Inspiration comes in many forms. Today I’m inspired by the color yellow. I’ve always been one to shy away from bright, bold colors. I recently assessed my wardrobe and design style, and realized that I might be afraid of color. Everything I own is some shade of neutral. So, I’ve challenged myself to add color to my home and wardrobe. This process also inspired me to analyze colors and how they impact our mood and space.

Yellow  is commonly associated with gold, sunshine, reason, optimism and pleasure, but also with envy, jealousy and betrayal.  My association with yellow has always been of all things positive, bright, fresh and vibrant.  Yellow livens, brightens and energizes.  It is a great accent color and compliments most color palettes, but works best with neutral tones.  For instance,  navy – for a classic preppy look, gray – to jazz up an otherwise masculine/contemporary neutral or with black & white for a look that is chic, sophisticated and glamorous.

Scared of color, like me? Then start small, like I did. Introduce your color of choice into your space with a throw, decorative pillows, flowers or artwork. Then implement the same strategy in  your wardrobe, add a pop of color with a scarf or t-shirt. These items are small and can be upgraded if the color you choose doesn’t work. It’s good to live with your choice for a few weeks or months before deciding that it isn’t your thing.

Here are some spaces using yellow to be inspired by:

Simon Doonan & Jonathan Adler aren’t afraid of color!