Does Yellow on Walls Depress?

Mood Wall Coloring

• Designers break wall colors up into two groups: "warm" colors and "cool" colors. Yellow, along with orange and red, is considered to be a warm color. Cool colors include blue, green and purple. Warm colors affect the mood by creating feelings of comfort and creativity. Warm colors help rooms feel smaller, cozier, more intimate. Cool colors evoke feelings of calm and serenity, and help to make rooms look larger and airier. Many designers blend warm and cool color combinations together to create multilayered moods.

Yellow Moods

• Yellow is not considered to be a calming color because it is so warm and vivid. Many children's rooms and kid-friendly areas use bright yellow wall colors to make areas look fun, active and lively. Add pale, cool colors to balance out a yellow wall. Pale blues and greens mix beautifully with warm yellow, adding feelings of calm and serenity to the overall design.

Yellow Meanings

• As a mere color, yellow has many meanings. It's often associated with sunlight, hope and optimism. Yellow is the main color used for smiley faces, and it represents cheerfulness and happiness as a result. But yellow is also the color of caution; in traffic signs, it means you must proceed with caution. Yellow is also associated with cowardice or fear (as in being "yellow" or being a "yellow belly").

Yellow Accents

• Whether you're using yellow as an accent color or a main color, choose an accent that will contrast with yellow's warm tone. Soft, pastel shades of purple will pair beautifully with many shades of yellow, from pale to bold and vivid. Contrasting cool colors that evoke different moods than yellow will serve as a counterpoint on your walls, and prevent the yellow from becoming too overwhelming.