Let’s talk a little about trends! I have been seeing the color yellow pop up more and more in home decor! Specifically a “butter” yellow shade. I’ve seen it as small accents in a room, or in some rooms as a big statement on cabinets or walls. Y’all know I’ve never been one to pay much attention to what’s “on trend” nor do I really care what is in or out :), but I do find it interesting how various colors and styles cycle through. And I love butter yellow and always have, so it caught my eye! Will it be a trend this year?
I had butter yellow walls and curtains in several of my homes. We painted one dining room butter yellow (LOVED it so much) and two of our bedrooms in our old English cottages…it was such a happy but cozy color! I had a butter yellow tiled bathroom in two or three homes. My mom had yellow in many of her homes, too. In fact, growing up I had a yellow bedroom with vintage style wallpaper and bedding that would be right on trend today!
As I got a little older I began to see that even certain classic decor styles and color palettes will be “on trend” for awhile and then eventually fade away. Right now butter yellow and English Country style is “trending” but it was also “on trend” when I had my first English country style home. It’s such a delightful look, especially in the right home.
Here’s a little advice to consider if you are new to decorating! It is not unusual to think we “love” a new trend if we’re bored with what we see or when enough people start doing it. Once it is “mainstream” it feels fresh and yet safe and comfortable to bring it into our home, too. That is the problem with embracing a new to us style, we can be fooled into thinking something IS our style simply because we’re bored or see it everywhere and it feels comfortable right now. If all the trend setters and influencers do it, there is plenty of inspiration around to “influence us”, too! Plus all the “on trend” color palettes feel safer and items are for sale are easy to find at the big box stores.
But if you don’t want to get sucked into expensive or time consuming choices that you might regret later, it’s helpful to remember that even a classic style such as elements of English Country may feel dated or “overdone” to you in a few years.
Once everyone moves on to the next style or color scheme, will you feel like you want or need to redo your entire home? You might not think so now, but it happens!
Classic choices, colors and styles endure long beyond trends, but if you aren’t confident in that style for your home or your long range plans it will make it easier on you if you dip a toe into a trend or new direction without changing your entire home. Don’t overdo a particular element or invest in an expensive direction that will be harder for you to change, unless you are certain that what you’re doing is truly your style.
Butter yellow walls in a bedroom would be not be impossible to repaint in a few years, but an expensive yellow couch or even an entire yellow kitchen might feel exciting or even classic now but could be quite regrettable later. If you aren’t confident it’s the right long term choice for you and your home, accessories and wall paint (chosen selectively for the room) are easier to update!
With that said, if you are comfortable with the direction or are willing to change it later, don’t be afraid to embrace what you love and run with it. For some, playing it safe doesn’t spark enough joy :).
Do what makes sense for you and your home. This is the direction I have chosen to go with all of my homes. It made no difference whether my overall style was on trend or not, I still incorporated what made me happy. Yet what made me happy also was what made sense in my home.
Rather than hopping on a trend or overdoing a style that would make my house and style feel disconnected or dated too quickly, I was more interested in doing what brought out my style and what was best in that particular home or room.
For one house it might mean more white walls, other rooms I went for blue walls and sometimes butter yellow walls were the right choice. If I still lived in my home with butter yellow walls, I am certain they would’ve stayed yellow this whole time! Being mindful of the house itself (what style it is), its features (the tone of the wood flooring or fixed elements, for example) the natural light in the room and what would bring my surroundings and style together as a whole has always been my personal approach.
Mixing what you love with what makes sense to the house and within an overall timeless classic style keeps a home feeling fresh for the long run!
Do you use any yellow in your decor? Or have you in the past? Would you consider it now?
I share more thoughts on style and decorating in my books and in my member community HomeBody Gathering Place.
We gathered up decor finds in all shades of yellow for today’s post and I must say…it was quite a mood booster for me to see all this cheery color on this cold wintery day. It’s making me look forward to spring! Enjoy!
Sources: Yellow Flower Art // Yellow Toaster (color options, I have it in this cozy green color in my kitchen!) // Yellow Lamp with Scalloped Shade // Yellow Floral Print Tablecloth // Yellow Floral Reversible Pillow Sham // Yellow Striped Pitcher // Yellow Planter Pot // Faux Forsythia Flowers // Floral Cloth Napkins // Yellow Honey Pot
More Yellow Decor (click each thumbnail below for details):
Do you follow me on Pinterest? I started a board with some inspiration rooms that use yellow here!
Seeing Green: 74+ Green Home Decor Finds
Butter yellow, blue and white are always a happy favorite for me. I tend to move this direction after Christmas and into early spring. I do change colors in accent pieces at least three times a year. I have neutral walls, flooring and off white furniture so changing up accent pieces with happy, yummy colors makes our home feel ‘homey’ and inviting in all seasons.
I love having the opportunity to switch up colors and decor for the seasons. That’s always my goal, too. Blue white and yellow really is a happy combo and I agree about it feeling right after Christmas. I might need yellow tulips! My kitchen has the softest buttery feel at times, and my flooring as well… it is nice to feel comfortable with what we love and even if it’s in subtle doses it will make us happy!
I am surprised to hear yellow is trending this year. Last February I painted my kitchen walls Hawthorne yellow. It is a historic color by Benjamin Moore. I am searching for the perfect yellow and blue fabric to make curtains for the windows. Another thing that surprised me when searching the internet, my living room is decorated in the English cottage style. I had no idea! It is best to go with what appeals to us as individuals rather than what is in “style”. Almost time for the baby!
It seems the trends come and go so much faster these days, too! A color is basically going to be called “out” before you even finish a room. HA! I agree, it’s much better to just figure out what really appeals to you in your home and run with that. English Cottage is such a charming style and one I could happily live with forever. And YES, getting so close to baby birth day now! So excited!
It would be so easy to add a few yellow accent pieces to my home. I’ve been on the lookout for another pillow in one guest room and I think I found it on your inspiration list..yay!
Hooray, enjoy!
A year ago, I painted our dark kitchen cabinets white. Now I wish they were butter yellow!
It is tempting! Maybe some yellow tulips or accessories would give you the boost you’re looking for!
My laundry room has no windows / natural light, and painting it a light butter yellow several years ago brought it to life for me! I still love it there. I enjoy changing out accessories and decor for the seasons, so the yellow wouldn’t be a great choice in the other rooms of my house.
Sounds like a perfect place to use it to bring some sunshine in!
Butter yellow for LIFE! I have loved this color eons before it was on trend! Red too. My bedroom has been some variation of yellow, blue, and a pop of red for years. I have never been sorry to have this happy color in my life. I love your posts and the inspiration I get from your website.
YAY! I love that. I definitely think some colors just speak to us and we should honor that! I’m glad you’re inspired here!
Your advice makes so much sense! In the early 90s when Southwest style became very popular, we bought a sofa with that type of pattern. It was the colors I loved but that’s all. Took me 5 minutes to realize I had made a mistake but we were stuck with it for years. Never again!
Yesterday I was at TJ and saw the most beautiful buttery yellow bath towels. Love at first sight. However, I have been down this road before. When we sold our home in ‘95 we moved to a new state and new life and the parsonage we moved into had a very vintage bath with light green tile. I decided that I would like new towels and looked everywhere to find butter yellow ones. Truly they were happy towels to wake up to for the morning shower. But my love of butter yellow didn’t end there, I had my “new” vintage kitchen painted that soft sweet color with white trim and decorated with my grandmother’s flow blue china. We were only there a short while, but that kitchen might just be my favorite of all my 6 homes and various other abodes.
Years ago when money was ultra tight I wanted to repaint my house with the beige walls but I couldn’t afford paint. So I went to Pinterest and got my “decorator” out by pinning lots of pictures. I made the discovery by doing this that my favorite color -blue- was a very bad choice for me. All the blue rooms made me feel depressed. White rooms felt too cold and sterile. My third favorite color is yellow. Yellow rooms made me feel happy and energized. So, now that money is only tight I am painting my walls sunshine yellow. Add cobalt -navy textiles, white curtains, with the occasional walnut piece of furniture and my home is beginning to make my heart sing :-) it’s nice to see more yellow in the stores to help me finish my house up. Your books have helped me pull it together! Thank you.
I love that you’ve found your color palette and what makes your heart sing!! That’s awesome. Thank you for reading my books too 🥰