In praise of yellow- tips for how to use it in your home

Last but certainly not least, our final guest post during my vacation from reality. Annie Elliott is a fabulous color designer in the Washington, DC area whom I discovered shortly -after- moving away from the area. Luckily for us, she writes a fantastic blog to keep us all grounded and in touch.

A recovering art historian, Annie worked in museums before realizing that her great love was interior design. She started bossy color 5 years ago and hasn't looked back. She brings her clients in the greater Washington, D.C. area streamlined design solutions and, of course, innovative color palettes. Through bossy color blog, Annie offers design tips and responds to readers' design dilemmas.

In Praise of Yellow
by Annie Elliott

If it were up to me, I'd paint the whole world yellow.

I guess it's good that it's NOT up to me, because I'm sure I'd miss the other colors soon enough. But I find that as an interior designer, yellow is often my first thought when asked...

"My foyer connects to my stairwell, which leads to the upstairs hall...what color would work throughout the house that isn't beige?" (The answer: Benjamin Moore's HC-6 Windham Cream)

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"How can I keep my family room lighthearted and fun?" (Farrow & Ball's 233 Dayroom Yellow)

"My son and daughter share a room. What color should I paint it?" (Martha Stewart's MS107 Orchard Ladder or Benjamin Moore's HC-5 Weston Flax)

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"How can I make my dining room warm and inviting without painting it red?" (Benjamin Moore's HC-12 Concord Ivory)

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Yellow is both historic and modern. It can be friendly or edgy.
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It looks great with black and white...

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...or in a rainbow.

I'm not even in love with a specific yellow. Obviously, the shade we ultimately select depends on the room, the light coming in, and the mood we're going for. All that good stuff.

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If you're not a fan of yellow, I'm not out to convince you. All I'm saying is, you have to admit that yellow is pretty versatile.

You might want to give it a chance.