Yellow shades have an inherent brightness, freshness and warmth that make them an ever-popular colour to use all around the home.
Evoking happiness and optimism, yellow paint colours bring sunshine inside on the cloudiest of days. From bold, bright yellows to deeper, richer and more muted tones, find the perfect shade of yellow for every room in the home.
Explore our yellow room schemes to inspire your upcoming projects.
A warm welcome: rich yellow living room ideas
Living rooms can have many purposes, from relaxing with family to entertaining friends and home working. More than anything, they should have an inviting and comforting feel, which can be achieved through the use of warmer, earthier tones. Rich yellows like Middle Buff or Yellow-Pink have an inherent natural quality that makes them really easy to live with. They also offer the same joyful and uplifting effect that makes yellow such a popular choice to use in the home.
With its heritage in the 1930s, Middle Buff works well in living rooms alongside statement furniture pieces in contrasting colours. Exuding warmth, this versatile colour provides the perfect alternative to brighter yellows when used all over and paired with French Grey - Pale on the ceiling.
Wall: Middle Buff
Detail Stripe: Hammock
Window Frame: French Grey
Ceiling: French Grey – Pale
In multifunctional living rooms, use Middle Buff as a highlight around window frames, adding interest to plain walls. Paint the lower half of the wall in Córdoba, with the upper wall in contrasting Pleat for a striking effect.
Lower Wall: Córdoba
Detail Stripe: Middle Buff
Upper Wall: Pleat
Yellow-Pink is a rich and earthy hue inspired by the yellow colour derived from the woad plant. It contains a variety of warm-toned pigments which means it coordinates beautifully with vibrant, layered soft furnishings and accessories for a cosy living space.
Wall: Yellow-Pink
Ceiling: Slaked Lime
Column: Slaked Lime - Mid
Detail: Slaked Lime - Mid
Explore our gallery of living room schemesMake an entrance: yellow shades for hallway spaces
Hallways are the perfect place to introduce yellow tones into the home, creating an instant warm welcome for guests. Intrinsically inviting, yellow walls bring cheerful warmth to small, often poorly lit spaces such as hallways, porches or entranceways.
Light Gold is a delightful colour originally conceived from chrome yellow, white and a dash of vermilion - the perfect shade of soft yellow. Pair with sophisticated greys such as Urbane Grey on radiators, or Scree for a deeper contrast on door frames.
Wall: Light Gold
Radiator: Urbane Grey
Architrave: Scree
Chair: Heat
Window Frame: White Lead
For a timeless entrance, try a classic creamy yellow such as Bath Stone or Oak Apple. These gentle shades have a real sense of provenance that makes them the perfect choice for more traditional properties. Combine with a pure white like Loft White or Slaked Lime on the ceiling and woodwork for a bright and airy space. Add a contemporary uplift with botanical elements and complementary light woods.
Wall: Bath Stone
Ceiling: Slaked Lime
Wall: Oak Apple
Woodwork & Cornicing: Loft White
In light-starved hallways, choose a gentle yellow-green like Edith’s Eye to create a sense of connection with the outdoors. Use this shade below the dado rail alongside contrasting dark painted floors to accentuate the pop of yellow. Paint above the dado rail in the lighter green, Wormwood, to reflect light upwards to the ceiling.
Bottom Half and under Window Sill: Edith’s Eye
Above: Wormwood
Door: Pique
Consider complementary hallway colours from our inspiration galleryStair flair: accent tones on architectural features
Stairs are often overlooked when designing the home, but the staircase provides plenty of scope for yellow painting ideas. Adding a colour accent to your staircase is a great way to inject personality into a functional area. It’s also the perfect opportunity to incorporate really bright, bold shades that might feel overwhelming to use on a whole wall.
Trumpet is an almost luminous shade of yellow that looks fabulous when painted onto stair risers. For real impact, contrast with a classic monochrome scheme, using Shallows on the floor and Urbane Grey and Lamp Black on the skirtings.
Walls: Loft White
Skirting (from top to bottom): Urbane Grey & Lamp Black
Stair risers: Trumpet
Flooring: Shallows
Sunshine shades: yellow kitchens and dining spaces
Use sunshine yellows in open plan kitchens and dining rooms to embrace their cheerful optimism. Filling the space with an air of brightness and buoyancy, these shades work really well to reflect the energetic atmosphere of such busy areas of the home.
Lively, sunny shades like Indian Yellow or Giallo can be used across all walls to provide enveloping warmth. For an element of contrast, introduce blues on the floor or opposing walls to add a balanced, cooling effect to the space. Bone China Blue pairs beautifully with Giallo, alongside a dark coloured floor. Or use the verdant green, Hopper, on skirting for a surprising accent.
If you’d prefer something softer, introduce gentle yellows in small proportions for a warm morning glow. Sunlight provides an uplifting backsplash when painted over existing tiles to create an accent wall. With Intelligent Grip™ technology, you can use Intelligent Matt, Eggshell, Satin or Gloss to paint directly onto tiles with no need to prime beforehand. Team with walls in the pastel white, Stock, and add impact with a rich indigo like Woad on cabinetry.
Explore kitchen colour schemes in a range of colours.
Embrace the day: yellows in bedrooms
The boundless energy of bright yellows is beneficial in rooms used in the mornings to set your day off to a positive start. Wake up feeling bright and cheery by painting your bedroom walls in your favourite shade of yellow.
Depending on the atmosphere you want to create, you could choose a sophisticated deep ochre or a classic sunshine yellow. Pair Bassoon with Nether Red to instil cosiness and warmth in your bedroom scheme, and accompany with chic black and white accents.
Arch: Bassoon
Panelling: Nether Red
Table: Jack Black
Floor: Bassoon
Take it outside: sunny shades in exterior spaces
Yellow feels at home in garden schemes, creating a beautiful natural colour scheme alongside lush green foliage and clear blue skies. Vibrant yet earthy, Yellow-Pink is a versatile shade to use in your exterior scheme. Use in combination with Scree and rattan, concrete and natural stone materials for a relaxing lounge area. Or pair with the strong endless blue, Mazarine, for a scheme with a distinctive Mediterranean ambience.
Back Wall: Yellow-Pink
Right Wall: Scree
Yellow is also an excellent choice for front doors, where it can reflect your personality and bring a smile to the face of passers-by. Try Mister David to provide a warm welcome to guests. Inviting, homely and exuberant, this glowing yellow will lift your spirit every time you walk through the door!
Explore yellow painting ideas for exterior spaces.
Front Door: Mister David
Woodwork: Loft White
Discover yellow paint shades on the Colours of England Colour Card
Our Creative Director, Ruth Mottershead, explores some of the most-loved yellow paint shades on our 'Colours of England' colour card.
'Yellow is a timeless and positive colour; it’s perfect for busy spaces that see a lot of activity such as your hallway or kitchen. These hues instantly lift the mood and atmosphere of the room. The kitchen, often seen as the heart of the home, is the perfect space to use bolder colours, such as ‘Giallo’, reminiscent of golden sun, which will bring joy and create an energetic scheme. You can use this to highlight architectural details or as an accent colour on one of the walls, pairing it with soft greens and whites such as the new ‘Garden’ and ‘Silent White’ in the rest of the space, for a more elegant and paired back scheme. For an impactful look, drench your space in colour on all four walls, used all over, ‘Giallo’ will envelop the kitchen with sunshine all year round.'
'In addition to the golden toned ‘Giallo,’ we have introduced two other new yellows this year; a deep ochre named ‘Bassoon’, and a warm ‘Indian Yellow’. We really see this year as being the year of ‘yellow’, reflecting our desire for warmth and making us feel uplifted in our homes. These three new yellows have been formulated to be used as an all over colour – en masse, without being either too bright or strong – certainly yellow but very easy on the eye.'
Be inspired by our colour spotlight on yellow paint.