10 Colors That Go With Yellow

Yellow is a versatile and crowd-pleasing color that plays well with a range of shades and tones. Whether you choose a pale wash of yellow paint on the walls or neon yellow throw pillows or art, this sunny shade is a go-to accent color that adds a dose of energy and light that instantly lifts the mood of your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, laundry room or any other room in the house. Here are some of our favorite color pairings that work well with yellow.

Yellow + White

A dash of yellow is a great way to enhance an all-white interior. In this fresh contemporary bedroom, a mustard velvet throw pillow and a curry yellow knot pillow wake up the white linens and marry well with the warm wood headboard and rustic chic tree stump bedside table. A simple white standing task lamp for reading and a few black accents add balance and a graphic note.

Yellow + Pink

Yellow and pink is a feel-good color combination that can create a springy Easter egg vibe, evoking images of pastel-colored macarons and period film costumes when used in pastel shades. For a more modern look, pair cotton candy pink walls with a graphic triangle of acid yellow paint high up on the ceiling, like this high-spirited desk area in a room designed by Vanessa Scoffier at the Hotel Henriette in Paris. You could also create a virtual headboard by painting a half wall behind a bed or create a graphic yellow border surround in a small room that grounds the space, which works particularly well in a room with high ceilings.

Yellow + Brown

This relaxing outdoor veranda has dark brown wood beams and furniture in varying medium to dark wood tones, plus natural elements like a woven rug, caning on chairs, and a wicker coffee table that are elevated with a soft, sunny yellow on the walls. The color brings light to the shaded area and glows when the dappled light streams in. This veranda is located in Goa, India but you might find the same brown and yellow color scheme in Tuscany. To try this color combination at home, pair a lush brown velvet sofa with yellow paint on the walls, or highlight a dark chocolate brown painted accent wall with a mustard linen-covered sofa or armchair.

Yellow + Gray

Yellow and gray is an an easy color palette for everything from a pale yellow house with dove gray shutters in the French countryside to this charming gender-neutral nursery painted in calming dark gray. Light wood furniture and flooring add balance, and a bronze metallic lamp echoes the shining yellow star of the show, a bright lemon colored throw that brings a note of cheer and is echoed in a woven wall hanging above the crib.

Yellow + Red

In this pretty bedroom in the English countryside, classic red toile fabric adds pattern and impact on a room divider screen, duvet cover and throw pillows and is paired with the palest of yellow walls and similar upholstery fabric on a dark wood framed antique French bed. A trio of gilded picture frames and a brass bedside lamp bring out the warm tones in the subtle yellow wall color. Red and yellow is a classic combination that works well in traditional and period rooms.

Yellow + Blue

In this charming sitting area in a room at Paris’ Hotel Henriette designed by Vanessa Scoffier, assertive English mustard yellow and blue-gray color blocked walls create a cozy, energizing conversation area. Throw pillows in mismatched fabrics including cool eggshell blue complement the warm tones of the paint, and mustard velvet upholstered mid-century armchairs add another tone to the yellow and blue palette.

Yellow + Green

Yellow and green go together like sunshine and a grassy lawn. The assertive moss green walls of this spacious dining room stand up well to a pair of bright yellow upholstered chairs, and a rough raw wood table and mismatched additional dining chairs add balance to the overall feel. A vase of dramatic purple flowers is a bold centerpiece that can easily be switched out for orange, pink, or white blooms.

Yellow + Beige

Like white, beige is an easy match for yellow. In this case a warm creamy beige creates a soothing backdrop for a gender-neutral nursery that allows a white painted rocking chair and crib to pop. Golden hardwood floors and deeper tan accents—here in the form of a teddy bear and a furry onesie—are a nice counterpoint to pops of bright yellow on the hexagon shelving and wall art.

Yellow + Black

Yellow and black is the signature color palette of bumble bees and NYC taxi cabs, but it can also work in a more understated way in a sleek contemporary bathroom like this one with its large yellow honeycomb ceramic floor tiles, yellow Corian stone vanity, and shower insert that counterbalances black metal mirror frames, ceramic washbasins, black stainless steel faucets, a black wall-mounted toilet, and black stone finish wall tiles.

Yellow + Purple

In the kitchen of this 1960s tower block renovation, strong purple walls are punctuated with wide case openings painted out in wildly contrasting taxi cab yellow. It’s a spirited, groovy take on what would look like candy-coated almond colors in paler shades, and an eccentric choice that shows there are no wrong answers when it comes to mixing colors if they give your spirits a lift.

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