What Colors Tone Down Yellow Walls And Wood? (Find Out Now!)

When it comes to decor, yellow can be one of the trickier colors to work with. Choosing just the right shade and intensity can make or break a room. Whether you’ve just bought a home with yellow walls, or want to hang on to that yellow chair you’ve had since college, we’ve got some tips and tricks for you!

Although yellow walls may seem stark and too bold to be the primary color in the room, using a variety of paint tricks, additional furnishings, and accents, or even adding some additional colors will make a dramatic yellow seem warm and inviting. Supplementing a bright yellow room with an additional neutral color like white or a different shade of blue can be most effective when using yellow as a primary base.

Learning to use a color wheel to help with those tricky complementary color selections is key. A good rule of thumb to tone down that bright yellow color is to pick a color about 1/3rd around the wheel in either direction. That opens you up to anything from the red-orange/peach color to a beautiful sage green.

While this seems like a simple enough question, you’re likely to get 20 different answers from 20 different people. Yellow can symbolize optimism, happiness, and energy. Happy yellow kitchens or sun rooms can be beautiful with the right complementary colors. However, yellow can also represent jealousy, danger, or warning, and may be overwhelming or too much on its own. With that variety in mind, finding ways to compliment the yellow, tone it down, and create a stronger pallet of design may be attractive to home decorators.

Toning down paint in the can is fairly simple. But what if it’s already on the walls? Does your recently-purchased fixer-upper have a few yellow rooms that make you cringe? Aside from priming and painting the walls an entirely different color, an easy way to freshen up and modernize yellow walls is to add a layer of white glaze.

A glaze is a semi-transparent paint that allows the underlying color to show through. Painting over yellow walls with a white glaze will result in a softer hue without changing the original color. This is especially helpful when trying to maintain the historic charm and character of an older home.

Glazes can be found in any hardware or paint store and can be applied with a roller, brush, sponge, or even a rag. If you don’t have the time or energy to glaze the entire wall, try adding glaze sparingly. This can create a striking faux finish and save you time, money, and sanity!

If you have absolutely zero interest in painting, or rent your home where painting isn’t allowed, what other options are there for toning down yellow walls? The easiest, most immediate solution is to change some accent pieces in your home. What do we mean by that? Think about decorative items in your yellow room that can be easily changed.

Curtains are perhaps the biggest “bang for your buck” change you can make. If you have yellow walls, try updating your window treatments with a solid neutral such as white or ivory. The less yellow in the drapery fabric, the less it will bring out the yellow on your walls. Bright floral drapes with bold, yellow flowers, will have the opposite effect and only end up further highlighting the yellow.

Furniture pieces with a natural finish can help soften the overall look of a room. If your walls are too bright, try switching out your furniture for pieces that are rustic and made from natural materials.

Wicker and rattan are beautiful, relatively inexpensive options that can even be found at your local thrift store or consignment shop. These natural pieces can also add texture to a room, which is a nice bonus.

Your flooring can also benefit from natural pieces. Area rugs made from natural fibers such as seagrass or sisal typically come in soothing, neutral colors. A large rug can provide the right balance to the brightness of the walls.

Other easily updated accents include bedding, decorative pillows, and art. With all accent items, neutral colors such as white, gray, and tan are safe bets for toning down yellow (or any bright color, for that matter).

You may not think of blue as a neutral, but when it comes to yellow, it can serve as a neutral and help tone down a too-bright wall. Turquoise, aqua, or dusty blue are all great options.

While oak cabinets have fallen out of fashion, wood floors are timeless. But not all shades of wood flooring go with all shades of paint. If your wood floors have a yellow tone, which paint colors are the best choice for your walls? What furniture and accents are the best choices?

Pairing paint colors with oak floors can be especially troublesome. Turn to a basic color wheel for inspiration and guidance. Complementary colors are located directly across from each other on a color wheel. They serve to brighten and enhance, which is NOT what you want if your goal is to tone down a shade like yellow.

If you want a little more color and neutrals aren’t your preference, try one of these “neutral alternatives.” You may be surprised how well they work to soften bright yellows.

Dutch Boy Mapped Blue 429-5DB – You may not think of blue as a neutral, but when trying to tone down the warmth (yellowish tint) of wood flooring, it can be exactly that. Go for a blue that won’t overwhelm the space. Dutch Boy Mapped Blue is a sophisticated shade that provides muted color and helps downplay the yellow undertone of wood floors.

Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue SW 2739 – A color’s temperature (warm or cool) is important to consider when choosing a coordinating shade. A shade with a cooler hue can help balance a space. This charcoal blue from Sherwin Williams has gray undertones that can cool off yellow undertones on surfaces like oak floors.

Whether it’s walls, kitchen cabinets, or wood floors, yellow can be toned down in several simple ways. If you choose to paint, stick with neutrals or similar colors on the color wheel. If painting isn’t an option, try updating your home’s accents with new window treatments, bedding, throw pillows, and artwork.

These accent pieces will also need to be in the neutral color family to help tone down anything yellow. Whatever you choose, just remember that paint can be changed and accent pieces aren’t permanent. It may take a bit of trial and error, but the color yellow can live in harmony in your home without being too intense!