Colour crush: Sunshine yellow
This is my kind of colour! Literally sunshine in a tin! Yellow has the power to boost your mood and slap a big fat smile on your face. I have it dotted throughout my home, and my wardrobe. Here I am sot on my Holly sofa in canary from Sofa.com wearing my Essentiel Antwerp top. However, it must be approached with some caution. Yellow can be super stimulating and in-your-face, so it’s rarely my go-to wall-to-wall colour. But if you are in the market for the full throttle happy vibes then begin by considering how you use the space you plan to decorate first. I adore this dining room in the home of fabulous fashion stylist Lucinder Chambers. It packs a punch and looks crisp set against the white painted furniture. It is also the most perfect unapologetic back drop to her brand of maximalist cool. I think it works particularly well in this open plan space as the sun can drench the walls and fully charge the colour to it’s most saturated. Imagine having your bacon and eggs at that table- you’d be turbo charged for the rest of the day!
image credit: The home of fashion stylist Lucinda Chambers featured in House & Garden.
As with any paint colour, always try before you buy. Get a tester pot and paint a larger swatch as you can, at least a meter square, so you can fully appreciate yellow’s radiating beauty and remember if you are going for the four-wall strategy, then the colour will intensify as its reflected back in on itself. That said, colour isn’t just for walls. A sunshine yellow painted ceiling will radiate a fabulously warm glow on the rest of the room. Or you could use it in a more discreet fashion to pick out lovely architectural details like a doorway or a window as designer Beata Heuman has done in this exquisite family bathroom.
In terms of Colour Psychology, yellow is an energising, stimulating and motivating colour, making it an ideal choice for creative spaces. It can lift a dingy north or west facing room feel bright and perky first thing in the morning. I love a sunshine yellow hallway, which can always take a stronger colour because it’s a room you pass through rather than linger, giving you a boost of the feel-good vibes at any time of the day.
Bath panels in India Yellow, Farrow & Ball; Bathroom design by Beata Heuman
No colour is seen in isolation so think about what you sit yellow next too. It looks sharp and fresh with white, cute and soft with pale pink and can energise serious greys and add warmth to cool blues. I’d whole heartedly recommend using yellow as an accent colour for your accessories. A vibrant splash of yellow on scatter cushions, vases, artwork or indeed a jug of yellow tulips will give any existing scheme a real boost.
I’d be wary of using this tone of yellow on the walls in a room where you want to unwind and relax, the bedroom for example. But this is where it can really pop as an accent colour. I adore this velvet yellow headboard, it’s really striking as you walk into the room, however when you come to relax in bed at night it’s no longer in view, so will make it much easier to nod off! But if an energising, positive, colour-soaked room is what you are after, then open the paint tin and let the sunshine in!
room 9 at The Rose Hotel in Deal, designed by Nicola Harding and Michelle Kelly
I love to add a pop of yellow in most of the rooms in my home. It’s a vibrant, perky and feel good colour. Here are my round up of some beautiful home accessories that could instantly lift your home in the style stakes.
1. Wremical armchair, £619, Weilai Concept | 2. Hex Factory Industrial Wall Light, £164, Retro Light | 3. Straight Murano Tumbler, £22.50, Glassette | 4. Rendezvous Reversible Yellow Geometric Indoor & Outdoor Rug, £29.50, Oliver Bonas | 5. Nazar tray, £29.99, Soft Store | 6. Beautiful Body Vase Yellow, £20, Joe Browns
7. Elio armchair in citron, £1,800, Ceraudo | 8. Accordion classic stool, £39, Wweilai Concept | 9. Boho Yellow Glass Candlestick Holder, £14, Talking Tables | 10. Aluro Cushion Yellow,£48, Eva Sonaike | 11. Tangerine Segment Dinner Plate, £27.99, Soft Store | 12. Classic stripe serving bowl, £185, Summerill & Bishop | 13. Small jug by Strøm, £65, The Conran Shop.
With thanks to Luisa Ferdenzi Rouse for the shopping edit.
