Mellow Yellow

Mixed with gray or other neutrals, citrus tones take on new sophistication.

Once considered too strong and acidic for most home decorators, today’s soft yellows have become almost a new neutral, making the standard off-whites and beiges look, well, colorless in comparison. Throws, bedding, home fabrics and upholstery are all basking in the glow.

“I’m very excited about yellow,” says one color expert. “It used to be that people just didn’t use it in their homes — retailers would tell me they couldn’t sell anything with yellow in it. Now it’s become a new neutral, a foundation color with greater warmth and vibrancy. We’re using it in a whole range of throws, in different combinations with terracotta and other earth tones.”

In the home, yellow walls or fabrics give off a kind of sun-lit glow, warming and illuminating a room. The softer, faded hues also lend an antique patina to even fresh-from-the-store furnishings.

Breakfront bookcases add structure to otherwise plain walls.

“People used to look at yellow as a very saturated color that was hard to live with,” says one furniture designer. “That has completely changed. Yellow has become a wonderful foil for warmer and richer palettes, a nucleus for a whole variety of colors. You can use it to explore a gold palette or browns and earth tones. Mixed with a natural linen gray, yellow becomes very sophisticated. It has a tremendously wide spectrum.”

So how do you bring some mellowed yellow into your home?

• Wash down the walls. Try painting the walls of a sunny room in a pale, creamy yellow or adding a soft yellow or apricot wash to an under-coat of white.
• Just a splash will do. Throws, accent pillows, rugs — look for fabric accessories that work in splashes of banana, creamy ivory, parchment or curry.
• Sit on it. When buying upholstered furniture, try out the new range of muted yellow fabrics as a neutral color to build the room around.

It’s easy to decorate a room replete with fascinating details. But the days when columns and crown moldings were as common as carpeting are long gone. Most of us face plain “white box” rooms when we start.

Geometric or patterned rugs help define floor space.

Professional decorators use a trick we can all share. The secret is to start with one large, complex piece of furniture, thereby adding instant architecture to any room. Working from the reference point of an imposing four-poster bed or an over-scaled armoire, even a first-home beginner can create interesting space. The whole idea is to let furniture create a sense of architecture.

In the living room, for example, think beyond matching sofa and chairs. One oversized settee with strong lines or intricate detailing can be an anchor piece to build around. Or invest in a large armoire with recessed panels and molding to break up the bland expanse of wall, while handily stowing away entertainment essentials.
In a dining room, a striking carved server, buffet or hutch makes a strong statement. And in any room, consider the addition of a decorative mantelpiece — even when there’s no fireplace to frame. The mantels can surround an actual heat source (electric or gas) or simply frame a large urn or other decorative accent.

In the bedroom, focus on the bed — the bigger, the better. Oversized four-poster, canopy or sleigh beds (and all of the exciting contemporary versions of those styles) are the key to dominating and shaping otherwise ordinary spaces.

Oversized bedroom furniture fills an ordinary space with character.

“Today’s homes have much larger bedrooms, so the large-scale beds fit what’s happening in architecture and construction,” says one furniture manufacturer. “They lend a clean, contemporary look. The bottom line is big beds are hot.”

Other ideas for creating instant architecture:

• Bookcases.
  Look for models with a classical bent or architectural detailing: fluted pilasters, arches or breakfront tops.
• Rugs.
  Define your floor space with strong geometric shapes and patterns: long kilims, square dhurries or oval or shaped contemporary throw rugs.
• Accents.
  Choose pieces for scale and dramatic effect. One oversized and intriguing vase will have triple the impact of a few demure items scattered about the room.