Soft Fern

Technical Profile

What color is Soft Fern? It's a very light cool green with the hex code #ECF1D8. Colors similar to Soft Fern include PPG Plain And Simple, Benjamin Moore Calming Aloe, PPG Memoir. Comparing swatches side by side is the best way to spot the subtle differences that distinguish these close color relatives. Soft Fern has a cool (green) undertone, which affects how it pairs with trim, flooring, and adjacent wall colors. Understanding a color's undertone is key to avoiding combinations that clash — it often matters more than the surface color itself. Soft Fern (#ECF1D8) by Vista Paint is a very light green paint color with a balanced saturation that feels natural and approachable. It delivers an airy, open feeling that maximizes the sense of space in any room. On the temperature spectrum this shade carries a cool cast, lending calm and collected elegance. Its RGB channels are closely balanced, contributing to its neutral, even-keeled visual character. With a Light Reflectance Value of 93, it reflects the vast majority of light, helping smaller rooms feel more spacious. A whisper of green like this is calming in bedrooms, spa-inspired bathrooms, and meditation spaces. An eggshell or matte finish works well at this lightness, hiding minor wall imperfections while still being easy to wipe clean. For color coordination, Soft Fern pairs beautifully with blue tones for bold complementary contrast, or with neighboring green and yellow hues for a harmonious, flowing palette. Its cool (green) undertone means trim and ceiling whites should lean neutral to avoid a jarring clash. If Vista Paint is unavailable in your area, close cross-brand alternatives exist from PPG, Benjamin Moore, Valspar and others. In terms of mood and atmosphere, Soft Fern brings a crisp, spa-like tranquility that opens up a room and calms the mind. Designers often reach for shades like this when the goal is to shape how a room feels, not just how it looks. This shade is a natural fit for organic modern, biophilic, and mid-century aesthetics. As part of the Vista Paint palette, Soft Fern benefits from a curated selection of coordinating colors that the brand recommends for trim, accent, and ceiling pairings. High-LRV colors like Soft Fern are forgiving in most lighting conditions, but they can pick up reflected color from adjacent walls, flooring, or large furniture pieces, so evaluate samples in situ. Very light shades can sometimes read as stark white on small swatches — viewing a larger area in your intended space reveals the true character of the color. Pair this shade with natural linen, light oak, rattan, and marble for a fresh, layered look, or contrast it with dark walnut and wrought iron for more definition. You can order Soft Fern (K-375) directly from Vista Paint or through major paint retailers, and we recommend purchasing a peel-and-stick sample to preview it on your wall before buying gallons.