The journal

7 Yellow Colour Schemes to Brighten Up Your Home

27 April 2022 5 min read

If you want an instant mood-booster, yellow is your colour. A splash of yellow perks up a tired room and adds light, warmth and vibrancy. Shades range from pale, buttery yellow to zesty lemon, with earthy mustard and golden tones in between, so you can go warm and bold or soft and subtle.

Yellow works all around the house; it's simply a matter of choosing the right shade for each room, a vibrant, welcoming yellow to brighten a dark hallway, a warm yellow to wake up to in the bedroom, a natural pale yellow to freshen a kitchen, and mustard tones for a sophisticated living or dining room. Here are some of our favourite room ideas using yellow with other colours.

A breakfast room with warm yellow Golden Square No.131 walls and paler Lemon Salts No.43 woodwork — Golden Square No.131 walls with Lemon Salts No.43 woodwork in a bright breakfast room

1. Bright yellow and dark blue in the hallway

An entirely yellow room can feel daunting and make too bold a statement, but yellow is ideal as an accent, providing a bright contrast to deep blues, greens and teal in particular, adding lightness and lifting an otherwise dark room like a beam of sun over a turbulent sea. That's why it works wonderfully in a hallway, which is often starved of natural light; a bright yellow adds virtual sunshine, warm and welcoming, and a yellow door or entrance draws the eye along the passage. Below, Mylands Golden Square™ No.131 on the door and entrance walls contrasts starkly with the deep green-blue Mylands Burlington Arcade™ No.216, echoing the tones in the traditional floor tiles.

A tiled hallway with a bright yellow Golden Square No.131 door and deep green-blue Burlington Arcade No.216 walls — A hallway with door and walls in Golden Square No.131 against deep Burlington Arcade No.216

2. Vivid yellow and bright white bedroom walls

How do you want to feel at the start of the day? Yellow injects positivity, so for a sunny disposition go for yellow and white; paired with white it promotes lightness and freshness and enhances natural light, transforming a small, dark room into something more spacious. Add a yellow accent wall, or lift a white room with yellow accessories like bed linen, pillows and a statement headboard. Pops of yellow lift neutral spaces, warm a stark white minimalist room, enhance a boho vibe against rattan and bamboo, and add a soft, warm glow to traditional schemes.

A bedroom with vivid yellow Haymarket No.47 walls, a Honest John No.58 ceiling and white bedding — Vivid Haymarket No.47 bedroom walls under a ceiling in Honest John No.58

3. Sunny yellow and sky blue in a kid's room

What a happy scheme, the pastel palette soft, warm and soothing, a fresh combination for a nursery or child's room. Pale blue and soft yellow create a light, airy feel; blue is known for its calming properties, ideal at sleep time, while yellow is uplifting and warm, just what you want on waking and at play. Mylands Golden Square™ No.131 is the yellow below, its orange undertone echoing the warmth of the golden sun and sitting naturally beside the sky blue of Mylands Notting Hill™ No.213.

A child's bedroom with a sunny Golden Square No.131 wall meeting a sky blue Notting Hill No.213 wall — A child's room with one wall in Golden Square No.131 and one in Notting Hill No.213

4. Pale yellow with vibrant jewel tones in the living room

A pale yellow living room is elegant and traditional, and can act as a soft backdrop to more dramatic colours, textures and patterns, offsetting ornate features in a heritage setting, a patterned yellow couch, intricate coving, period fireplaces or eye-catching art. In a contemporary room, light yellow complements the jewel tones still very much on trend, amethyst, sapphire, ruby and emerald, in curtains, cushions, rugs, throws or the sofa, turning a simply decorated room into a showstopper.

A living room with pale yellow Cornhill No.128 walls, amethyst curtains and a sapphire blue sofa — Pale yellow Cornhill No.128 living room walls with jewel-toned curtains and upholstery

5. Zesty yellow with soft grey in the bathroom

Add zing to your bathroom with vibrant lemon yellow, bringing a fresh, clean feeling. Cheerful yellow accents stand out against a soft, neutral grey, and combine well with an intense dark grey too, bringing much-needed brightness, energy and interest. Grey and yellow may feel like a retro 80s pairing, but a vibrant rather than pale yellow gives it a contemporary edge, and retro trends can be updated with sleek accessories and finishes. Here, Mylands Verdure Yellow™ No.148 on the bathroom cabinetry makes such a difference to the predominantly grey décor.

A bathroom washstand painted lemon Verdure Yellow No.148 against soft grey Hoxton Grey No.72 walls — A bathroom unit in zesty Verdure Yellow No.148 against soft Hoxton Grey No.72 walls

6. Sophisticated yellow with sleek black in the kitchen

This combination is a real statement, grown-up, sophisticated and eye-catching; for a contemporary look, pair a warm, muted yellow with sleek, shiny black, an earthy yellow wall against a metallic black fireplace or modern black furniture. Below, Mylands Freegrove Mustard™ on the cabinetry grounds the harsher black worktops, doors and appliances.

Kitchen cabinetry in muted mustard Freegrove Mustard below a black worktop, with Honest John No.58 walls — Left, kitchen cabinetry in Freegrove Mustard with walls in Honest John No.58; right.

7. Golden yellow with rich burgundy in a dining room

This scheme is grand and regal, adding grandeur and sophistication to even a small space; try a small dose, with burgundy as an accent in an alcove or shelving within a predominantly golden room. Burgundy, long used in stately homes and on royal robes, lends itself to pomp and a grand statement, and paired with golden hues it makes a striking style well suited to a dining room, while a dramatic hallway makes a memorable first impression. Golden yellow is the perfect contrast to deep burgundy, adding light and vibrancy against its dark, bold redness. Here we use Mylands Pimlico™ No.136 in the foreground with Huguenot™ No.49 as the contrast.