COLOUR OF THE MONTH
Embrace the mood-lifting power of yellow
Mood-lifting and warm, yellow brings energy, confidence and optimism to a space. It can be used anywhere in the home but is particularly effective in busy spaces, such as hallways and kitchens, or north-facing rooms that lack light. Read on to find out more about this versatile hue
‘The kitchen, often seen as the heart of the home, is the perfect space to use bolder colours, such as Little Greene’s Giallo, reminiscent of golden sun, which will bring joy and create an energetic scheme. You can use this to highlight architectural details or pair it with soft greens and whites, such as the new shades Garden and Silent White, both by
Little Greene, in the rest of the space, for a more elegant and pared-back scheme.’
RUTH MOTTERSHEAD, creative director, Little Greene ‘Yellow is a great accent colour for those that are less bold – use it as piping, fringing on cushions and through your pictures. It always looks great with beige, browns and greys, giving them a real pop.
Put a yellow into a stack of anything from plates to cushions and it will give it all a lift. A pop of yellow will always cheer up any scheme.’
EMMA DETERDING, founder, Kelling Designs ‘I recently used a turmeric-yellow cotton linen on the walls of a London dining room. Made for me by Golborne Road-based Warris Vianni & Co, it took several attempts to achieve the right tone. The result is a pungent and rich base note, which looks great at all times of the day but reacts particularly wonderfully with electric light at night.’
DOUGLAS MACKIE, founder, Douglas Mackie Design ‘Travel is one of my biggest sources of design inspiration and visiting different places always clears my head and brings me fresh ideas. I think a lot about the burnt yellow-orange hues of the South African landscape and after sunset how all the landscape changes. For me, yellow strikes the perfect balance between zesty, invigorating energy and grounding, earthy quality.’
SOPHIE ASHBY, founder, Studio Ashby ‘To use yellow or ochre, you need to think of it as the “neutral” in the scheme; as a foil to set off other colours, not to overpower everything else. Avoid anything that says canary or banana and go for something that sets off the architecture or warms up a cooler space.’
SUSAN DELISS, textile designer and interior decorator