The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Bring in the sunshine
As spring arrives, Sam Wylie-Harris rounds up the sunniest yellow homeware and accessories to brighten up your life
As spring begins to lift our spirits, we have some homeware ideas to make you feel sunny.
The power colour of spring, nothing signals happiness and hope like bright sunshine yellow. As well as dazzling visually, yellow can lighten the mood, make everything look fresh and bright – and most importantly, it’s very easy to place this pigment in the home and jazz up your space.
Whereas stylists and fashionistas often cite yellow as a difficult colour to wear and suggest it should only be worn sparingly, interior designers love to incorporate it into their design edits.
Best of all, yellow is surprisingly versatile and an easy shade to mix and match. You can use it as a colour block to break up a room, introduce pops of canary yellow, primrose or mustard to brighten up a dark corner, or for a sunlit twist, energise an open-plan space.
Here are some of our favourite ways to work yellow into rooms right now...
GLASSHOUSE MUSTARD WALLPAPER, £60 PER ROLL, GRAHAM & BROWN (FURNITURE AND DECOS, STYLIST’S OWN)
One of the brightest ways to introduce yellow is to let it star on a feature wall central to your design scheme. The new Glasshouse collection at Graham & Brown illustrates a flourishing garden paradise with herons and egrets walking amongst honeysuckle and clematis, with emerald-toned leaves softening the look. Think of this luxurious matt paper as a cheat’s sheet to a flight of fancy, without having to leave home.
ARTIFICIAL FLORAL IN WINDOW BOX, £25, AND ARTIFICIAL DITSY FLORAL IN VASE, £22, NEXT
Bright as brass and zero maintenance, faux foliage doesn’t get more fabulous than this – especially when you consider these trumpet blooms bring joy 24/7.
ORLA KIELY HOUSE FOR HARLEQUIN CLASSIC STEM WALLPAPER, £67 PER ROLL, AND ORLA KIELY JUNIPER STEM CERAMIC TABLE LAMP, £75, JOHN LEWIS & PARTNERS
If you want to play with prints and match mellow yellow with yolk yellow, a clever concept is to choose your wall space (south-facing rooms love colour and will bounce the light around) and take a simple print such as Orla Kiely’s stem design, build on it with coordinating decos, and bring in brighter shades to maximise those sunbeams.
BOLD MONKEY PRINCESSES HAVE FEELINGS TOO ARMCHAIR, £549, CUCKOOLAND
Who wouldn’t want to sit pretty in a sumptuous winged-back chair? Finished in a modern, oriental-style print with a shimmer of gold, it’s a real hero piece and will work just as well in the living room, bedroom or study.
CHROMA CURTAINS – MUSTARD, FROM £95-£160, CLARISSA HULSE (FURNITURE AND DECOS, STYLIST’S OWN)
Dressing windows with some sunny yellow curtains is an easy update if you want to make a room bright and airy. To see how the colour can be a gamechanger, these ready-made drapes, paired with muted decos and touches of palm-green, don’t overpower but still offer visual impact. They’re 100% cotton, lined and available in six sizes with a gathered three-inch tape top for a sleek finish.
ESPINILLO BED LINEN – TURMERIC, FROM £15-£75, CLARISSA HULSE
For a fresh approach that’s not overwhelming, we love this botanical bed linen, featuring fanned acacia leaves against an ombre of turmeric yellow and dove grey. You could even team it with other pieces in the collection, such as silk lampshades and cushions, for a super-luxe feel.
POM POM TRIM FLEECE THROW BLANKET, £10, MATALAN
This eye-catching throw can be draped over the sofa or bed for an extra dose of brightness and comfort. We also think it’s pretty and soft enough to be worn as a wrap if yellow tops your fashion colour chart and you want to head outdoors with a spring in your step.
LEMON & BERGAMOT HOME FRAGRANCE COLLECTION CANDLES AND DIFFUSERS, £6-£16 EACH, NEXT
We can’t think of anything more uplifting than the zesty scent of lemons blended with bergamot. Next’s diffusers and candles will scent your rooms and add some lovely pops of yellow.