The Paint Color That Can Make Ugly Stuff "Disappear"
Disney parks (and their super-crafty Imagineers) have many secrets that keep all the magic alive and running smoothly, but a certain design-centric one makes our ears perk up most: The park's designers have developed a paint color that makes unsightly things disappear. The sorcery doesn't come from a wave of Tinkerbell's wand—just a very versatile hue affectionately dubbed "Go Away Green."Apartment Therapy bubbled the color up a few years ago, and more recently, it's been popping off on Tik Tok. But designers have been swearing by it for a while now, and it's actually pretty simple.
The color itself doesn't initially appear to be all that magical (that's precisely why it's so great)—it's really just a barely-there cross between pale gray and green. The unassuming shade blends well with many landscapes, so it's often used on utility structures, back doors, and other less-than-majestic sights that Disney doesn't want guests to notice. For instance, bloggers have spotted it disguising a not-so-pretty building behind a restaurant, slathered on a shadowy, nearly blank corner, and even on garbage cans.
But the clever shade of paint can work beyond Disney as a budget-friendly way to cloak elements that draw attention away from a beautiful landscape, like a planter you don't love or a fence you haven't gotten around to replacing yet.
And while we wouldn't want to completely hide lovely architectural elements like these, a soft green shade painted all over exudes calm and offers a modern twist on what can be a busy, ornate theme. In fact, when it comes to reviving rattan patio furniture, Bahamas-based designer Amanda Lindroth tells House Beautiful, "I’m always quoted as saying 'when your rattan gets ratty, just paint it and it looks like new again.'" Lindroth herself swears by Benjamin Moore's Southfield Green, a soft minty sage. Lindroth's selection is inspired by set designer Oliver Messel, who famously renovated many homes in Barbados and Mustique. In some parts of the Caribbean, the color is actually dubbed "Messel green."
Sandy Koepke echoes this belief in the magic of light green, expressing that paints in this color family are perfect for outdoor kitchens, where bulky appliances need all the help they can get to fit in with the surrounding environment. "You have to acknowledge that you're going to be parking all this stainless steel in the backyard, and consider not only how it looks out there, but how it will look from the house." Those earthy greens mimic the lush landscape, making it feel like an easy transition.
No matter how you use it, this problem-solving paint just might be the closest thing you can get to magic in a can when it comes to outdoor furniture revival and camouflage.
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