Pine Brook
What Pine Brook Actually Looks Like
Pine Brook is a deep, dusty olive green that sits in the darker half of the green family. It is not a bright or saturated color. Think of dried sage mixed with a hint of army green, then deepened several shades. In full daylight it shows its green character clearly. In low or artificial light it can pull noticeably darker, almost approaching a forest tone, and the muted quality becomes more pronounced.
Pine Brook Undertones
The color carries yellow-green undertones that give it its olive character, balanced by enough gray to keep it from reading warm or earthy in a straightforward way. That gray component is what makes it feel grounded rather than leafy. In cooler north-facing light the gray can dominate and the color reads more somber. In warmer south or west light the yellow-green comes forward more and the olive reads truer.
Where Pine Brook Works Best
Pine Brook works well in spaces where you want weight and presence on the walls. A library, home office, or dining room benefits from a color like this because the depth creates a sense of enclosure that can feel focused and settled. It also works on exterior trim or shutters where a muted, nature-adjacent green suits traditional or craftsman architecture. Given its low light reflectance, use it intentionally in smaller rooms only if you want that cocooning effect. Open, well-lit rooms handle it more easily without feeling cave-like.
Where to put Pine Brook
The depth of Pine Brook is well suited to a room where concentration matters. Bookshelves and wood furniture read warmly against it, and the color does not compete for attention the way a brighter green would.
Darker, muted greens have a long history in dining rooms. Pine Brook at this depth creates an intimate atmosphere at dinner when lit with warm incandescent or candlelight, which brings the olive forward and softens the gray.
On an exterior, Pine Brook reads as a classic, understated olive green. It suits craftsman, colonial, and cottage-style homes and holds up well as a contrast to cream, tan, or gray siding.
Used on a single wall behind a bed, it adds depth without committing the entire room to a dark color. Pair with warm wood nightstands and linen bedding to keep the space from feeling cold.
What to Pair With Pine Brook
No coordinating colors are specified in our database for Pine Brook 490. As a general pairing approach, it works well with warm off-whites for trim, natural wood tones, aged brass or bronze hardware, and deep warm neutrals for adjacent spaces. Avoid cool bright whites on trim, which can make the olive read more yellow and create an awkward contrast.
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Colors that clash with Pine Brook
The yellow-green base of Pine Brook sits on the opposite side of the color wheel from cool blues and blue-purples. Furniture or rugs with strong cool blue undertones can create an unsettled tension on the walls rather than a complementary contrast.
A stark, blue-toned white on trim next to Pine Brook can push the wall color toward yellow-green in an unflattering way and make the whole room feel unresolved.
With an LRV in the lower range, Pine Brook absorbs a lot of light. Combine that with dark floors and minimal windows and the room can feel significantly darker than expected.
Common questions
Pine Brook has a color code of 490 and a precise LRV of 17.55, which puts it firmly in the dark range. The hex and RGB values are available in the spec block on this page.
Yes, Pine Brook 490 is available in both interior and exterior Benjamin Moore formulas and can be ordered in their standard range of sheens from flat through high gloss.
It reads as green in most lighting conditions. The muted, dusty quality can make it look more gray-green or even slightly khaki in low light or under cool fluorescent lighting, but in natural daylight the olive green character is clear. It does not pull brown in a typical sense.
A flat or matte finish will emphasize the dusty, muted quality of the color and is generally the most forgiving on older walls. An eggshell adds a touch of depth and is practical for most rooms. Satin or semi-gloss will intensify the color and add sheen, which can make the green read more vivid and the walls more reflective. For a moody, settled effect, matte or eggshell is the better call.