apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Yellow and gray go really well together...maybe a charcoal or light gray couch with white and black accents? Though black may be a bit Flight of the Bumblebee. :-)

I think lots of white with blue would look great. Think Chinese pottery.

BTW, I'm thinking of something like this for the sofa:

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=102&f=3866

Or this:

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=102&f=4321

Tone the white trim down and ceiling to a cream or a beige and then have fun with teals and turquoises! They are opposite on the color wheel and will give you a lot of pop. What fun :)

I love the suggestions for adding grey or blue. I'd turn the window corner spot into a reading nook. I think your yellow walls are a nice surprise, and a fun decorating challenge!

See how beautifully the dark wood floor goes with the paint? It tones the yellow down.

I think Choclate Brown would be the best main color for your space.

I like the first sofa link you showed. The other is very plain and if you notice there is a lot of stuff around it.

Play around with shades of brown. You can also add eggplant as an accent color.

Use lots of reds and oranges for an overall warm color palette, and then add a touch of cobalt blue.

Oh yes, I can a lovely large plant with a reading nook by the window and a floating flimsy curtain...

I agree, yellow & gray is a good combo...also try navy (indigo) like this chair here (specifications are: fabric: vance, and color: indigo):

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/collection.do?method=get&id=4197457&cat=91552822

Enjoy it. Your space looks great that color.

Navy would be awesome...sort of a modern take on Pierre Deux/French country.

Anything but Black, Beige and Brown.
(You don't want your place looking like a bumblebee)

Have funs with whites and vibrant blues, and don't skimp on lighting!

my mother has recently overloaded her entire house in Yellow....so naturally i would say paint the entire place another color since it looks like my mother has thrown up yellow on her entire house. not only that but she recently decorated the entire entertainment room in this whole "gone fishing" theme...with lamps that have fish or fishing poles. The only thing worse than an entire house of yellow is pairing it with dark burgandy and ugly plaids. I'd almost rather stay in a motel when I visit.

Black, white and citron green. Plus some Tiffany blue here and there. But that's it- don't go overboard with color.

I went to Macy's one day, and saw a couple mannequins in the Juniors department wearing a polo shirt, spaghetti strap tank underneath it, and a scarf wrapped around the neck. They flipped the colors on each girl, but the colors were purple, teal, and a goldie yellow over a somewhat dark wash jeans. I absolutely loved the combination, which I never would have thought of, but I put together a terrible little mockup in photoshop as soon as I got home.

It's my personal opinion teal, white and purple would look amazing in this space :) I didn't add any purple furniture to the mix, though I should have to see how it all looked. I just grabbed a bunch of ikea furniture in the colors closest to the ones I saw and added pillows with white and purple in them.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3118/2717833983_6516078ff5_o.jpg

i would make a template of the "footprint" behind the door and up to the end of the window(creating a straight edge perpendicular to the window wall), and have a desk top made in that shape ( a bright blue formica or glossy painted blue)...
use simple legs from:
http://tablelegsonline.com/
or http://www.ianmaclean.com/
it looks as if the desktop could come out as far as the first window, and you can add/build shelves for books behind the door...placed up the wall and above the desk surface.
artwork or inspiration board on the odd angled walls...you'll be facing it, so make sure it's entertaining.

my living area is a similar color (myan gold from behr) and i LOVE it! it's very warm and cozy at night, fresh & welcoming during the day. i have a pale sage sofa, orange chair, dark orange/brick red/golden yellow chair that pulls all the colors together, and a small pop or 2 of teal. writing it here makes it sound like a crazy color combination, but it really does work!

As a chemist in grad school, I just think it's totally amazing that you're using Fischer boxes to move with!

I'd hang some drapes that help cover a little bit of the yellow (which I happen to like) to help tone it down, and definitely a reading chair, small table and lamp by that window in the nook. As far as color combos go, I do love yellow with charcoal, though usually I like it as a lot of charcoal and white, with punches of yellow. If it were me I would probably have more white and some navy and then some vintagey-looking items (pillows, accessories, etc) with more colors, but in a muted way.

I was thinking you could put a cute console table with a display in that niche, but I love the idea of using it for a reading nook.

My colors of choice would be lime, turquoise and pthalo blue.

I'd paint one of the walls, to give the eyes a break from all that yellow. Maybe a rich navy blue? Something to complement whatever window treatments you choose........I'd suggest hanging your drapes/blinds/whatever high and wide.

Maybe some nice wooden blinds or roman shades with blue curtains.

i love yellow, with lots of white and gray and wood, and aqua as an accent! those are actually the colors i want to use in my living room.

agree with toning the yellow a bit by hanging curtains to flock the windows... i'd go with white.

i'd go with a white or gray sofa (if you are getting one) and a white shag/flokati rug would look great on the wood floors.

you can see that color palette here:
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/07/inspiration-yellow-and-grey.html

gray, navy and purple. :)

That little funny spot would make a great reading nook, with a nice cozy chair and the sun that will shine in from that window.

I am thinking the color looks too intense. Not to put a damper on your enthusiasm...

Think Tuscan pottery (blue, green, red, gold), or maybe Mexican tiles for inspiration. That's a lively earthy yellow, it's just terrific.

lurker2209 ...

i'm so ashamed, i totally didn't notice the Fischer box way in that corner.

Very cool!