Pastel Yellow Is Having a Moment, Here’s How to Use It in Your Home
When it comes to home interior colours, yellow is a notoriously difficult one to use. As much as we might love a bright yellow, it can often look overwhelming when it hasn't been expertly implemented into your home's aesthetic. Pastel yellow however, is a pleasant and inviting shade that's easy to work with and has a unique ability to instantly revitalise a space with its welcoming, warm tone. This sunny hue is making waves this season and we can’t help but be enamoured by it.
Whether you're looking to add a retro touch to your home, brighten up a room, or give a space a summery aesthetic, this versatile hue can have a striking yet visual impact on your home's design while still keeping things stylishly neutral.
Why is pastel yellow trending?
Colours are subjective, but some have a universal influence on the majority of people. Generally speaking, we associate yellow with the happiness, joy, optimism, vitality. After the challenges presented to us over the last few years, most of us are looking for ways to add a bit more positivity in our lives, and yellow can do just that. It's a colour that lifts one’s spirits and its ability to instantly revitalise a space is both refreshing and welcomed. "As we look to this new year with hope and a general feeling of optimism, the colour yellow is being redefined; bringing calmness and joy to a space whilst also having an innate playfulness to it," says Haymes Paint colour stylist, Wendy Rennie.
In 2022 there is a definite trend toward using warm-toned neutrals in the home which help foster a feeling of intimacy and comfort. Pastel yellow falls perfectly into this category but offers just that extra bit more visual interest than your standard beige tones. This buttery shade has been seen everywhere from British chef Yotam Ottolenghi's test kitchen and office, Gwyneth Paltrow's Montecito home, and in countless projects by renowned designer and colour expert India Mahdavi. It has also appeared on paint experts Dulux and Haymes' colour forecasts for 2022.
"For me it evokes the summer I spent touring the Italian coast," says Sydney-based stylist Jackie Brown. "It makes me think of the stacks of pastel buildings piled high on sea cliffs, the smells of carnivalé and sunscreen, gelato and granitas and seeking out an infamous pear and ricotta cheesecake, prosecco consumed in courtyards filled with citrus trees…it makes me dream of travel!"
How can you use pastel yellow in your home?
If you're someone who loves yellow but you're unsure how to use it in your home, opting for this pastel hue is a safe bet. It's subdued enough that you can paint an entire room in the colour and it won't feel overwhelming, yet it's impactful enough that if you were to do this it would create a noticeably cocooning effect on the space. It's delicate, it's flattering, and it can work in any room. You can treat it like you would any neutral tone.
“The colour yellow is often associated with happiness, vibrancy and is a positive colour,” MacAlpine notes. “This tends to be good for kid’s rooms, relaxed sitting rooms, and even to add some freshness to a kitchen,” says interior designer and owner of MARG. Studio Emily MacAlpine.
For stylist Jackie Brown, it's all about using this shade in a restrained way. "I think the key here is to keep it subtle! Think small pops instead of great swathes, which could end up making you feel a bit sickly, or a bit too much like a nursery. Nods to the colour in bedding, artworks, and accessories are the way to go. Layering pastels is fun, but you could also think outside the box and compliment with sexier deeper colours, such as rich greens and even black!"
Wendy Rennie agrees here saying that "It works fantastically with black and white, especially in big white airy spaces that have black detailing (see Kendall Jenner’s living room for example). If you have a space that looks onto leafy green foliage and citrus trees, adding elements of pastel yellow into this space can tie the nature outdoors with the interior space and bring brightness, freshness and joy with it."
If in doubt, one of the easiest ways to introduce this tone into your interior scheme is through your choice of bedding. Our newest colourway Limoncello fits into the pale yellow trend perfectly and will add a timeless, fresh, and totally irresistible look to your bedroom. Inspired by sun-dappled holidays and the lemon-laden Amalfi coastline of Italy, Limoncello is refreshing and relaxed and can be paired with crisp whites, or layered with muted earth tones, for a warm, cosy look.
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