Mellow Yellow

I noticed yellow featured at Milan Design Week, here is how I would use it at home.

Not every hue, shape, or shiny new object from Milan Design Week is destined for Australian homes - or any home for that matter. Sometimes the colours are so wild and weird you’re left blinking, wondering if you’ve time-travelled back to the ‘70s. And yellow is often the main offender (there was also orange and purple but that’s for another day). Yellow is often misunderstood. Often feared.

Just the thought of yellow can send shivers down the spine and not in a good way - more in that ‘I’m getting a headache and need my sunglasses’ kind of way. And look, that is sometimes true however yellow is an underrated colour in interiors and when used right, it’s giving more of a ‘bathed in the light of a Bali sunset holding a negroni’ kind of vibe.

Faye Toogood on her new Butter sofa for Tacchini in a soft buttery, slightly acidic room in Milan. Whilst I visited this apartment so see the new pieces guess who I bumped into? Faye Toogood herself! It was a real highlight for me during my trip.

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Unpacking Yellow

Let’s be clear: I’m not talking Big Bird yellow. Or emoji yellow. Or those golden arches that come with fries.

Nope. Think antique gilt frames. Sponge cake. Worn paperback novels. Butter melting on hot toast. A bowl of silky carbonara. Suddenly yellow’s not looking so scary, right?

In love the direction of this campain for Tacchini by Charlotte de La Grandière

There are many tints and tones in the yellow family — so don’t go writing her off entirely. A touch of yellow can breathe life into a room, adding that pop of joy and a hint of the unexpected. It’s playful without being childish. Sophisticated without trying too hard. And yes, it might just be the magic ingredient your space has been waiting for.

Meridiani showed mustard yellow in a lacquered finish on storage pieces. Baxter showed buttery leather upholstery.

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Butter

This soft shade of yellow can be used as an accent or even as an entire room colour. I would recommend painting a south facing room butter yellow (southern hemisphere) to avoid needing the sunglasses so be sure to choose a yellow with some depth.

Here are some examples I saw in Milan of how butter yellow was used. It’s made me feel so confident to use yellow.

The kitchen in the Milanese apartment belonging to Francesco and Christian, the most sylish people I've ever met. Also these photos are of the same room, it's just weird how my phone captures colour so differently which means that the colours you see in photos can be very different to real life.

I saw this cabinet at Zanotta in their Milan showroom. This table is by Miniforms, one of the stand-out brands I saw at Salone this year. Loved their use of colour and form.

Lemon is a new brand I discovered and they chose yellow for their ourdoor collection shown at Alcova.

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Here are some examples of how we can use buttery yellow in our homes:

It's yellow-on-yellow and absolutely delightful! These prints are from Desenio a Swedish brand

Artwork to make you feel GOOD from Desenio.

If painting the room yellow is perhaps too big of a project (I get it!), why not add some gorgeous artwork? Desenio is a Swedish print brand and these are very sweet.

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Alyssa Owens Design used Solar Half by Dulux in this bedroom - proof that yellow all over is gorgeous!

Discovered these mirrors by Ready to Hang in Milan and they are available through Living Edge. Ceramic sculpture by Stephanie Philips from Pepite

Really loved discovering this new mirror brand - Ready to Hang. And even better, it’s already available from Living Edge. A sculpture by Stephanie Philips adds a little sunshine to any room - from Pepite.

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The Darling CPH is a beautiful example of how to add brighter yellow pieces into a space; artwork, side tables and chairs.

Coffee table by Ferm Living. Bedlinen by Sage & Clare

Side tables are the BEST way to add colour to a space without the commitment of paint or the expense of a large piece such as a sofa. Ferm Living have this cute piece in ‘lemondade’ in a fresh lacquered finish.

Trust Sage and Clare to have such a GORGEOUS bedlinen range - Adelyn in a shades of yellow that make it easy to live with.

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I hope that this has inspired you to use a bit of yellow in your home. So fun!

For the first time, I’m helping you out with one hour consultations either online or in person. We’re selecting colours. We’re figuring out the vibe. We’re disecting floorplans. I’ve done quite a few recently although I’ve never really told you about them and we get a lot done in an hour. They are so impactful and satisfying - so reach out if you have an interior design dilema!

I have so much more to share with you about all of the wonderful designs and ideas I saw in Milan - thanks for reading!

Lauren