Butter yellow paint isn't going anywhere this year, here are the best ideas from the House & Garden archives
Butter yellow is having a comeback in fashion and interiors, with many describing it as ‘the new neutral.’ If bright white feels too stark for your space, the creamy warmth of butter yellow is a great way of bringing light into a room. Or if you're a bit ‘over’ plaster or dusty pink – both of which have become exceedingly popular in the last few years – then yellow is a fun alternative.
Chef Molly Baz's deliciously buttery kitchen in her Los Angeles home is a great example of yellow's potential for both fun and sophistication.
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You might consider going full sunflower in a bedroom for a warm and nostalgic aesthetic. On the gentler side, a muted milky tone in your kitchen or hallway also provides a wonderful backdrop for vibrant art or curtains.
“Yellow is a great colour for a bedroom; sunny and bright it has a spirit of optimism and summer to wake up to,” says artist Christabel MacGreevy, “and on cold grey days it still bounces the low light and feels warm and encompassing.” Butter yellow is “lighthearted and playful,” she explains, whilst darker shades are more mature, “with the sophistication of a life well lived.” The only shade of yellow she would never paint her walls? Neon yellow. Cold and abrasive, we also recommend warmer shades over fluorescent counterparts.
Some of our favourite butter yellows include:
- Farrow's Cream by Farrow & Ball
- Dayroom Yellow by Farrow & Ball
- Pale Hound by Farrow & Ball
- Bombazine by Farrow & Ball
- Florence by Edward Bulmer
- Patent Yellow by Edward Bulmer
- Yellow 01 by Lick
- Spring Breeze 5 by Dulux
- Sunlight by Little Greene
However you use it, butter yellow is a comforting and characterful way to add levity to a space. We take a look through our archives for the brightest moments of butter-yellow inspiration:
Mark Roper1/19“There is something to be said for blue and yellow, in recent years it has become a symbol of strength, honor and resistance, thanks to the Ukrainian flag. It is also the colours of the very stylish Swedish flag. But probably most noteable it is the colour of the sky (on a good day), a bright beaming golden yellow sun and a blue sky, it's the perfect combination to bring the sense of warmth and joy", says Phoebe Hollond, who designed this bathroom in Sussex. On the bath, a bright yet creamy yellow (Farrow & Ball yellow ground) is softened by the hues of the tadelakt blue on the sink.
Mark Roper2/19Elsewhere in the same house, a much softer, clotted-cream-like yellow has been used to brighten up bookshelves. The delicate chartreuse colour is a diluted version of Little Greene’s ‘Scallion’.
Boz Gagovski3/19With his keen eye for interesting colour combinations, Russell Loughlan has transformed his Deal house into a joyful place to live. In the living room, he has used Farrow & Ball's ‘Cane’ (an archive yellow) in a Dead Flat finish, which Russell favours for its ability to hold tone. “The light on the coast is very variable and it changes throughout the day. Depth of colour is very important to me and the dead flat finish absorbs light so you always get a true colour.”
Boz Gagovski4/19Upstairs in the hallway, Russell has combined the yellow with an architrave in Farrow & Ball's ‘Serge’ and green doors in ‘Raw Tomatillo’. The embroidered artworks are from local Ramsgate artist Cutts & Sons.
Christopher Horwood5/19In her bathroom at home in Yorkshire, House & Garden's editor, Hatta Byng, has painted the bathtub in Farrow & Ball's ‘Yellow Ground’, which helps it to stand out against the more delicate colours on the walls.
Michael Sinclair6/19The walls in ‘India Yellow’ by Farrow & Ball contrast with the original parquet floor in Keith Johnson and Glen Senk's Grade II listed country house. The room – which doesn't get a huge amount of natural light – is made more sunny with the colour choice. The richness of the colour also has a heritage feel, which is enhanced by the uneven texture. The matching window frame makes the decision more confident and cocooning.
7/19Yellow envelops you in the cosy bedroom at designer Victoria Gray's Cotswold farmhouse. The warmth of the walls is complemented by the original wooden beams. The yellow is also the perfect supporting artist for the patterned textiles, from the Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler headboard in ‘Squiggle’ to the cushions picked up on the designer's travels.
Owen Gale8/19The bathroom in author Olivia Laing's rural Suffolk home has stripped walls left by the original owner. The bright, buttery tones are taken down by the mottled effect. The texture and colour together create a nostalgic, vintage feel that complements the playful style of the house. She also uses yellow in her sitting room, and for the kitchen fireplace, which she describes as being painted in a “jaunty custard yellow.” So, the yellow is a continual theme.
Eric Piasecki/Otto9/19Like butter fresh from the churner, the creamy, reflective plaster walls create a luminous effect in the stairwell of this quietly elegant Atlanta house by the classical architect Stan Dixon.
Ngoc Minh Ngo10/19‘Cream Colour’ by Papers and Paints lights up this dining room. It's so characterful and vibrant that the walls don't require art. The colour picks up the yellows in the bent willow chairs and oak trestle table. Carrying the paint onto the dresser makes the room feel complete.
Owen Gale11/19The sitting room of Alice Palmer's London house has walls painted in Little Greene's ‘Aged Ivory’ with a wallpaper effect by the decorative painter Hughie Turner. The white cornicing and skirting make the room feel more traditional. The flashes of the raspberry look great with the yellow, from the rug sourced in Marrakech, to the fireplace which Alice painted with stripes of ‘Oxblood’ from Francesca's Paints.
Paul Massey12/19This airy Manhattan house decorated by Rita Konig is given a warm, European edge with the choice of creamy white for the walls. It's still neutral enough, though, to keep the focus on the dramatic arched windows in black. Something like Farrow & Ball's ‘White Tie’ or ‘Joa’s White' would give a similar effect.
Paul Whitbread13/19The dressing room of this Victorian house is painted in ‘Bath Stone’ by Little Greene. The red tones within the shade are picked up in the antique dressing table, white the white ceiling and skirting make the house feel more traditional, in keeping with its Victorian heritage.
Simon Upton Veranda Magazine14/19Veere Grenney's miniature guest bedroom is given a cute, cosy feeling with the bright, butter yellow shutters. The white has yellow undertones, which contributes to the consistency of the scheme. In a small space, just painting the window frames, shutters or detailing in yellow can prevent a sunshine overload.
Simon Brown15/19Warm creamy tones from Papers and Paints are used to add to the English vintage feel of this 15th-century farmhouse in Carmarthenshire. The yellow is picked up in the Granby Fretwork Lantern in yellow, by Vaughan Designs.
Mark Anthony Fox16/19Another example of buttercup yellow and apple red complimenting each other in a way that feels exciting, but still classic. In the kitchen of garden designer Atticus Branch and fashion photographer Ahmed Hassan the yellow is Farrow & Ball's ‘Babouche.' The pair use the same shade of yellow in different places and ways around the house, which is a great way to keep a flow between each room.
Joachim Wichmann17/19Pernille Lind's wonderfully tranquil flat in North London has a consistently creamy colour palette. Her kitchen is painted in ‘Cord’ by Farrow & Ball, which complements the antique furniture and bamboo blinds perfectly.
Paul Massey18/19On the brighter side of things, this South West London home designed by Howark Desin features a lot of sunny shades of yellow.
19/19'I was inspired by the scenes with Tilda Swinton in the film I Am Love,' says the owner of this house designed by Hugh Leslie. The high ceilings and sheer curtains mean the yellow room glows with sunlight.
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