Happy Tuesday and happy Scorpio season! This week’s color is the deep Serpentine Green. The shade feels ancient and alchemical…let’s get into it.
Color Psychology
Green has always been somewhat of a double agent, representing life and poison at once. In its darker tones, it absorbs more light than it reflects, representing intuition sharpened by restraint. It’s power with patience.
Where brighter greens celebrate growth and openness, this one speaks to what’s cultivated privately, transformation that happens without witness.
Brief History
In ancient Egypt, deep green came from malachite (the mineral of rebirth and renewal). During the Renaissance, painters prized copper-based greens like verdigris for their richness, even though they corroded over time.
In myth and art, the serpent has long been a symbol of renewal: the ouroboros devouring its tail, eternal life through death.
Alchemists called green the color of the Great Work, representing putrefaction and rebirth.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Europe fell for toxic arsenic pigments like Scheele’s Green and Paris Green. Stunning, but deadly. Fun fact, some even blame Napoleon’s death on his green wallpaper.
By the 20th century, safer synthetics like viridian and phthalo turned this once-dangerous color into a symbol of sophistication, wealth, and quiet authority.
That color’s symbolism continues to live on in modern works such as the Harry Potter films, where production designer Stuart Craig and costume designer Jany Temime used the shade to mirror Slytherin’s ambition, secrecy, and control.
Fashion Design
Lacoste Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear
Lacoste’s Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear collection featured deep, cool greens across outerwear and accessories, ranging from matte knits to glossy nylon.
Interior Design
In interior design, this deep, desaturated green creates a calm, grounded atmosphere while adding a touch of sophistication and depth to a space. Perfect for libraries, studies, or moody bedrooms where reflection matters.
These two interiors illustrate Serpentine Green’s versatility, showing how it enhances both a classic and more contemporary space.
Since we mentioned Harry Potter earlier, I thought I’d also show a pic of the Slytherin common room and the essence that this color helped create on set.
Designers also often use this shade to balance bold materials: wood, marble, leather, smoked glass. It makes a room feel anchored, mature, and confident.
Branding
Brands that use this type of green tend to sit in the luxury, heritage, or technology spaces where trust, intelligence, and quiet dominance matter.
Lacoste (again)
More on reptiles…our branding example is also Lacoste, which commonly incorporates deep green into its branding. A nod to the iconic crocodile emblem, conveying heritage, sport, and understated sophistication.
Pantone & More
If you’re interested in working with this dark green shade, a close one I found is Pantone’s “Eden” 19-6050 TCX. I’ve also included HEX, RGB, and CMYK details below!
HEX: #3A6251
RGB: (58, 98, 81)
CMYK: (41, 0, 17, 62)
As always, thank you so much for reading! I hope you learned something new about this muted green! If you enjoyed reading, please give this post a like so I know what you guys want to see more of :)
Or tell me, which color should I feature next? See you next Tuesday!