7 Yellow Colour Schemes to Brighten up your Home

If you’re looking for an instant mood-booster, yellow is your go-to colour. A splash of yellow paint will perk up a tired-looking room and add light, warmth and vibrancy. Shades vary from pale, buttery yellow to zesty, lemon yellow with earthy, mustard yellow and golden tones in between. Opt for warm shades or more subtle tones.

Yellow can be used all around the house. It’s all about choosing the right shades of yellow for your room. Brighten up a dark hallway with a vibrant, welcoming yellow. Wake up to a warm yellow in your bedroom. Freshen up your kitchen with a natural, pale yellow. And create a sophisticated living room or dining room with mustard tones.

Here are some of our favourite room ideas using yellow with other colours around the house.

Walls in Golden Square™ No.131, Woodwork in Lemon Salts™ No.43

1. Bright yellow and dark blue in the hallway

The thought of an entirely yellow room can feel a tad scary. It can make too bold a statement. However, it’s ideal as an accent wall colour. Yellow provides a bright contrast colour to deep blues, greens and teal in particular. It adds lightness and lifts an otherwise dark room. It acts like a beam of sun over a turbulent sea.

That’s why yellow works wonderfully in a hallway. Often, hallways are devoid of natural light. Using a bright yellow paint will add virtual rays of sunshine. Yellow is so warm and welcoming - a perfect way to greet visitors to your house. A yellow front door or entrance way will draw the eye-line along the passageway to the doorway.

In this photo, Mylands Golden Square™ No.131 is used on the door and entrance walls in stark contrast to the deep green-blue paint, Mylands Burlington Arcade™ No.216. This colour combination reflects the tones in the traditional floor tiles too.

Door & Walls in Golden Square™ No.131, Walls in Burlington Arcade™ No.216 - @cluelessrenovators

2. Vivid yellow and bright white bedroom walls

How do you want to feel at the start of your day? Yellow injects positive vibes into a room. So, if you want to promote a sunny disposition, go for a sunny yellow and white colour scheme.

Paired with white, yellow promotes lightness and freshness. It enhances the natural light in a room. Consequently, it can transform a small, dark room and make it feel more spacious. You could incorporate a yellow accent wall or enhance a white room with yellow accessories like bed linen, throw pillows and a statement headboard.

Pops of yellow will lift otherwise neutral spaces. It will tone down a minimalist, stark white room. It can enhance a Boho vibe when used against textured elements like rattan and bamboo. And it can add a soft, warm glow to traditional interior design styling.

Ceiling in Honest John™ No.58, Walls in Haymarket™ No.47

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

What a happy colour scheme. The pastel palette is soft, warm and soothing. It’s a fresh colour combination for a nursery or child’s room.

The pale blue and soft yellow shades will create a light and airy feeling in the room. Blue is known for its calming properties which is ideal for sleep time. The yellow is uplifting and warm - just what you want on waking and for play time.

Mylands Golden Square™ No.131 is the yellow paint used on the child’s bedroom wall pictured below. Its orange undertone really echoes the warmth of the golden sun. It sits naturally alongside the sky blue tones of Mylands Notting Hill™ No.213.

Right Wall in Golden Square™ No.131, Left wall in Notting Hill™ No.213

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

A pale yellow living room is a very elegant and traditional decor style. As such, it can act as a soft backdrop to more dramatic colours, textures and patterns. For example, it could be used in a heritage setting to offset ornate features like a patterned yellow couch, intricate coving, period fireplaces or eye-catching wall art.

In a more contemporary setting, light yellow complements vibrant jewel tones which are still very much on trend. Add bright colours like amethyst, sapphire, ruby and emerald to great effect. This could be in textural elements like curtains, cushions, rugs, throws and even the sofa. With those bold flourishes, a simply decorated room becomes a showstopper.

Living room walls in Cornhill™ No.128 - @Claudiainteriors

5. Zesty yellow with soft grey in the bathroom

Add some zing to your bathroom with an injection of vibrant, lemon yellow. It brings a fresh feeling to the room that’s all about cleanliness.

Cheerful, uplifting yellow accents really stand out against a soft, neutral grey primary colour. It also combines well with an intense, dark shade of grey. The bright yellow brings much-needed brightness, energy and interest to the room.

Grey and yellow may feel like a retro 80s colour combination. Opting for a vibrant rather than pale yellow paint colour will give it a more contemporary style. Similarly, retro decor trends can be giving a modern twist with sleek accessories and finishes.

Here, Mylands Verdure Yellow™ No.148 is used on the bathroom cabinetry. That simple splash of yellow colour makes such a difference to the predominantly grey decor.

Bathroom unit in Verdure Yellow™ No.148 - @tierneyterracelocation

6. Sophisticated yellow with sleek black in the kitchen

This colour combination creates a real statement look. It’s grown up, sophisticated and eye-catching.

For a contemporary style, pair a warm, muted yellow with sleek, shiny black. This could be an earthy yellow wall paint juxtaposed by a metallic black fireplace or combined with modern black furniture.

In the picture below, Mylands Freegrove Mustard™ yellow paint is used on the kitchen cabinetry and it grounds the harsher, black worktops, doors and appliances.

Cabinetry in Freegrove Mustard™ (Wood & Metal Eggshell), Walls in Honest John™ No.58, Ceiling in Whitehall™ No.9, Doors in Rothschild Street™ No.296 (Wood & Metal Eggshell)

7. Golden yellow with rich burgundy in a dining room

This yellow colour combination is grand and regal. It adds some grandeur and sophistication to even a small space. Try a small dose with burgundy providing an accent colour in an alcove or shelving unit within a predominantly golden yellow room.

Burgundy is often used in stately homes and on royal robes, so it lends itself to pomp and a grand statement. Paired with golden hues, it makes a striking style. A dining room is often the space in which that luxury look works well. A dramatic hallway also makes a memorable first impression.

The golden yellow is the perfect contrast colour to deep burgundy. It adds light and vibrancy against the dark, bold redness or the burgundy colour.

Here, we use Mylands Pimlico™ No.136 in the foreground with Huguenot™ No.49 as the contrast colour.