Why yellow walls are not always the answer
11/23/2008 10:23 PM by Gretchen Schauffler
Yellow walls come to mind when you think of warm, inviting, and friendly. In the right environment, they are all that and much more. Yellow is the most recommended paint color by designers and friends. Yellow seems like the perfect answer, that is until you paint your walls with yellow and find yourself wondering how it could be so wrong. If you want a warmth, there are many versions of paint colors that create warm environments besides yellow. Here is a great color story—in the words of the “home owner” (along with my commentary) about this subject. By following our color process with our paint palettes, you can find the perfect paint colors your home really wants to be warm and cozy in while saving you time, money, and sleepless nights.
We all love yellow. When I was five years old, I had a yellow dress that I loved. When I saw this vintage version above, I snatched it up and it hangs in my closet like a treasured gown. We share common experiences when it comes to color so it was delightful to hear her account of her yellow dress. Over the years we’re alive we experience color in many different ways, and some colors stick in our minds forever. These experiences get triggered when we decide to paint our walls.
“I have a huge strong emotional tie to yellow. I remember as a child LOVING the color yellow.. wanting so badly to wear yellow and my Mom told me no- I had very blond hair and she said you have to have dark hair to wear yellow well. We even had a guest once, and their daughter had a yellow dress for Easter.. when I opened the closet, I thought it was mine and a surprise… I was SOOOO excited… it ended up being hers and I was crushed.”
“I work with fabrics all the time and love putting them together, but a small piece of fabric is a lot smaller deal than a whole wall.. and while I use warm colors with my quilts, I notice that often I combine warm and cool colors and love the effect. I have always veered away from ‘cool’ colors on the walls to avoid a cool feeling home!!!!
“I have done “color battle” in every home I have lived in.. and almost every time it has included yellow, terra cotta and those warm colors and no matter what- they have NEVER worked! I am determined to learn my lesson this time and learn everything I can and have my home just sing with all my “stuff”, since I really do like my stuff. Obviously- I put it in my home.”
I invited a friend over (whose home is gorgeous) and asked her for help with all this. Since I am still drawn to yellow walls, even though I knew it wouldn’t work, she said the Honey would be very nice with the Cocoa and Ginger. So I painted my dining room Honey. Are you shaking your head and wondering what happened to my brain???? LOLOLOL. Of course, I DO NOT LIKE IT. I knew I wouldn’t, but I guess I just had to get it out of my system and prove to myself yellow walls were NOT going to work!!!!! I should have known when she said to cover up a lot of the walls with pictures. Well—I am somewhat of a minimalist in my décor and do not like a lot on the walls.. I want my colors to be part of the décor!
Her experience with color had her convinced that cool colors would make her home and painted walls cold. The use of warm colors on her quilts and her love of yellow led her to want to paint yellow for her walls. Once she decide on the color she wanted, she searched high and low for the perfect shade of that color. That is how she found us. We have amazing perfect yellows
As I looked back through the pictures I sent you, would you say my woodwork is more yellow or orange? I’m seeing them as more orange today rather than yellow- especially after seeing the yellow walls. I like all the colors.. but still can’t quite get the blues and greens to work in my head.. I have no idea why not. Not because they don’t complement, but because I have never used them and it is scary to go into colors that I normally don’t choose for walls.. it’s not “safe” for me._
So the yellow was beautiful, but not for her. Color is personal, but not private. You want colors you love to be about you but you also want to share their beauty with others. I had her follow the process of HOW TO CHOOSE COLORS WITH OUR TREND-PROOF PALETTES and this caused her to look at the colors in her home differently. As you can see, the woodwork is more “red” than yellow, especially next to the yellow. You can also see that her accessories are beautiful and warm. The warmth comes from the neutrals, red, and—yes—the soft warm greens, and blues. Blue can be very warm…and it goes with practically everything, denim, anyone…?
Also, with my “stuff” I am even drawn to Devine Twilight, Tempest… those purple shades. Am I really off on that? Of course, that would really throw me off down a path I have never gone, so I’m just going to wait at this point for your suggestions! I honestly do not have a lot of blue in my décor.. but it’s there in bits and pieces and the Rain still seems to fit in, but I can’t figure out why. 
.....I had to LAUGH!!!!!! I wrote earlier I don’t use blue in my decor. AS I took pictures, there is blue everywhere. Well I guess I didn’t pay much attention to it. Blues/greens/browns…...And I have discovered that the sunrises here (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) are the same hues as the Rain color. Beautiful!!!!!
Again, as she used our Trend-proof palette, she began to see colors that she couldn’t have imagined would look good. The colors began to speak to her about her home, not the other way around. The colors in the paint palette along with her things lead her down a color path that was perfect for her home…and she couldn’t believe it.
“Since I have never used blues or blue greens on the walls before and it scared me, I decided to use Hazelnut on the dining room wall. So then I did something I knew I shouldn’t do. And yes, I have completely ignored the step of buying paint pouches and putting up samples on the walls and living with them a few days- because our store here does not carry the pouches and ordering them takes longer, and all those excuses that are quite lame. But this has been much more costly without!!!! It was gorgeous with the flooring (maple laminate) and my table and rug… but I did NOT LIKE IT. It seemed too dark- but I’m not really sure that “dark” is the right word. The color is gorgeous, but I did not like the effect at all in my home. So- obviously your color choosing method is VERY smart—and sometimes your color users can’t get past their preconceived ideas, even when faced with colors that seem to work well.”
So there are many colors that she ended up with for her home after her journey that are just as beautiful as yellow. There is no right and wrong, but if you know what’s right for the color of your wood, the undertones of your accessories, fabrics, and furniture…it will always be right.
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— scott 11/24/2008 07:27 PM #
My family room/dining area is north-facing with many large windows and doors thus not much wall space, and there is loads of very light wood trim (hemlock, unstained). I want to paint this room bright yellow. I don’t see bright yellows in your pallet (I have trend proof collection). I was curious is there a reason, do you feel bright yellow isn’t a good choice for paint? I am trying to match the color scheme at the Timberhill Starbucks in Corvallis because it’s just what I want, and I want to use your paints. It includes bright yellow, paprika red, green tea, chocolate brown. If I go with bright yellow, can I have Miller Paint mix the bright yellow into your paint? Is there any reason not to do this? And, if I go with the devinegreen paint, do I need to be concerned about it fading over time? I heard this can be an issue. Thanks so much.
— Melinda 07/09/2009 10:53 AM #
Melinda:
See if this makes it easier to make a decision: Take all the things in your rooms and through out the house that you love (fabric, pictures, art). Take our Trend-proof Palette Page Natural Blondes and ask yourself, which “yellow is the best yellow with all these things…
Our Natural Blondes will react to the things you own and reveal which yellows look best. Remember that commercial spaces have different lighting, windows, and surfaces so a bright color in a commercial space may completely overpower a residential space. To answer your second question, yes Miller can match a bright yellow in our paint and it will have a richer look due to the look of Devine’s “fabric-like sheens”. Finally, Devinegreen is a great product but all our products are low VOC including the original Devine Delicate! Let me know which yellows looked best from the Palette!
— gretchen Schauffler 07/11/2009 06:08 PM #
My family room walls are bright yellow with a tint of orange tone to it. My furniture is a medium oak. My sofas are a light brown. I want to buy a rug and decorative pillows for my sofa but dont know what color to go with it???
— Dana 02/05/2010 04:54 AM #
You are in luck buttercup! Yellow goes with everything…choose a fabric pattern you like, with colors that intertwine with yellow, and call you by name…Split the colors up as pillows, throws, ect…keep the rug neutral if you are going with lots of color…there are so many in the market right now!
The question is, are you bored with what’s out there?
I get that part. Searching for what you love gets lost with the “trend options” stores give you, assuming you will love them…
So dig a little deeper…go for inspiration from other sources: movies, the past, art.
— Gretchen Schauffler 02/08/2010 11:34 AM #
Trying to help my Mom do her dream kitchen makeover. Small kitchen with dark wood cabinets and black countertops. Possibly orange undertones in the wood. She dreams of a red kitchen. I was nervous about such a dark color until I read your blog.(I was thinking yellow:) Do you have a red that would work with these cabinets, or any other color suggestions? Thanks!
— Stacy 02/22/2010 09:07 PM #
Stacy:
Yes, Yes, Yes lol, get out Valley Vineyards Collection page…you will see the perfect reds light up like a pin ball machine! I tell people all the time we have a philosophy that arms you with the information you need to take amazing & fantastic risks with colors that turn out beautiful every time if you get the Trend-Proof Collection and follow our wise Process!
— Gretchen Schauffler 02/25/2010 11:24 AM #