Behr Bitter Sage N390-4

Contents

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Behr Bitter Sage for bathroom (4 photos)
Behr N390-4 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)
Behr Bitter Sage reviews (5 photos)
What are Behr Bitter Sage undertones?
Is Bitter Sage N390-4 cool or warm?
How light temperature affects on Bitter Sage
Monochromatic color scheme
Complementary color scheme
Color comparison and matching
LRV of Bitter Sage N390-4
Color codes
Color equivalents

Code:	N390-4
Name:	Bitter Sage
Brand:	Behr

What color is Behr Bitter Sage?

Behr Bitter Sage N390-4 is a muted mid-tone green with gray and olive undertones, giving it an earthy, softened appearance rather than a bright botanical look. Its low saturation keeps walls calm and grounded, while the slight yellow cast prevents it from feeling icy. In daylight, Bitter Sage can show more of its green character; warmer artificial lighting may bring its olive side forward. It suits bedrooms, living rooms, mudrooms, and painted cabinetry, especially alongside warm white trim, natural oak, linen, aged brass, and charcoal accents. For an exterior, this shade can provide a subdued green note on shutters or a front door against cream, taupe, or brick surroundings.

Behr N390-4 for bathroom (4 photos)

Looking for inspiration for your dream bathroom renovation project? These beautiful handpicked photos will show you this delightfully warm mid-tone green real bathrooms.

@adlerpeak

@adlerpeak

@adlerpeak

@adlerpeak

Behr N390-4 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)

Want a stylish kitchen? View real-life photo examples of this fascinating warm green hue is paired with backsplashes, countertops, and hardware.

@kscabinetry_

@kscabinetry_

Behr Bitter Sage reviews (5 photos)

View the photos of real spaces painted with this green that were not included in specific categories. Close-ups, painted furniture, storages and dressers, hallways, stairs and ceilings.

@rachyybunny

Behr Bitter Sage dining room color review

@rachyybunny

Behr Bitter Sage painted dresser color review

@amandadottie_decor

@smalltown.homedecor

@kelly.upnorth

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What are Behr Bitter Sage undertones?

Bitter Sage is a mid-light, muted sage-gray. The HEX sample leans yellow-green; this describes its measurable digital hue direction, not a hidden paint pigment. Warm light can make it look more olive and earthy, while cool daylight usually makes the green direction easier to notice.

HEX value:

#97A18D

RGB code:

151, 161, 141

Is Behr Bitter Sage cool or warm?

warm

cool

With a hue of 90°, this Green shade sits right in the neutral zone on the HSL color wheel—neither warm nor cool.

N390-4 Bitter Sage HSL code: 90, 10%, 59%

Hue - degree on a color wheel from 0 to 360. 0 is red, 120 is green, and 240 is blue.
Saturation is expressed as a percentage. At 0%, it appears as a shade of grey, and at 100%, it is in full color.
Lightness is also a percentage value. 0% is black, and 100% is white.

How light temperature affects Bitter Sage

Natural Lighting. During the day, natural light shifts from about 2000 K at sunrise/sunset to 5500–6500 K at noon.

Sunrise

Morning

Noon

Afternoon

Sunset

In addition, natural-light temperature depends on its direction:

Direction of sunlight	Visible temp.	Hue	Duration
North	Cool	Bluish	All day
East	Warm	Yellow	Before noon
West	Warm	Orange-red	After noon
South	Warm	Orange-yellow	All day

Artificial Lighting. When choosing bulbs, pay attention to their color temperature in Kelvins.
Use the slider to see how this Green shade looks under different lighting:

2000K

3000K

4000K

5000K

6000K

7000K

Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Behr Bitter Sage:

Monochromatic color scheme

This scheme consists of various shades, tints, and tones of a single color. While it offers a perfect combination of hues, without accent décor it may become monotonous.

Lighter shades

N390-4
Bitter Sage

Darker shades

N390-4
Bitter Sage

Complementary color scheme

This color scheme is a combination of two shades that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The high contrast between these colors creates a vibrant and dynamic visual effect. For the color Bitter Sage with a yellow hue, complementary colors are those with a purple hue close to 270, such as Behr Mata Hari and Live Jazz.

N390-4
Bitter Sage

Compare
Behr
Bitter Sage N390-4
to any other colors

Behr
Bitter Sage N390-4
color equivalents

LRV of Bitter Sage

Bitter Sage has an LRV of 33.28% and refers to Medium colors that reflect a lot of light. Why LRV is important?

Light Reflectance Value scale illustration

Light Reflectance Value measures the amount of visible and usable light that reflects from a painted surface.
Simply put, the higher the LRV of a paint color, the brighter the room you will get.
The scale goes from 0% (absolute black, absorbing all light) to 100% (pure white, reflecting all light).

Act like a pro: When choosing paint with an LRV of 33.28%, pay attention to your bulbs' brightness. Light brightness is measured in lumens. The lower the paint's LRV, the higher lumen level you need. Every square foot of room needs at least 40 lumens. That means for a 200 ft² living room you'll need about 8000 lumens of light – e.g., eight 1000 lm bulbs.

Color codes

We have collected almost every possible color code you could ever need.
Not sure what the difference between HEX and RGB is? We break down color models in plain language. Understanding color models

Format	Code
HEX	#97a18d
RGB Decimal	151, 161, 141
RGB Percent	59.22%, 63.14%, 55.29%
HSV	Hue: 90° Saturation: 12.42% Value: 63.14%
HSL	hsl(90, 10, 59)
CMYK	Cyan: 6.21 Magenta: 0.0 Yellow: 12.42 Key: 36.86
YIQ	Y: 155.73 I: 0.468 Q: -8.339
XYZ	X: 30.314 Y: 33.992 Z: 30.156
CIE Lab	L:64.956 a:-7.334 b:9.212
CIE Luv	L:64.956 u:-4.706 v:14.147
Decimal	9937293
Hunter Lab	58.303, -9.22, 10.145