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Yellow family room decorating ideas


25 Gorgeous Yellow Accent Living Rooms

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Sunshine, daffodils, songbirds, and gold – yellow is one of the most cheerful colors of all, but rare to find in modern decor. Why is that? Maybe it's because yellow is so bold and adventurous. Or maybe it's just because yellow interiors are hard to find. This post explores 25 stylish homes that showcase the flexibility of this sunny color, from bright furniture to smooth pastel palettes. Daring accents! Subtle accents! This list has a little bit of everything.

Let’s begin our exploration of yellow decor with an especially strong example. This artistic home features smartly-arranged yellow accessories, a great way to spice up the gray sofa and open kitchen shelves. The painting ties the theme together.

Here, part of the allure comes from surprise – while the pillows and throw were expected, but the single yellow dining chair and the yellow clock pendulum are absolutely delightful. Darker golden-yellow table napkins are a nice accessory.

Those colorful doors are amazing! Investing in an unusual door is always slightly risky, but the risk really pays off in this small yet exciting apartment interior. A bold black and white rug and neon orange chandelier add a touch of pop art flair.

Yellow is an energetic color, but it doesn’t have to be loud – here, select red and orange accents help bring those sunny yellow tones down to earth. Subdued goldenrod is a staple where relaxing colors are concerned.

Luxurious matte black and stark white decor yields to the brightness of carefully-chosen yellow accents, like the sideboard table and the sofa throw pillows. Taking center stage is the bright yellow Nikos chair by Sergio Bicego. The circle living room chandelier adds to the ambience.

Light yellow and blue make such a cheerful interior theme! Note how the upholstery of the chair matches up with the tufting on the sofa pillows – a unifying feature can increase your odds of a cohesive look if you’re ever unsure about including a single item for contrast.

Do you have a piece of furniture you never use because it’s hard to match the color? Here, the bright Grand Repos Lounge Chair by Antonio Citterio blends smoothly into an interior of varied yellows ranging from subdued dandelion to bright lemon. Variety can make all the difference.

Artistic black and white decor provides a neutral backdrop that makes the wooden elements stand out – the furniture looks absolutely lively! Here, the only two yellow accents are the classic Danish chairs to the left (a 1953 design by Helge Sibast) and the oversized throw pillow to the right. We love those gorgeous nesting coffee tables!

In the foreground, the IPANEMA armchair by Jean-Marie Massaud takes on a daring shade of bright lemon yellow, while a trio of varied pillows adds character to the grayscale sofa in the background. The Arne Jacobsen floor lamps go well with the yellow-grey-black theme.

The only thing more bubbly than the shape of the furniture set is the canary yellow accent chair!

Rich jonquil yellow takes center stage in this modernist interior. The angular sofa in the background is quite striking, especially the choice of beige pinstripes.

Highly saturated yellow gains an almost neon effect thanks to the liberal use of transparent materials and thoughtful accent colors like green and blue in gem tones.

Blue and yellow are usually paired in their more vivid forms, but these subdued shades wonderfully lend themselves to the relaxing atmosphere set by the stone walls and rich wood floors. The curtains are the only yellow feature that adopts a brighter tone, perhaps to draw attention to the view outside.

Steel and brushed black cladding set the stage for a dark and industrial theme, but the bright sofa adds an element of adventure and surprise.

Yellow and blue are always immediately engaging. As true contrasts, this combination of raw primaries can create quite a jarring effect – this interior uses a darker and more muted shade of blue for a vibrant theme that feels lovely on the eyes. Green joins the color theme on the accent wall.

Bright furniture and fixtures make an immediate impression, even managing to stand out against the exciting ceramic tiles in the background. A very imaginative style!

Sleek, modern, industrial… Almost any accent color could work within this interior, but it brings out a whole different character in the yellow accessories. Perhaps it’s because the grays lean more toward the blue side for subtle contrast.

Dandelion yellow and soft mint green energize this eclectic apartment interior. It’s just the right amount of color to brighten the room without overshadowing the unique patterns and decor that make this space so unique.

Muted yellow stands out from the grayscale background, a soft oasis in the sea of concrete. This is another interior where balanced interior elements allow for endless experimentation with color.

Loose and flowing patterns on the curtains contrast nicely with the tight lacelike print on the wall. Of course, bright peacock blue and rich yellow create a lovely drama of contrast as well.

Now this is a very bold use of yellow! Several different yellow tones come together in this fun and quirky design concept, standing out against gray and silver furniture. Note the playful addition of lemons, sticky notes, and little yellow birds.

Stunning! In a space with ceilings as high as this, it can be hard to ensure the upper portions of the walls feel interesting and appealing. This design takes height to task with bright yellow niches that run all the way up the matte black accent wall. From there, a series of bevels and recessed lights and wooden slats prevents the ceiling from looking bare.

Yellow works in natural contrast to the panoramic view of the sea. The interior is bold and modern, perhaps even minimalistic, but the yellow offers a slightly tropical aesthetic to the mix as well.

Within such a dark and elegant living room, the strong yellow accents feel rebellious and full of attitude. Every classically-inspired element enjoys a sharp modern reinterpretation. And the result? Gorgeous!

Impossible to resist! A bright yellow floor bursts with charisma, surely lifting the spirits of anyone who enters. Abundant natural light floods the white furniture and further fuels the sunny theme. Night time illumination is provided by the large floor lamp and a swing arm wall lamp.


Looking for more yellow-themed ideas for your home? Check out this mega-post of yellow interior design inspiration next.

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20 Yellow Living Room Ideas for a Bright and Sunny Space

Dazey Den

While yellow might not be the first color that comes to mind when you’re selecting a palette for that long-awaited living room refresh, the bright shade's popularity is very much on the rise. Case and point: Pantone’s 2021 Color of the Year. A vibrant yellow hue entitled, "Illuminating," the color is “aspirational and gives us hope,” according to Pantone. It was selected specifically for its brightness—a metaphor for finding the light in every day. Universally, yellow is a zesty, energetic, and happy color choice. By using it to decorate, you’re infusing a zing of boldness and warmth into your space, reminiscent of the sun streaming in from outside.

However, the variety the comes from tons of different yellow tones can make it tricky to decorate with in a way that feels cheerful and cozy without being overwhelming. From mellow marigold and golden mustard to striking lemon, the shade of yellow—and how you use it—can make a huge impact on the vibe of the room.

For a little inspiration on how to use this statement-making color in your living room, we tapped interior designers. These yellow living room ideas will have you feeling like you’re walking on sunshine all year long.

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Design by Annie Elliot Photo by photo by Michael Wilkinson

Designer Annie Elliott fully embraces the vividness of yellow with this egg-yolk color that she painted on all four walls of her living room. True white baseboards and accents (such as a fireplace, lamp, coffee table, and rug) juxtapose the electric tone of the walls, while colorful furniture completes the funky vibe.

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Design by Annie Elliott Photo by Angie Seckinger

"There's nothing like yellow to give a room a beautiful warm glow," says Elliott. Here, she uses a classic yellow on a board and batten accent wall across from the open-concept kitchen and living room area to give the industrial space a more colorful, contemporary feel.

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Black and Blooms

You don't have to use yellow paint to give your living room a dose of cheerful sunshine. This white room sets the stage for a warm sunset-inspired palette of rust, red, and gold that compliment—rather than compete with—one another. The golden accent pillows complete the cohesive color scheme.

04 of 20

Dazey Den

Not ready to take the plunge and paint an entire wall yellow? Try using it as an accent color to give your walls more depth. Here, Dazey Den uses a buttercup color to carve out this cozy reading nook—strategical including monochromatic yellow decor pieces to let the color really shine, instead of distracting from it.

05 of 20

Dazey Den

If pop art were a living room, it would look something like this. A warm, canary yellow with orange undertones packs a serious punch on one accent wall while black accents ground the rest of the room. Orange drapes make the space feel warm and inviting.

06 of 20

Design by Emily Henderson Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

One creative way to warm up a basic white room is to experiment with ceiling paint colors. Here, a light buttermilk yellow contrasts nicely with a warm-toned white paint and is further complemented by pops of yellow in the soft goods (like the throw pillows, blankets, and rug) spread throughout the space.

07 of 20

Faye C Ryan

A dreamy goldenrod color like this is the epitome of cozy living. Enveloping the room, it instantly creates an inviting, lived-in vibe that's not distracting to the eye. Keep the rest of the room bright and airy so there's nothing to compete with the standout color of the walls.

08 of 20

Julian Design

In large living rooms, a citrusy yellow tone may come off as claustrophobic. Instead, select a creamier, sandy yellow tone that shows off the size of the space but still brings in plenty of warmth. Dark wood accents ground the grandness of the space.

09 of 20

K Shan Design

"If you’re looking for that cheery pop of yellow, opt to incorporate it in small furniture and decor such as an accent chair, art, and pillows/throws," suggests Alessandra Wood, VP of Style, at Modsy. This is a great way to incorporate yellow with styles such as mid-century modern and transitional.

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Design by Marian Louise Designs Photography Kaley Elaine Photography 

Say goodbye to gray, beige, and brown couches and instead opt for a plush yellow one. Just be sure to select the right shade for your room. "For instance, a pale buttery yellow is a great alternative to white for walls, whereas a mustard or deep yellow makes for a better accent color via furniture or decor," says Billie Tharaldson of Julian Design.

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Kendall Wilkinson

To keep your room from looking too electric, try a buttery shade of light yellow. According to Elliott, "Yellow is tricky because it can go green in certain light. It's safest to stick with a light yellow that's creamy, rather than lemony—especially in upscale rooms like a formal living room."

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Kendall Wilkinson

Gray, blue, and light yellow are a color palette match made in heaven and, since gray was another one of Pantone's 2021 Colors of the Year, we love the idea of using the two together. Soft yellow accent pillows instantly transform this cool color scheme and draw the eye in.

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Design by KT2 Design Photo by Michael J Lee

Incorporating yellow into your living room is easy with the help of some strategic artwork. Offset an otherwise neutral, natural palette with some bold daffodil prints and colorfully patterned curtains to add character.

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Leanne Baker Interiors

"We love yellow for its versatility," says Rebecca Johnston of R.Johnston Interiors. "It also helps anchor your color palette in a way that will make defining the rest of the space that much easier." Try a warm, pale yellow on the walls with cream-colored furniture and heavy, deep blue drapes for a space that's both cozy and timeless.

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Louis Duncan-He Designs

Interior designer Kalah Talancy of KTII Design Group's biggest tip for decorating with yellow is to use the color wheel. "Yellow pairs beautifully with purple, blue, and green, and is a great counter to softer colors," she says.

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Meg Lonergan

Yellow decor can instantly add visual interest to an otherwise neutral room. Grab some fluffy yellow throw pillows and a rug to instantly elevate your living space.

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Rikki Snyder

Think of bright yellow paint like a life-sized highlighter; because of its vibrance, the eye is instantly drawn to it. Amp up a window frame or built-in bookcase by opting to strategically paint them an eye-catching yellow.

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M-Teriors

Certain yellows have a richness to them, so it only makes sense to complement that richness with luxe finishes. Gold, velvet, and, white lacquer create a glam aesthetic when matched against yellow-biege paint.

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Nile Johnson

Not all yellow has to be in your face. For a more natural, earth-toned living space, go for a creamy off-white with tinges of yellow. Then, use accents of deep amber and marigold to create depth.

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Design by R. Johnson Interiors Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

Yellow doesn't have to be the main focus of a room to have an impact. Try looking for a rug with subtle peeks of warm yellow. Then, bring out those hues with glimmering gold accents.

17 Designer-Approved Ways to Decorate With Yellow in the Bedroom

Living room in yellow - 70 photos of original design ideas

All shades of yellow bring positivity to any room. This is a symbol of stable peace, an excellent cure for sudden depression.

For many small apartments and the unfortunate location of houses in the shade of trees and buildings, this is just a godsend.

To compensate for the constant lack of sunlight, to dilute the gloomy atmosphere, yellow apartment designs will help.

They will add volume to small spaces and make any living room stand out.

Content of the article:

Neutral shade

If you want to change the monochrome of the dial-bearing interiors of the draft or grayish then the best decoration will be the creation of a living room in yellow.

The creamy golden tone will give you the necessary softness and gentle elegance of the style. You can include bright colors as accents.

This will beautifully enliven boring beige-gray familiar color options.

To try the color of the sun, do not rush to paint the walls, first dilute the “old” interior with accessories from this palette.

With a neutral color, notes of joy will appear. When you are convinced of the effectiveness of the solar color, then you can make a balanced decision to change the color of the living room.

Nice things are used as accessories: panels, lampshades, vases, paintings. You can use yellow in carpets, buy a sofa or chairs of this shade, etc.

Notes of joy and enthusiasm

You can use yellow as a background or just a juicy accent, you can do both. This approach to color will appeal to those who love a palette of sunny joyful colors: from lemon to dark yellow, which resemble the beginning of dawn.

Bold stripes in a bright color combined with colors other than black make for an extremely interesting option. But you can only leave rugs or sofa cushions with such sunny colors.

Yellow color combinations

Living room design in yellow tones: golden, straw or sand, even light orange. Can be diluted with suitable combinations: green, red, beige.

Yellow can be combined with any shade: white, brown or grey.

The use of sharp contrasts in the interior: purple or black, even pink in combination with bright yellow in large quantities can look uncomfortable and tiring for the eyes.

For the base background, you can take gold, straw or orange, other calmer shades of yellow.

For a classic design, the harmony of yellow and brown is beautiful. For decoration in a modern style, bright colors will be needed.

If you need to reduce the living room a little, then choose a dark yellow shade. Black edging will make the interior rough and gloomy, and the walls will take on a stale look of missing meat.

Yellow looks chic in the interior of the living room in the golden version, it is constantly used in classic and oriental designs.

Gold color can be used in frames, lamps, antique candelabra, vases. A harmonious combination of gold with blue, green or pink. But it will muffle the golden sheen of brown and beige.

Peach tone for armchairs (sofa) and large central yellow carpets will help to add luxury. It is interesting to use pumpkin, honey, ocher and cream colors in various interiors.

If yellow in the interior of the living room is combined with orange, then the room will acquire openness and goodwill, which will charge all those present with high spirits, and will perfectly fight depression. But always and in everything you need to know the measure.

The orange tint quickly gets boring, it is comfortable for creative people. Here a good combination with white, dark blue or gray.

The fusion of green and orange looks impressive, it's like ripe oranges in the crowns of juicy green trees.

Lemon shade is very fashionable, it promotes fruitful communication. It will be unusual even with gray decor.

You can see the luxury and positive mood of the yellow living rooms by looking at the photo album.

photo of the yellow living room

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interior design, yellow curtains, photo

Saturated sunny color attracts attention, cheers up, but is often perceived as childish, frivolous. Therefore, a yellow living room is rather a rarity, although designers are ready to offer owners stylish solutions that will allow them to design a room in accordance with all modern requirements.

The simplest hall design can turn from boring and monotonous into a real work of art. However, one detail is enough to transform the atmosphere, adding a little cheerful mood, positive and warmth to it.

The main advantages of yellow in the interior

The saturation of yellow determines its active effect on the psyche and mood of a person. Psychologists are sure that such a palette activates the work of the brain, speeds up the heartbeat, and evokes associations with warmth and comfort. But an excessively intense tone can cause irritation, so it can only be used in a person's environment in a limited amount.

With proper implementation, the yellow color in the interior of the living room can invigorate, pacify, and cause a feeling of stability. This design looks cheerful and light: it is often used in dark rooms where there is not enough natural light. The solar scale will also save you from longing in cloudy weather, which prevails in the autumn-winter period.

The yellow interior of the living room is a great alternative to the achromatic palette, which tends to bother. And for people who live far from the sunny region, white and gray rooms cause sadness and longing. Therefore, most owners choose more saturated colors for their homes. For example, a creamy golden color will be a wonderful background. It is emotional, elegant and looks quite expensive.

But yellow can be both a background and an accent, especially in these colors:

Other interesting shades include saffron, pear, mustard. The latter often occupies large surfaces, as it is discreet and soft. Corn or straw color can become the same light and unobtrusive tone.

Any tone from the whole variety of the palette evokes positive associations, therefore it is used with pleasure in a variety of styles and interiors.

How to combine yellow with other colors in the interior of the living room

Yellow is a natural natural color that is present in a natural environment in a variety of shades. Therefore, it is not surprising that it harmonizes with the same natural scale, although it combines beautifully with achromatic tones when used as accents. Not at all uncommon - a gray-yellow living room.

Obviously, yellow harmonizes best with natural tones - the color of vibrant greenery, natural wood, different shades of buds and fruits. But among the whole variety of duets and combinations, the combination of steel and solar remains especially popular. In the living room in gray-yellow tones, you can find an exceptional balance between cool and warm shades.

Yellow living room decoration

As a rule, the sunny color is present in wall decoration and furniture. Such a shade is practically not found in the lining of the floor or ceiling, which, however, is not surprising, because these surfaces are less noticeable, although they also participate in the composition.

Yellow wallpapers in the interior of the living room are most often monochromatic coatings or with a discreet pattern in the same palette, but a half tone darker or lighter. But still, the usual solution is paint, which allows you to vary the tint nuances. And the choice of those depends on the style, lighting, companion color.

The design of the living room with yellow wallpaper is usually chosen for a modern interior, although there is a duet option for the classics, where gold and natural terracotta would be appropriate. For bright, eccentric interiors choose rich, intense colors. And for a concise and restrained direction - soft shades, such as corn, straw, peach.

Yellow walls in the living room are a cheerful solution, which should be matched with a harmonious ceiling and floor. Of course, traditional options include white ceilings and natural wood flooring. But there are more interesting solutions: in the living room for yellow wallpaper, you can choose a rich terracotta color for flooring, a laminate in silver tones, a multi-level chocolate ceiling ... Whatever style you choose, there is always room for experimentation or, conversely, the canons of the formed direction.

What furniture to choose for a yellow living room

Furnishing bright interiors usually raises a lot of questions, because busting with color accents makes the atmosphere too colorful. Of course, someone prefers rich and varied compositions. They are dynamic, emotional, unpredictable. This could be a living room in yellow tones. But more often, the owners choose stylish interiors with a neat composition, in which the color palette is balanced, stable, and concise. Therefore, they choose the main tone, perhaps with companion colors or with one, as well as with an accent shade.

And yellow can play different roles.

  1. If yellow is chosen as the background, then the furniture is chosen in a companion shade, since busting even with muted corn will be inappropriate . Most often in a sofa, upholstery of armchairs, in other textile elements there is a neutral tone - gray, white, black, less often beige or more saturated yellow - mustard, peach.
  2. Various combinations can be selected in the partial use of the solar range . For example, if the shades of the kitchen are rich tangerine, and the living room has a more neutral finish, you can pick up a yellow sofa in the color of the facades of the kitchen unit.
  3. When the overall design of the living room is neutral tones - gray, beige, cream, white, etc., the furniture can be bright . Just here lemon, canary, saffron accents will be appropriate. There may be several of them - a yellow sofa, a pair of armchairs, a carpet, a pair of vases or a floor lamp, a picture.

In discreet styles such as minimalism, Scandinavian and contemporary, just a couple of spots of yellow can set the mood for the interior.

Yellow for decoration

Yellow accents in the living room are attractive accessories due to their color alone. If we add an unusual design to this, then such decor becomes the soloist in the composition. Such shades make the atmosphere cheerful and positive.

In a neutral living room will look organic:

Saffron palette is the perfect solution for accessories in a white, light beige, cream, gray living room. The only thing that designers focus on is a sense of proportion, because sometimes a couple of bright details are enough to achieve harmony and comfort.

Interior photos of yellow living rooms

Still hesitating about yellow in the living room interior? A selection of photos of the most successful and harmonious implementations of interior design will help you find interesting ideas for rooms with different parameters: bright enough sunny colors are chosen for northern rooms, southern rooms are recommended to be painted in more muted shades, which, even without saturation, will sparkle under the rays of the sun with cheerful colors.

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