Khaki vs. Olive Green: What’s the Difference?

Trying to understand the difference between khaki vs olive green? Let's dive into these two popular neutral colors to see which might be perfect for you!

When you are designing a room, choosing colors can be one of the most overwhelming parts of the process.

Even if you go as far as narrowing it down to a certain aesthetics - like earthy neutrals - there are still so, so many shades to choose from.

Today I want to talk about two popular neutral shades: khaki and olive green.

While both of these colors may give off similar undertones, they differ in style and application.

Stick around to learn more about what distinguishes these two popular neutrals.

Defining Khaki

The term “khaki” comes from Urdu origins and translates to a dust-colored piece of cloth found in British Indian Army uniforms.

The color combines sandy, tan, and neutral shades with a hint of green undertone. Some shades have a more yellowish tint rather than green.

If you were to create a khaki shade, you’d blend a lot of white with brown. You can blend light orange with blue colors for a darker tone to get a bolder khaki.

Overall, the desert inspires khaki paint colors in interior design. Their yellow hue warms up large rooms, like your bedroom or living area.

Applications in Interior Design

Khaki has always been a classic and traditional choice for wall colors. It fits most room settings, especially with wooden elements.

With green-toned walls gaining momentum, the market is becoming saturated with earthy khaki shades, often resembling a muddy green.

The color allows you to experiment with furniture as well. You can go for contrasting warm shades like reddish brown or a vibrant turquoise. Either way, the room will appear cohesive and balanced.

Defining Olive Green

As its name suggests, olive green refers to the Mediterranean fruit - olives! The shade is a mixture of mostly yellow and a bit of blue. You can find the paint color in traditional and contemporary interiors.

The warm green hue is ideal for bringing warmth like khaki shades. Nonetheless, it offers more depth and sophistication thanks to its golden undertones.

Neutral and tan shades pair exceptionally well with olive green. One of the best aspects of this color is its versatility.

You can use it in almost every room in your house and with a variety of accent colors. The neutral earthy tone offers a calming and peaceful appeal.

Applications in Interior Design

Olive green has multiple applications in interior design. Whether you’re thinking of painting an accent wall or creating a cozy living room space, the neutral shade will work cohesively.

Don't want to paint the walls? Olive green is a very popular color for upholstery, rugs, and curtains. There are lots of ways to bring olive into your space!

You might also want to add the shade to your bathroom. In that case, we suggest going for a lighter olive green to make a more soothing environment.

Khaki vs. Olive Green: Differences and Similarities

Khaki and olive green are both earthy, muted colors, giving them a very similar aesthetic.

But, once you get them next to each other, olive green and khaki will appear different. How? Well, it all has to do with the initial shade you see. With khaki, you instantly recognize a tannish, beige color. Meanwhile, olive brings a green and earthy shade.

Now, these shades hold a similar yellow undertone. This means that they look similar and that they also layer really nicely and pair together well.

The shades are similarly neutral as well, giving you more flexibility to paint them in different rooms with a variety of accent colors.

Popular Khaki Paint Colors

Here are some of the best khaki paint colors to consider!

• Sherwin Williams Perfect Khaki (SW 9612): Resembles a neutral brown tone combined with gray and cool undertones.
• Behr Basic Khaki (HDC-NT-09): A versatile shade that mixes sandy colors with a hint of green undertone.
• Glidden Pacific Khaki (70YY 57/098): Perfect for kitchen areas, this is a light khaki color that brightens the room.
• Sherwin Williams Universal Khaki (SW 6150): A saturated shade well-suited to living areas and resembles a mid-tone tan.

Popular Olive Green Paint Colors

Here are some of the best olive paint colors to consider!

• Benjamin Moore Dark Olive (2140-30): A smooth green shade with a cool undertone that emphasizes elegance.
• Sherwin Williams Green Onyx (SW 9128): A relaxed olive green shade to create a more inviting space.
• Benjamin Moore Olive Tree (392): A rich green with a bit of gold undertones, suitable for a unique room color.
• Sherwin Williams Artichoke (SW 6179): A dark olive green that blends subtle yellow and gray undertones. The shade is best applied in bathrooms and kitchen areas.

What’s the difference between olive green and khaki? In short, it all has to do with the tone differences. Khaki shades infuse more brown. Meanwhile, the other shade is more green-dominant.

Nonetheless, you can still see some similarities between both shades since they’re neutral, often cool-toned, and mixed with tinges of yellow.

Aside from that, planning your wall colors can be challenging with the overwhelming similar-toned variety of shades available on the market.

Check out our paint color planning guide to walk you through the color-picking process.

Thanks for reading!