Butter, Not Coffee: The Return of Yellow in a Fresh New Light
- beverlybrokaw
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Why Is Everyone Talking About Butter Yellow?
While we don’t typically follow trends in our designs, we can’t help but smile at the rise of “butter yellow.” Pantone may have crowned yet another cozy coffee brown as its Color of the Year, but the runways and red carpets clearly had other plans. e.g. Timothée Chalamet in a leather butter-yellow suit at this year’s Oscars. Bold, sunny, and surprisingly elegant. Even Cuisinart leaned in, naming “Butter” its Color of the Year—citing that 52% of consumers associate it with comforting, homemade meals. Apparently, in these crazy times, we'll take all the comfort we can get.
Is Yellow Finally Back in Interiors?
To be honest, yellow hasn’t been high on clients' wish lists for a while—maybe we're still recovering from the overdone yellow-and-blue French Country moment of the late ‘90s (just me?).
But used skillfully, yellow can be warm, layered, and quietly optimistic—especially when paired with rich terracottas, warm whites, and complex blues.
A Design Challenge Becomes a Design Breakthrough
Recently, a client was drawn to a palette rooted in warm grays, ivories, and a wide range of blues: from dusty blue-greys to deep peacock and navy. And yet, when we asked our signature question—“How do you want your home to feel?”—she surprised us. She said yellow made her feel happy. Calm. Alive. It was unexpected and, to be honest, a little daunting. Blue and yellow is a tricky combo—it can easily slide back into ‘90s nostalgia territory without a skilled hand. Thankfully, Dana—our ever-talented junior designer at the time—had a brilliant solution:
Make Yellow Its Own Moment—in the Dining Room
Why It Worked So Beautifully
1. The Light Was on Our Side
The south-facing dining room is bathed in sun all day. That warm, soft yellow hue wasn’t just pretty—it glowed. The light transformed the space into something luminous and joyful.
2. The Architecture Called for It
With intricate original millwork that simply doesn’t exist anymore, this room was calling for something traditional and special. Elsewhere in the house, we counterbalanced some of the more outright traditional elements with more modern, cleaner-lined selections for this dynamic young family. For this dining room however, we commissioned a classic, hand-painted chinoiserie wallpaper as the perfect homage to the home’s heritage.
3. Custom Color, Maximum Sophistication
Because the paper was custom-designed, we fine-tuned the exact tone of yellow. Not too sweet, not too sour—just that perfect, buttery softness that feels sophisticated and sunny.
4. Every Detail Was Intentional
From the birds to the blooms, we chose the entire motif. That meant we could thread in the rest of the home’s palette—indigo, ivory, teal, warm grey—into the tiniest petals and feathers, weaving this room seamlessly into the larger story.
5. A Study in Biophilic Design
The nature-inspired mural, full of flora and fauna, is inherently calming. We always aim to bring the outdoors in, and this paper did that—elevated.
6. A Glowing First Impression
As the first room visible from the entryway, this space sets the emotional tone of the home: warm, graceful, and deeply inviting.
We Didn’t Follow the Trend—But We’ll Take the Timing
We didn’t choose butter yellow because it was trending—we chose it because it was right. But it’s nice when the universe aligns.
What this project confirmed is something we’ve long believed: clients are paying more attention to how their homes make them feel. And the research backs it up—surroundings affect well-being. So if butter yellow brings a little more light into someone’s life?
We’re here for it.
Let’s Talk About How You Want to Feel at Home
Want to explore a color that lights you up? Let’s create something grounded in how you live—and how you want to feel.
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