Yellow Color Schemes

Eclectic Color Scheme

Analogous colors yellow, green, and blue work together naturally to create a midlevel degree of contrast that is easy on the eyes while still keeping things interesting. In this living room, the walls get the yellow treatment while green paint jazzes up the interior of a built-in cabinet and provides a pop of color in the coffee table. A green throw brings color to the white sofa. Accents in cyan echo the blue rug.

 

Liven Up

Golden yellow walls lend this living room a sunny disposition. To make the extra-tall room feel less imposing, a band of white trim breaks up the yellow walls and introduces a subtle accent. Another primary color, red, helps the chairs make a bold statement, while the browns in the sofa and window treatments anchor the room's scheme.

 

Formally Yellow

Yellow can take on an elegant vibe when the tone is just a step or two up from white. In this airy space, abundant natural light and high ceilings are the stars. The walls serve as a supporting character, painted a shade of butter yellow, as do the subtle yellow accents.

 

Butter-cream Walls

Light buttercream yellow unites this large living room. It starts on the walls and echoes in the gingham curtains and the striped rug. The lighter yellow backdrop allows artwork and a lively animal print on the ottoman to take center stage. Adding black accents will give a yellow room more zing. Just be careful not to add so much black that you mimic the decorating equivalent of a bumblebee.

 

Natural Inspiration

Draw inspiration from nature when choosing yellows for a color palette. Here, the daffodil color of the yellow accent pillows and the chair slipcover echo the forest-inspired picture on the mantel. The greens and neutrals are also from that artwork. For more nature inspiration, consider the yellows of daisies, tulips, sweet corn, wheat, fall leaves, or goldfinches.

 

Cobalt and Yellow

This predominantly two-tone color scheme updates the classic yellow-and-blue combo to give it a fresh twist. Here, a light yellow on the walls buddies up to a striking cobalt that frames black-and-white photos. Lower in the room, the yellow turns a bit more vibrant on pillows and the lamp base, while the blue gets in touch with its turquoise side. A neutral beige sofa lets this colorful yellow-blue pairing keep all the attention.

 

Strength in Subtlety

While creamy yellow and white provide a soft scheme, a strong accent can create a punch that ensures the pairing won¿t fade into obscurity. Here, chocolate-brown velvet chairs and an animal-print ottoman add depth to an otherwise subtle space. Gold accents, such as the mirror above the fireplace, introduce glamour to the living room.

 

A Summery Room

This lovely room combines sunshine yellow and a light sage to capture the light, breezy feel of a summer's day. The fireplace wall gets extra attention with its contrasting green paint and the clever circular motif that repeats the drapery pattern. The yellow walls lend subtle background color that lets the green accents pop.

Accent Wall

Yield-light yellow will make visitors come to a full stop when you use it as a bold accent wall. Here, it¿s incorporated with generous doses of white -- on other walls, the ceiling, the sofa, artwork, and tables -- to mitigate the drama. Graphic black accents weave into the scheme to emphasize the geometry of this modern space.

 

Sweet Color Scheme

Paneled walls painted a vanilla yellow bring light to a small bedroom in a snug lake cottage. Jade green frames the windows and mixes with rosy pink in a sweet confection of patterns on the rug and in the bed linens. A note of turquoise blue appears in the storage case at the end of the bed. The pastel palette enhances the cottage style and helps to harmonize the varied vintage furnishings.

 

Bold Yellow Sofa

Paint isn't the only way to get the benefits of yellow in a living room. Here, a bold yellow striped sofa adds a punch of color to the room. It pairs with navy blue accents in the stripes, pillows, and window treatments to feel balanced. The somewhat subdued patterns leave plenty of attention for the colorful glassware collection on the other side of the room.

Frame Bright Art in Yellow

Art galleries know a neutral backdrop lets the artwork shine. This room shows that a neutral background doesn¿t have to be white. A warm yellow wall color emphasizes the hues in this graphic, unframed piece. Lighter shades in subtle yellow-and-white patterns add interest to the white furniture without detracting from the star of the room -- the bold painting.