• colour crush
• Interior Design
• Interior Styling
• Interiors

Colour Crush: Citrus yellow and how to decorate with it

My colour crush for this month has been inspired by the spring daffodils that are popping up everywhere in my garden. I’m enjoying bringing armfuls in the house right now and popping them on jugs to brighten up all the corners in my home. This very bright yellow that slices through any colour scheme with its perky optimism is one of my favourites to use in a room scheme. I have it popping up all over my home in cushions, vases, and artwork. I’ve recently taken the knee jerk decision to paint my doors in my living room yellow. So I felt it was high time I had a full on colour loving crush and discussed how you can use this sherbety little number in your own home

The new homeware range by fashion stylist Erica Davies exclusive to QVC

So let’s just chart the colour psychology behind yellow. It’s perky, fresh, optimistic and generally a happy colour. However, it can also be viewed as agitating and aggressive. And there is an urban myth doing the rounds that yellow bedrooms make babies cry. However, I could believe that yellow is a very invigorating colour. It literally pops forth towards the eye so is indeed one of the most exhausting colours to look at. And then there is personal preference. This tingly bright zingy yellow is very much t home in my house, but I know it makes my podcast co-host Kate Watson-Smyth wince. She hates a perky yellow. Kate is a classic autumn seasonal personality (with a touch of winter) and so her favourite yellows would be the warm and robust saffron and mustards. This colour is still within the autumn palette, as it’s intense but would also work in a spring interior. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can read up on the psychology of colour with regards to the seasons here).

Cambridge sofa, Joules collection at DFS

Make a statement with colour

A yellow sofa is a great way to add a punch of bright yellow and the trend for bold statement sofas has taken grip. As the sofa is such a big investment piece, it makes sense to pick it in a colour that really makes your heart beat faster, so if yellow lifts you up then a sofa is a great investment. Sometimes just one large piece is all you need to make the statement and create a strong focal point in the room.

The chair is painted in the vibrant and vivid Yellowcake by Farrow & Ball

Yellow is the perfect antidote to serious grey

Even though I have been quoted many times that ‘Grey is dead’, I love grey with a zesty yellow. So if you have a grey base as your neutral then playing around with accenting things with bright yellow is a great idea. I love the idea of buying a pot of paint and picking out a chair, or piece of furniture. I think this very sharp yellow looks particularly unexpected which is why I think I love it so much. For me, it looks interesting against more modern hues like warm pinks and deep blues

Stair risers painted inTrumpet 196 Floor Paint; Skirting (from top to bottom) Urbane Grey 225 and Lamp Black 228 both Intelligent Eggshell, all Little Greene

Use yellow in unexpected ways

I’m not a fan of yellow as a wall colour, as it can be too visually demanding. But as an accent, it really rocks, so look out for areas that you can sneak it in. Always know that where you place vibrant colour, the eye will follow. Therefore stairs, bannisters, doorways, window frames or fire surrounds are great places to experiment. Or you can add it as the accent to your colour scheme with accessories.

1. Elaborate Rattan Peacock Chair in Yellow, £375, Out There Interiors | 2. Unfold pendant light, £155, Muuto at Rume | 3. Velvet linen bedspread/quilt/throw in chartreuse, £220, Nikki Jones at Amara | 4. Friendship Juju hat, from £59, Mukala | 5. Tamma yellow porcelain mug, £12 and bowl, £7, Oliver Bonas | 6. Anglepoise Type 75, Margaret Howell edition, £160, SCP | 7. Dita cabinet, Ligne Roset

CREDITS: Written by Sophie Robinson. Shopping by Luisa Ferdenzi-Rouse