Colour of the month for April - {yellow}

 

Happy Spring everyone!!

This is the second post in my new series entitled “Colour of the Month”.  March’s colour of the month was {green} and for April I’ve gone with the obvious choice {yellow}.

And to paraphrase Vincent – Yellow is wonderful!

 

 

April is Cancer Awareness Month, although there are many other times throughout the year for raising awareness, April is considered “Daffodil Month” where people wear daffodils to show their support to individuals living with cancer.  You can read more and show your support here.

 

 

Yellow can also be found in many plants and flowers.  Here are some of my favourites… a beautiful Forsythia in full bloom:

Black-eyed Susans are also a favourite and I just happen to have some in my garden:

Here’s some interesting info on the colour yellow according to the Sensational Color website: it encourages communication, it activates the memory and stimulates the nervous system.  Yellow is psychologically the happiest colour in the world.  I know this particular yellow beauty from Hermes makes me very happy!

Yellow Hermes Lindy Bag

The word yellow comes from Old English “geolu” and it’s first know use dates back to 700 AD in “The Epinal Glossary” which is a dictionary of the Old English language.

Yellow has been used in several cultures to denote many things – cowardice and caution in English; Italians call crime stories “giallo” (yellow); and in China a “yellow movie” is synonymous to the English “blue movie” ie; pornograpy.

As for interiors, although yellow is known as a “happy” colour, it should be used cautiously as it can also stimulate anger and frustration. 

Yellow can be paired with many other colours, with blue being a favourite.  The current popular choice is gray as shown below in House Beautiful’s February edition:

One of my favourite bloggers is Maria Killam of “Colour Me Happy”.  Maria is an internationally know colour expert and knows her colour.  One of Maria’s personal favourites is yellow.  Check out her posts on yellow here.  I love how she’s used yellow in her living room!

I prefer to see pops of yellow in a room as opposed to entirely yellow rooms, but that of course totally depends on the shade … here are some examples of yellow rooms that I could live with:

traditional home office design by dc metro design-build Carter Inc Builders

traditional bedroom design by boston interior designer Su Casa Designs

contemporary bedroom design by los angeles interior designer Annette English

I love this last one – the glass bubble feature reminds me of my friend Kelly’s family room here. You’ll notice that these three rooms above have one thing in common – the yellow is not too bright or overwhelming.  Keeping your yellow muted and warm will help your yellow room stay calm and comfortable.

Now if you are looking for bright pops of yellow – here are some great examples:

Source: houzz.com via Donna on Pinterest

 

modern bathroom design by photographer Elad Gonen & Zeev Beech

eclectic bedroom design by other metros media and blogs Michelle Hinckley

 

And how about using natural elements for pops of yellow?  Lemons are perfect!

 

contemporary kitchen design by other metros interior designer Atmosphere Interior Design Inc.

 

And what about these tulips – my favourite cut flower – so delicately resilient.

contemporary living room design by dallas interior designer Abbe Fenimore Studio Ten 25

Now what about outside?  Here are some examples of using yellow on the exterior of your home:

contemporary exterior design by san francisco architect House + House Architect

 

traditional landscape design by boston landscape architect Warner Larson

 

traditional exterior design by new york general contractor Michael Sisti

Source: theyellowdoorpaperie.tumblr.com via Donna on Pinterest

 

Lots of inspiration to use yellow in your next decor decision.  Or if you’ve already used yellow – let me know where…