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Color Inspiration: Yellow and Teal

Whenever we happen to wake up to a gray day — which seems to be this spring's trend in DC — our mind goes instantly to bright colors and striking combinations. Today's daydream: sunny yellow and dramatic teal. Not for the faint of heart, this combo is about pep and impact. We're always taken by its vibrant retro vibe, but wonder if we could live with it in our own home day after day. What about you? Go bold or go hide?

 
 

FIRST ROW
1 There is nothing shy about this bright walled space. The black chairs add a sophisticated edge.
2 Is there any way you could look at this room and not think Jonathan Adler? Even though the majority of this room is done in black and white, it's the yellow and teal that steal the show.
3 We love the way the soft aqua gives center stage to the bold yellow cabana-striped canopy.
4 Funky coastal color.
5 We always love doors with personality. This would be perfect in a beach cottage.

SECOND ROW
6 The large expanses of white make light of all the funky elements of this eclectic kitchen.
7 We often hear that we should refrain from loud upholstery, but what would this living room be without those chairs?
8 Touches of teal update the traditional yellow wallpaper.

(Images: 1: Canadian House and Home, 2,6 : House Beautiful, 3,4,7: Country Living, 5: Martha Stewart, 8: James Merrell)

Comments (19)

I love the combo to look at, but not to live with. Only in small amounts and in accent pieces.

posted by clampers on June 16th 2009 at 1:27pm
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Thanks for this post. It makes me want to go home and paint my dining room. I love the first & second pics.

posted by teeze on June 16th 2009 at 1:29pm
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Love those black velvet armchairs - Source?

posted by bepsf on June 16th 2009 at 1:42pm
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I love bold and enjoy waking up in it each day. I recently painted my living room orange:

http://number17cherrytreelane.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/move-that-bus/

I'm so happy I did! It keeps things light and fun.

posted by CherryTreeLane on June 16th 2009 at 2:02pm
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You are right. There is no way I can look at these pictures and not think Jonathan Adler.

posted by kiljoywashere on June 16th 2009 at 2:06pm
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Teal is my favorite color, but I don't want to live in a comic book. I'll take my teal a bit more subdued and in smaller doses. And NOT with lemon yellow, thank-you!!

posted by SherryBinNH on June 16th 2009 at 2:08pm
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I have a teal wall in my living room, and a bright yellow wall in my kitchen/dining area. They aren't in the same room, but in close proximity. Both colors make me happy and i can see them both from my front door when i come home.

posted by amazonikon on June 16th 2009 at 2:17pm
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hooray! I'm pumped about this post because I have this same thing going on in my loft. My kitchen and living room are basically the same room, besides the bar in the middle, and I have the kitchen painted a bright retro teal, and then the focal point in my living room is a big, bright yellow antique sideboard. You see all of it together when you walk into our place, and I think it's great. Good to see others appreciate the combo!

posted by AdrienneClaire on June 16th 2009 at 2:41pm
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These are my bathroom colors . When I was done painting the walls a very sunny yellow my 7 yr old daughter ran to her room and came back with sunglasses on saying she would have to wear them in there cause it was so bright. It takes some getting used to but it makes me happy every time I walk through the door.

posted by redhed on June 16th 2009 at 3:32pm
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I adore all those rooms. The first being my fave.

posted by Automatic Blonde on June 16th 2009 at 4:11pm
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My bedroom is yellow and teal with lots of white. I have a whole wall of glossy white wardrobes. I love it. Its so sunny and happy.

posted by MatildaScott on June 16th 2009 at 4:37pm
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My sister did her room with "pool blue" and "sunny yellow" trim - works great. I love the room, looks very bright and cheery, and it's not annoying like I originally thought it would be.

My mom has a motto: Go for it, it's just paint. :)

posted by cptnruthless on June 16th 2009 at 7:08pm
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I painted my dining table this color and I love it. It looks happy.

posted by leadingedge on June 16th 2009 at 7:26pm
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The yellow in the first picture is truly amazing. I've been looking for *exactly* that colour for my kitchen!

posted by wc_canuck on June 16th 2009 at 8:47pm
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The good thing about yellow is that it's a bright color, and yet it's also "light". Many people are afraid of dark rooms (I'm not), and dark, bright rooms often scare people, but do you see that one thing that works about most of these is that there really is a lot of serious graphic colors? Just be VERY careful if you're going to try this look at home.

posted by Curtis on June 16th 2009 at 11:50pm
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I love the majority of these, especially the kitchen one. Adorable! Now I really want to switch to this color scheme in one of the rooms in my apartment.

posted by lindybot on June 17th 2009 at 8:29am
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In the future, this is exactly the kind of room people will look at and say "that is so Domino, mid-00s."

posted by baba yaga on June 17th 2009 at 3:38pm
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Ow, Ow, OW, my EYES!!!

Love the kitchen, love the dog, I love some of the rooms but anything with the dayglo yellow makes me feel really jumpy. I like that sort of color in the office or studio, where I need to be wide awake, but in my home I want something a bit more restful to the eye.

posted by Rucy on June 17th 2009 at 5:33pm
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The amazing black velvet chairs are from a place called HorseFeathersHome!

posted by RLouis on June 18th 2009 at 3:45pm
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