Welcome Yellow Around Your Home for an Instant Lift

Yellow is the color of daffodils and tulips, of sunshine and baby chicks, of lemons and canaries. It can be full of vim and vigor, or softly mellow and serene. Yellow can be as classic as a little black dress, as energizing as the first day of spring or as heartwarming as a country cottage.

When I was growing up in the beautiful but interminably gray Pacific Northwest, yellow was one of my favorite colors. It cheered me up and made my rooms feel sunny, no matter the weather.

But you don’t have to live in a dingy climate to embrace yellow. Vincent van Gogh celebrated this color when he was living in the pervasively sunny South of France. Enjoy with me the feeling, the warmth, the energy of yellow.

A strong, vibrant, almost acid yellow like this one gives a jolt of joy to an entry; here it effortlessly complements the red chandelier, green door and zebra rug. And just like sunshine, it’s a stand-alone color; although repetition in the room is perfectly OK, it’s not necessary.

Paint: Goldfield, Benjamin Moore


A mellower yellow is equally stunning, although with a browner base, the effect is warmer, less startling. By the way — and this is important — before you ask for the color shown here, or in any featured rooms, be aware that nothing is less accurate color-wise than a photo. You would do better by taking your Houzz app to the paint store and asking them to duplicate the shade you see.


The only thing better than one shade of yellow is two! The pale chiffon color of the bedroom is perfectly polished by the deeper ripe lemon hue of the sitting room. The addition of lovingly mismatched patterns and fabrics is the cherry on top of this design.


You simply cannot go wrong if you use color as nature uses it. Check out my ideabook on this subject, and you’ll see how this room could have been inspired by the lowly pansy or a lily of the field. Hues of yellow mixed with shades of purple? Mother Nature says yes.


This soft, creamy yellow reminds me of whipped butter and looks superb with every one of this room’s colors.

Again, here’s the precept: Only be afraid of using yellow in a room that would look bad with sunshine. In my experience, people coming into a room with yellow walls often don’t even notice the color. What they notice is how inviting the room looks and how it makes them feel inexplicably better.

Paint: Butter Up, Sherwin-Williams


Yellow walls with crisp white are classic, clean and, yes, a bit cottage-y. Bright shades of yellow like this one instantly help improve your mood.


Did you know that the right color can make you hungry? These buttery painted cabinets with their slightly muddied finish, mixed with that stunning shot of tomato … well, I am craving soup and grilled cheese sandwiches right now (drenched in butter the way Mike makes them).


Do you think yellow ought to be limited to cottage or country interiors? Take a gander at this room and think again. High-glam contemporary blacks, grays and yellow? Without a doubt.


If you are still a bit queasy about introducing yellow into your home, start with an accent wall.


Or paint just the ceiling …


… or the backsplash.

Paint: Golden Sand, Dulux


Or be a bit more courageous and paint your woodwork a golden shade. Can you imagine how this room would stumble if the woodwork were cream?


OK — feel free to take baby steps. Do you feel the zing that just that tiny bit of chrome yellow on the handrail brings to this room? Better yet, the animal-print pillow is in a nonmatching shade. Perfect.


Or avoid paint altogether and start with a sunny yellow area rug. Yellow with black leather? Absolutely.

Area rug: custom, Passion of Persia


Here we have yellow and purple again, but this time the sofa is upholstered in a cotton the color of ripe Meyer lemons.


If you still balk at the idea of yellow, start with flowers. Place a few branches of forsythia in a blessedly battered tin bucket, then watch what happens. You, too, will be won over.

More: Paint Color Ideas: 8 Uplifting Ways With Yellow and Green

URL: Welcome Yellow Around Your Home for an Instant Lift http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-23120.html