Every house or room needs a theme color that you can work around to communicate moods or character. While most people choose neutral colors like whites, creams, and greys, there is no reason you cannot opt for bold opinions like yellow. As you know, yellow is associated with happiness, enlightenment, and optimism in most cultures, making it a great option for your house. That said, you need to know the best colors that go with yellow walls or fabrics to create a warm living space.
Why Should You Use Yellow for Interior Design
According to this article on the psychology of color, different colors can evoke certain positive or negative feelings. In this case, yellow is the most luminous color in the color spectrum and the sun's color. Therefore, it mostly evokes positive feelings of happiness, hopes, new beginnings, radiance, and nobility. In fact, yellow was a common color associated with nobility in ancient cultures. During the times, royals would wear the color and were also depicted with the color to insinuate they were powerful descendants of God.
If you are not sure if you can use the bright color for your interior design, here are a few reasons we advise you to try it;
- It can improve your mood.
- It lights up even the smallest and darkest spaces.
- It is easy to match.
That said, you will need to use the yellow color selectively when improving your interior spaces. This is because yellow can also evoke negative feelings of anxiety, frustration, and fatigue if used excessively. As a very luminous color, yellow is an attention-grabbing and sometimes hard-to-read color. The attention-grabbing qualities of yellow can cause distress and frustration to introverted persons.
Considering you want to use the color inside your house, you will need to consider the mood you want the color to evoke while also avoiding its negative feelings, especially in rooms where you want to host guests. But, not to worry, we will help you understand which colors go with yellow so you can incorporate the color and its shades into your rooms and fabrics. These include blues, purples, reds, oranges, and more.
1. Yellow with Green
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Of the many color combinations, the green-yellow combination is one to use as the colors improve a room or space with no strain. Green, like yellow, is a color associated with nature, and it will help yellow accentuate a natural vibe in a room. On the other hand, yellow is a vibrant color that will enhance the natural liveliness of a green shade.
You can pair many shades of green with as many shades of yellow. One way to match these colors is to use dark greens with bright yellows or to match pale yellow shades to bright green.
For instance, you can pair dark evergreen shades with the brighter mustard or pastel yellow. This color combo will create a lively bedroom or living room. However, these bold colors can get overwhelming, so they may be better as accent colors. You can design a yellow wall or drapery and complement the look with a plant for the perfect mood.
If you choose a pale yellow and bright shade of green combo, there is no limit to how far you can go. For example, you may choose a green sofa and then complement the look with a pale yellow carpet or throw pillows.
Alternatively, a pale yellow shade is ideal for relaxed walls, like a bedroom. When painting your bedroom walls yellow, it is best to go for cool tones to help you relax when you need to sleep.
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You can also use this combo in an exposed area like the dining room. For example, you can line the table with yellow fabric in the dining area and match it to chairs with green accents. Another clever way to add pops of yellow and green to your spaces is to grow indoor evergreen plants in yellow planters.
Yellow and green are colors made for each other to offer you limitless opportunities to improve your rooms. Any of these colors can be a room's theme or the main attraction, and you will surely have the other perfectly complement the mood. However, you still need to be conservative when choosing the hues to avoid creating an extremely busy or frustrating environment.
2. Yellow with Blue Shades
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Blue is one of the top colors to match with yellow. Since blue is a known calming color, you can use it to subdue the aggressiveness of bright yellows. In addition, this color combination is modern and gives you loads of room to showcase your creativity.
You can use bright shades of yellow with navy blue or lighter shades of blue like teal with pale yellow. In the first idea, you can use blue as the main color but then throw in bright yellow accents to light up the room. For the second idea, you cannot go wrong, either way, so you can use the colors in equal measure or use one as the main theme and accentuate with the other.
The yellow and blue combo is ideal for the living room, bedrooms, or bathrooms. It creates a gender-neutral effect, so you can confidently use it in a kid's room. In addition, the combination is good when used on fabrics rather than walls.
3. Yellow with Pink
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The next color combination uses yellow hues with different pink shades. If you love hot pink, it is an electric color that can combine with pale or bold yellows to create a positive room. Hot pink evokes feelings of romance, sensitivity, and femininity in positive settings. Alternatively, it can also evoke aggressive and rebellious notions, so you will need to understand the mood you want to set with your yellow hues.
The best way to capture the more relaxed, sensitive, or feminine mood is to use hot pink with mustard yellow. One way to do this is using mustard yellow as the accent color on mats, curtains, or throw pillows.
Pale pink is a good alternative to the hot pink option. Unlike the first option, the pale pink and yellow combo creates a laid-back, almost retro, or vintage theme for any room. This combination is ideal for most rooms, including sitting rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. You can use pink to cool yellow walls in bedrooms or bold yellow shades to accentuate pale pink walls.
4. Yellow with Red
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Yellow and red are both bright colors that you can incorporate into a room. But, to avoid creating a frustrating room, you may want to tone it down with one color. For instance, you could use yellow bedding and throw hints of red on a wall hanging or use accent pieces with minimal red lines or shapes.
Alternatively, a bold yellow shade, like mustard or golden yellow, would tone down the attention-grabbing quality of a red theme or centerpiece. If you have a red couch, you can choose a yellow wall or fabrics like throw pillows or curtains to welcome more natural light and cheerfulness.
If you want to match other bold shades, you can pair mustard, golden, or pastel yellows with deep shades like burgundy and cinnamon red.
5. Yellow with White
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One of the easiest ways to complement yellow is to use neutral colors. White makes selecting from the color palette easy since you can work with many ideas. In addition, white is a bold yet relaxing color that can tone down the energetic notions of yellow.
This color combination is ideal for any room, including the sitting room, kitchen, bedroom, and more. In most cases, you will be looking to add dashes of bold yellows in white-themed spaces. For instance, you can add a curry or mustard throw pillow to accentuate white linens on a bed. Alternatively, yellow curtains will marry perfectly with white walls, and you can also use yellow accent ideas like wall hangings or vases to add character to plain white walls or floors.
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But, while plain white and yellow are easy to pull off, white can be overbearing, especially when used as a room's theme. Because yellow is a luminous color on its own, you might find more success pairing it with warmer shades. Like other colors, you can also combine yellow with other softer shades of white. For instance, you would require less effort to accentuate off-white walls, fabrics, or furniture with yellow pieces. Also, use yellow to add warmth, character, and natural light to off-white, cream, or even beige themes.
6. Yellow with Brown
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Are you looking for the boldest yet easy to pair colors? We suggest you give yellow hues and brown themes a try. The jovial appearance of yellow paired with brown introduces a calmer, earthy warmth and look that leaves your spaces with a creative ambiance.
You can place a yellow piece of furniture, such as a couch, console table, or shelf, and stand it in front of a brown wall to introduce creativity. You can also accentuate the look with classy red, white, off-white, beige, or black pieces, like paintings or vases.
Alternatively, you might look to pair a yellow couch with wood furniture like tables and side tables. In addition, you can choose a yellow couch with wooden legs and add a dose of brown paint to improve the natural elements. You can also use the yellow-brown combo for your dining area, where you can choose brown wooden chairs with yellow fabrics or line the dining table with a pale yellow cotton or satin liner to create a natural, spring look.
7. Yellow with Gray
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If you are not a fan of white or off-white walls, you might need to give gray a chance. And, if you do, then yellow is a perfect highlighting color to use. Yellow and gray are contrasting shades that evoke happiness, sophistication, and calmness, and the combo is an absolute winner for bedrooms.
A gray wall in a bedroom will make you fall asleep fast, but it is also a dull color that can evoke other dull feelings. Adding yellow in small doses, like throw pillows, paintings, vases, or mats, will welcome some needed sunshine into the room. You can choose many shades of gray or yellow since the options complement each other perfectly.
8. Yellow and Black
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This is a combination to try if you want to create contrast in a gender-neutral room. With yellow being the most luminous color, it welcomes light into a room, a start opposite of what black does. The latter is associated with the absolute absence of light, which is how black walls or accents affect a room.
Pairing yellow with black creates a dramatic and moody look that looks good on walls, fabrics, and furniture. While you might not work with many black shades, you can choose many shades of yellow, including neon yellow and paler shades.
Not sure where to incorporate this combo? Why don't you try the kitchen? You can match black kitchen cabinets and fixtures to yellow walls or islands. To pull off this look perfectly, we'd suggest adding wooden accents to create a natural look.
Alternatively, you can complement a bedroom's yellow paint with black fabrics. Since black blocks light, black curtains are the perfect summer choices for a sunshine yellow bedroom.
9. Yellow with Purple
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While yellow is associated with happiness and hope, purple is the color of royalty and class. This color combo is best used in a living room, bedroom, or bathroom as it is good for a space where you need your creativity shared with all. Ideally, you want to use these colors in rooms you welcome people.
You can use pale purple on bedroom walls, then improve the look with yellow curtains to create an ever sunny room. Alternatively, you can opt for purple bathroom walls, then paint the cabinets yellow to invite more light into the room. Our next recommendation is to add yellow accents to purple furniture. For instance, add mustard or pastel shades of yellow throw pillows to a pale purple sofa.
Finally, you can use this combo in your kitchen to create a dramatic look. For example, you can paint your cabinets and shelves yellow, then paint sections of the walls yellow to create the most striking contrast.
10. Yellow with Orange
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Orange is a luxurious, natural color that pairs well with yellow. As one of the warm colors that work with yellow, you can use it to create a warm, down-to-earth, and calm place. The combo is especially good when you want to brighten your home in the dark winter season.
That said, the bold combo might require a definite home theme, such as retro or rustic styles. Throw orange accents, like curtains, vases, throw pillows, shelves, and blankets to a room with soft yellow paint. When creating this great combination, you will want to choose the hues carefully to avoid creating a very busy room. So, choose pale yellow hues as the theme color, accentuating the look with bright or dark shades of orange.
Where Can You Use Yellow Interior Decor?
When designing your home, you want to choose a color that evokes positive feelings for you and your loved ones. Luckily, yellow is a happy color that will get your entire family in a good mood regardless of the season. However, you will still need to be careful when choosing the shades, as the color can create a frustrating mood if used excessively. So, you can go for pale shades of yellow if creating a theme or the brightest and boldest shades for accent colors.
You can use the yellow color in any space in your house, including the entryway, living room, dining area, kitchen, bedrooms, hallway, bathrooms, and study. You can also use your health goals when choosing a shade for specific rooms. For instance, you can use bright yellow in a study room as it helps liven moods and improve memory. Alternatively, you can also use golden yellow in the dining to aid with digestion. You can also use a soft shade of yellow in a baby nursery to help your little one stay cheerful or calm.
Besides your home, you can also use yellow for your workspace or area as it is an attention-grabbing color. For example, paint your retail shop yellow to attract potential customers or wear yellow clothes when you want to be confident and assertive.
