The colour yellow: Do you love it or loath it?
This past week, I posted Behr’s colour of the month on my Facebook page. I was surprised to see how many people commented on the colour yellow.
There seemed to be two camps with the colour yellow: love it or loath it. So what is the deal with this yellow?
Note: I live in Canada and we spell the word colour with a /u/. You will see the word spelled both ways as I have used quotes in this blog that spell the word without a /u/.
The colour yellow
Psycology
First, let’s look at a little colour theory. The colour yellow is the lightest hue in the spectrum. According to Kendra Cherry, yellow can evoke certain emotions.
Warmth: Yellow is a bright color that is often described as cheery and warm.
Difficult to read: Yellow is also the most fatiguing to the eye due to the high amount of light that is reflected. Using yellow as a background on paper or computer monitors can lead to eyestrain or vision loss in extreme cases.
Frustration: Yellow can also create feelings of frustration and anger. While it is considered a cheerful color, people are more likely to lose their tempers in yellow rooms and babies tend to cry more in yellow rooms.
Energetic: Yellow can also increase metabolism.
Attention-grabbing: Since yellow is the most visible color, it is also the most attention-getting color. Yellow can be used in a small amount to draw notice, such as on traffic sign or advertisements.Kendra Cherry
Since I love yellow, I often found it hard to hear that some people really detest the colour. After reading some more information on the psychology of colour, I can see why this is not a favourite for some people.
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A muted yellow
Just like Behr’s Charismatic yellow, a muted yellow can add some softness to a space. Whether you are painting a wall, a door, or adding in some pops of this colour, a pop of a muted yellow may all that you need to spice up a space. It’s the perfect fall colour – at least I think so.
Charismatic PPU6-14 evokes feelings of warmth, comfort and bliss, making it ideal for use around the home this time of year and any other. This soft, mellow yellow calls to mind the early morning sunbeams peeking through the windows to greet us with a brand-new day.
A crisp yellow
A crisp yellow could be considered an aggressive colour. This may leave people feeling agitated or angry.
The color yellow can be anxiety producing as it is fast moving and can cause us to feel agitated.
I find crisp, clean yellows are great as an accent colour in your decor. I also find that these crisp yellows can be found more in spring/summer than in the fall. While I don’t personally find a crisp yellow to be aggressive, I do find it they can certainly add a punch to any room.
My Final Thoughts
I am a firm believer that you should love your home. So whether you are have yellow in it or not, you really should love where you live. Use colour where it evokes emotion for you. Go big, bright and bold, or soft and muted. You get to be you!
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Great post Sheri! I also find that yellow is a strong color used in French, Italian and overall classical design. While I don’t have any yellow in my home, and it is not a color I wear either, our newly painted cream walls lean on the soft yellow side. I am finding it to be a happy soothing color. I do love yellow flowers for that pop of color.
Ahhh..yellow flowers are one of my favourites!
Love the yellow, but all color is such a personal choice. You’ve got some fun options here!
Thank you, Carla.
I’m still recovering from the years of yellow – but now that you mention it, that was a long time ago! Your pictures of yellow accents make me happy, so I guess it’s time to add it back to my list of favorites (in small doses). Thanks for that!
I’m so glad the images that I used make you happy!
Haha – colors all cycle through popularity, don’t they?! I remember the first showhouse I worked on almost 30 years ago – nearly EVERY room had yellow walls – it took me a while to accommodate that. I had painted over the unfortunate shade of yellow walls that came with our own house almost immediately, but eventually, a sunny version was what I selected for my sofa, so I guess it’s become part of my personal repertoire. I agree wholeheartedly that you should love your home and it should reflect the colors that make YOU happy!
Oh yes…the Tuscan yellow! My very dear friend has a leather yellow sectional and I love it! It has never aged in her home and still looks fantastic! I’m hunting for the right yellow accent chair for our main floor!
Yellow happens to be my absolute favorite color. So much so, that my husband proposed with a yellow diamond! Although, I don’t tend to really use it in my decor I love it in what I wear. I think it can be amazing in decor when done the right way and subtle touches in accents. Love this post!!!
Thanks so much, Chári. I’m team yellow. Your yellow diamond must be drop-dead gorgeous!
All the main rooms in our house were painted a harvest yellow when we bought it and we lived with it for 5 years, not sure why because I hated it! That being said I love yellow as accents and for the first time ever have yellow in my wardrobe, really love the trendy mustard yellow for that.
A wrong yellow can certainly leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth. While I can’t wear the mustard yellow, I do love it!
Sheri, I have always loved using yellow in my home, but I have found that many clients want to avoid it! It’s like you said, they either love it or hate it. My kitchen is butter yellow, which I love. I’ve also used BM Hawthorne Yellow to bring light to basements and other dark spaces. Many of my clients have had BAD experiences with choosing a yellow that went neon, gold, or (heaven forbid) pee-like! It’s hard to pick a good yellow! 🤣😂🤣
Kristie, I love the yellow in your kitchen! You are so right – it is very hard to pick a good yellow for a space. You are going to make me giggle all day as I have seen some yellow rooms that do look like someone has peed on the walls!
Hey Sheri! I love yellow and that barn door looks great. Personally though, it’s not a colour I use often. But the images you shared and decor pieces in yellow are fabulous!
Thank you, Claire!
Yellow isn’t a good colour to wear if a person is on TV. I can’t wear yellow so l like to see it in room decor or flowers!!
Thanks, Sheri
Maria, you are so right with wearing yellow on TV. Horrible colour for people to wear. Thanks for chiming in Maria!
I’m team love yellow, but you’re so right that a home should reflect its occupants.
I also had no idea that yellow could affect babies so much; really glad I didn’t paint my son’s room yellow now!
I didn’t know that yellow could affect babies either. It was great intel!
I am not the biggest fan of yellow for my own home. I do feel that it puts me on edge a little. I definitely prefer cooler tones, but probably muted warm cools, like spa blue and sage green, which almost reads neutral. However, I like a little sunny yellow in my projects and I don’t mind using it and I must say, muted and golden yellows are my preference, fo sure.
Thank you Julie for sharing your thoughts on yellow.
I love yellow, but it has to be the right shade of yellow. I like buttery, muted yellows. When I designed our kitchen, I knew I was going to have yellow cabinets. I did the uppers in white, but the lowers are yellow, and I love it. I also did custom yellow curtains in our living room.
Yellow cabinets! I would LOVE to see your kitchen. That would be a dream of mine – for sure! But as you say, it would have to be the right shade of yellow.
I like yellow as an accent , and find some muted yellows work well in global style design. I can see how too much bright yellow in a room could be a little much. I’ve always like the look of a light, muted yellow as an exterior paint color with white trim.
Mary Ann, until I did a little research, I never really knew WHY some yellow colours had a certain affect on people. It totally makes sense.
Hi Sheri: I am a huge lover of yellow, but the crisp yellow (in small quantities, like lemons) not so much the buttery yellow. I grew up in a buttery yellow and celery green home in FL, and I think this had an influence on me. The crisp yellow says *hello-wake up* to me, while the buttery yellow leaves me feeling *meh* , although I do like the buttery yellow for exteriors. Go figure.
I too am a lover of yellow. When we built our home, I chose a yellow exterior (soft and warm) and while the other homes around us are all brown or some kind of taupe, our home (in my humble opinion) has not aged. I certainly didn’t follow the ‘trend’ of taupe when we built it and I’m so glad!
I love yellow. It has been in every home I’ve lived in as an adult but choosing the right shade can be tricky. Love your insight into the impact of this color!
Lisa – yes – yellow can be so tricky! Thanks for stopping by to leave your comment.
Ive noticed a lot of yellow this year as well and recently bought a yellow sweater. Not a color I would usually buy but i like it. As far as decor, I like it in small doses, like a pillow, art or flowers. It always feels cheery
I love wearing yellow. I find it so cheerful and fun – but it has to be the right yellow! I too typically like pops of yellow in decor.
I am a yellow lover but as you have so geniusly pointed out, not all shades are for all people. I especially enjoyed the psychology attributes of this color yellow Sheri, some of which I did not know before your post.
Whenever I see a front door painted yellow, I smile thinkng the homeowner has what I love, no fear of color along with a touch of whimsy.
I too love a great yellow front door! I specified a great yellow for a home that had a full Hardie Board exterior work done. It looks so sharp and fun!