Yellow Kitchens Are Underrated: Tips For Making Them Glow

Yellow has always been associated with the kitchen. In the 1950s, pastel yellow cabinets and appliances were all the rage. Yellow countertops and bright yellow-patterned wallpapers reigned in the '60s, and the '70s saw a penchant for harvest gold yellow kitchens. When neutral and all-white kitchens became the norm, any additional pops of color tended to be yellow — in the form of a bowl of lemons, yellow dish towels, or lemon hand soap. 

But in recent years, using yellow in your kitchen on a larger scale — such as on cabinets or walls – has been frowned upon by certain experts. The reasons being that for some, bright yellow adds a feeling of energy and chaos to an already chaotic space, and it could potentially hurt your resale value. But yellow also induces happiness, and because bright colors are energizing, they are actually recommended for use in the kitchen by Mental Health America. 

So stop using yellow as a pop of color, and make yellow the star of your kitchen. The key is successfully using this color in this space is to pick kitchen colors that will both complement the yellow and add contrast. 

A great way to ground a bright yellow kitchen is by making yellow and white 50/50 partners. For instance, white cabinets on top and yellow cabinets on bottom, or all-yellow cabinets with a white island and backsplash. Add black for contrast with black accent lighting, black appliances, or black-and-white checkered flooring.

A favorite yellow kitchen design inspiration is a blue-and-yellow color scheme, which gives your kitchen a Mediterranean or coastal vibe. Blue is a complementary color to yellow, meaning that they sit across from one another on the color wheel. To provide contrast, mix up the brightness of the colors, like a bright blue and pale yellow, or bright yellow and pale blue. Or go all-in on bright yellow and bright blue, using white accents to provide an eye rest.

If your design style is more country or rustic, stick to muted shades of yellow — like a butter or mustard shade. These yellow tones pair nicely with sage green and natural wood accents. Pale yellow also looks great in front of natural stone or brick walls. 

Every few years, real estate sites conduct polls about the best and worst colors for potential buyers. Some years, yellow kitchens are seen as lowering resale value, but in other years they actually boost resale (a Zillow press release in 2016 stated that wheat yellow kitchens sold for $1,400 more than all-white kitchens — and this was at the height of the all-white kitchen craze) numbers.

So what's the point? If you want a yellow kitchen, ignore the naysayers and do it! Decorating for resale is quite simply putting strangers' design choices above your own — in your own home. If you are planning to sell your home in the next few years and are nervous about following your mustard-colored dreams, you can always limit the yellow to items that will move with you, such as dining chairs, barstools, rugs, linens, and decorative accents.

For those with a little more courage, up the ante with paint. Yellow walls and cabinets can be easily repainted, either by you or the smart home buyers who understand that a simple paint project is not worth passing on their dream home.