellow-green, like the darkest part of a forest. Card Room Green is cooler and bluer, more like deep water than deep woods.

I’d pick Studio Green for a dramatic powder room or accent wall where you want near-black intensity. Card Room Green works for larger spaces — full rooms, kitchens, libraries — where you want depth without disappearing into darkness.

How Does It Look in Different Lighting?

South-facing rooms warm Card Room Green up and push the green forward. The blue recedes and you get a rich, balanced dark green that feels inviting rather than cold. This is the best lighting for this color.

North-facing rooms are where the blue undertone takes over. The color reads cooler, grayer, and more teal than green. It’s still handsome, but a noticeably different mood. My test swatch looked almost slate-blue-green under north light compared to the warmer forest version in my south-facing room.

East-facing rooms give you warmer green in the morning that shifts cooler and bluer by afternoon. West-facing rooms do the reverse — cool and blue-leaning during the day, then richer and greener as evening sun arrives.

Under warm incandescent bulbs at night, Card Room Green settles into a deep, cozy bottle-green. It looks its most welcoming by lamplight.

Does Card Room Green 79 Work on Exteriors?

Yes, and it’s a classic exterior pick. At LRV 16, it’s dark enough to look substantial on siding but carries enough color to show its green character in full sun. Georgian and Federal-style homes in England have worn this shade for centuries.

Outside, direct sunlight lightens it a touch and pushes the green forward. You lose some of the blue-gray complexity, but what remains is a handsome, rich green that reads clearly from the curb.

I’ve seen it on front doors, shutters, and full facades. It suits period homes especially well, but it also works on modern exteriors when you want something earthy and grounded. F&B’s exterior formula holds up, though budget accordingly — you’re paying a premium for coverage.

What Trim Colors Pair Best?

Wimborne White is the safe starting point. Its gentle warmth balances Card Room Green’s cool blue undertone. You get clean contrast without a warm-cool fight.

For something crisper, Pointing works well — especially in period rooms where you want that slightly aged, layered feel between wall and woodwork.

I checked Card Room Green 79 on Coloraw, sliding it against different trim whites on the same wall, and the warmer whites won consistently. Cool blue-white trim made the wall look harsh and flat.

For adjacent rooms, lighter F&B neutrals like Shaded White or Drop Cloth bridge nicely. Outside of F&B, Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17 is a reliable and cheaper trim option. Warm metallics like brass and copper look fantastic as hardware accents against this green.

What Are the Closest Matches From Other Brands?

Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green HC-124 is probably the closest. It’s a deep, historic green with blue undertones and a similar mood. It’s slightly more saturated, but the overall feel overlaps well.

Benjamin Moore Essex Green HC-188 comes up often too. It’s darker and more purely green — less of the blue-gray subtlety that defines Card Room Green. Close in spirit, but Essex Green commits harder to deep forest where Card Room Green stays more complex.

Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green SW 6208 lives in a similar muted green-gray space. It reads lighter and grayer, with less blue depth. Same neighborhood, quieter personality.

None are exact dupes. Card Room Green’s cool blue-green-gray character comes from F&B’s high-pigment approach, and standard-formula paints tend to flatten the complexity. If you’re set on another brand, Caldwell Green gets you closest.

Should You Sample Before You Buy?

Yes — and with a dark, undertone-heavy green, sampling is essential. The blue shift between lighting conditions is dramatic enough that you need to see it in your actual room before committing.

Order the F&B sample pot and paint a large swatch — at least a foot square — on two walls with different exposures. Watch it morning, noon, and evening. Note when it reads blue-green versus warm green. Make sure you like both versions.

For a fast preview before spending on a sample pot, try paintcolorvisualizer.com. It’s free — snap a photo of your room and drop the color on. Works for interior and exterior, and with a dark green this complex, seeing it on your actual walls first can save you real money and headaches.

Bottom line: Card Room Green 79 is a cool, blue-tinged dark green that rewards warm lighting and warm white trim. Sample it in your space, watch for the blue shift under cool light, and you’ll get a deep, layered green with real historical character.