Yellow is the color that most feels like warm weather — yellow daffodils, forsythia, crocuses and tulips braving the New England cold to herald the season in spring, and a riot of yellows from hibiscus and marigolds, to lemon lilies and sunflowers in the summer months.

Yellow is a timeless color in interiors as well, imbuing rooms with a sunny disposition. But yellows can be tricky. It is very easy to end up with a glaring neon yellow or an acidy greenish yellow when you were aiming for a warm, sunny yellow.

As always — there are no truly bad shades, just bad applications sometimes.

It took me a while to accommodate yellow. The first house we bought (and the one in which I still live) had all the main spaces painted an unfortunate shade of light yellow with a bit of a green undertone helpfully emphasized by the avocado shag wall-to-wall carpeting?!

This ruined yellow for me for quite a while. A few years later, in the first showhouse I was involved in, I was shocked to see that 95% of the rooms were some variation of yellow — it was having a surge in popularity at the time.

It was that showhouse filled with beautiful yellow rooms that changed my attitude toward the color, and I have come to appreciate what yellow can do for a room. I even have a yellow sofa!

Yellow can be added to rooms in large doses with paint or wallpaper, or in small doses in furnishings or accessories.

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Yellow Paint

These sunny yellow walls and crisp white millwork provided a cheery backdrop for the riot of fresh spring colors in this sunroom space we designed several years ago. Sunroom design: JRL Interiors

Beware of taking paint color names too seriously. I once selected a lovely warm saturated yellow color for a contemporary bedroom with a client only to turn the sample over and find it was named '“nacho cheese”?! No color should be named nacho cheese…it is only a step up from naming a color ‘dead salmon’ (seriously, it exists! Check out the top 12 weird paint names HERE))

Benjamin Moore’s Hepplewhite Ivory is not ivory at all but really a muted yellow hue.

buttery yellow kitchen cabinets — New custom cabinets were painted and glazed for a buttery yellow hue in this ranch makeover - see the before and after pictures HERE. Design: JRL Interiors

A bright saturated yellow makes for a dramatic space as seen in this concept of a yellow powder room imagined by AI with text prompts from me on #midjourney

bright yellow powder bath — AI imaginary powder room image via #midjourney

The vibrant yellow in the room below is relieved by abundant white millwork and neutral textures like the sisal rug for a fresh and energetic space.

Don’t judge your paint color prematurely - it will be less intense once all the furniture and decor are back in the room.

AI image of yellow family room — AI imaginary yellow family room image via #midjourney

Yellow Wallpaper

If straight yellow paint isn’t appealing, there are a host of beautiful yellow wallpapers that add pattern and/or another color (or colors) to the mix.

This imaginary dining room features a yellow mural wallpaper. Because this is an AI image, that wallpaper doesn’t actually exist, though it could be recreated by a mural artist. But The Mural Source has several similar options.

yellow mural wallpaper inn imaginary dining room — AI Imaginary dining room image via #midjourney

Honey colored painted grasscloth wraps this breakfast nook overlooking the Boston Public Garden in style. Design: JRL Interiors

Yellow wallpaper options (click on each image for more information):

Yellow Cabinetry and Millwork

Yellow Cabinets and millwork are an interesting departure from the usual whites, creams and neutrals. Below, buttery yellow walls and sunny cabinets give this AI imagined country kitchen warmth and charm.