Many people find working with color in home décor to be challenging. In this special decorating series, we share guides to help you dive in and face your fears – color by color.
In this installment of the series, we’ll walk you through designing with the color yellow. Whether you’re looking to breathe new life into a dated room or simply adventuring into using a new hue, yellow can be a great option to add brightness and character to your home. Here is a collection of some our favorite yellow rooms with helpful tips from award-winning Texas interior designer Jan Showers.
1. Similar Shades
Layering yellow is a great way to add depth to a room, but a trick to remember is that “all yellows do not go together,” says Jan. You do not need to match the same yellow throughout the room, but using contrasting shades adds visual interest. Here, a daffodil-hued wall paint combines with deep-toned upholstery on dining chairs, creating balance.
2. Balanced Tones
3. Touch of Drama
If you are hesitant to use a yellow wall paint, accents are a wonderful way to introduce color into a room and still make a bold statement. “Yellow ceramics or lamps add such a great pop of color,” says Jan. For added harmony, set the space with natural textures such as the rich grain of hardwood flooring or a marble mantel.
4. Shining Details
A beaming collection of yellow glassware, such as Jan’s personal collection of Murano glass shown here, illuminates and embellishes an otherwise dark corner. Group varying sizes of these vases to create a simple yet playful vignette.
5. Shift of Perspective
6. Lively Flair
7. Eye for Scale
Selecting the right shade of yellow wall paint can be difficult. “People make the mistake of looking at a small paint sample of a yellow that is really too bright, and don’t realize that the sample will be multiplied by thousands or more when on all the walls,” says Jan. She recommends first painting a 4-foot by 4-foot sample, making sure to paint two coats. Watch how changing light throughout the day alters the color’s appearance. This will ensure you pick a tone you love.
8. Pattern Play
Playing with patterns can add allure to a room while maintaining the same palette across furnishings and fabrics. In a dressing room decorated in a buttery hue, timeless toile drapes elegantly contrast with an exotic animal print rug. The organic embroidery of Baroque-style upholstery on an accent chair accentuates a diamond motif on the vanity.
9. Subtle Variety
A gold-patterned duvet cover and matching shams make a luxurious statement in this home’s master bedroom. While yellow is an excellent color for most rooms in the house, such a sunny color can be too active for bedrooms. Champagne or gold are beautiful and subtle alternatives.
10. Art of the Home
Artwork is a unique way of introducing yellow into your home. Streaks of lemon accent this abstract work, while a Prussian blue wall offsets the painting’s sunny lines. Small canary yellow vases frame the work and reinforce its bright, cheery tones, making this area a striking vignette within this Florida vacation home.
11. Creative Take
Pale yolk shades combine with delicate cream tones in this Fort Lauderdale home for a softer approach to yellow. The shade serves as the backdrop to a floral motif on this living room’s wallpaper, while that same gentle color is picked up in nearby draperies. A flash of bright yellow brocade covering the pillows adds a dash of pizzazz.
For more inspiration, see 9 Tips for Designing with Red, 10 of Our Favorite White Rooms, and Decorating with Color.
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