Crisp, clean styles common to modern decor can be eye-catching, but it's nice when their colors are inspiring, too. These living rooms are a case in point: Neutral floors and furniture create a simple, modern starting point.

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This large kitchen is perfect for entertaining guests. The placement of the sink, wine cooler and trash compactor at the end of the island makes a separate work area that doubles as a prep sink or bar for entertaining. The butcher block is strategically placed on the other end of the island directly across from the range area to create a second prep area for the main cook.

The slate flooring brings the right amount of color and movement to this kitchen. The stone hood was designed with the same stones used on the fireplace across the room, which helps tie the entire space together. The backsplash tile and spice niches inside the stone hood add both a decorative accent and functionality. The black distressed island and tall pantry gives the space a rustic casual feel.

Image courtesy of Gene Northup of Synergy Sotheby's International Realty

Buttery Yellow Kitchen

Old-fashioned looks, such as the embossed stainless steel above the range and the beaded-board ceiling and island base, form the basis for a warm and inviting intimacy in this period-inspired kitchen. But it's the buttery yellow paint that makes this kitchen a standout .

Sunny Yellow Kitchen

Instead of replacing the cabinets to get a new look, paint does the trick here. The cabinets were sanded, coated with an oil-base primer, and finished with two coats of semigloss latex enamel. The color brightens the room, and the enamel finish is easy to clean. Open shelves make a perfect spot for displaying ironware. Sheathing the island in white beaded-board paneling makes it a gracious focal point in a warm, homey room .

Double Color Kitchen Cabinets

Despite the presence of an eight-burner range and stainless-steel hood sized to match, this pro-amenity-packed kitchen presents an old-fashioned cheeriness thanks to a yellow-and-white color palette. Upper cabinets are white with yellow interiors (all the better to display contents). Lower cabinets combine white face frames and yellow center panels. Yellow marble sheaths the baking center's countertop, while butcher block adds its own warm glow to work stations elsewhere in the room .

Dramatic Yellow Kitchen

Brilliant yellow cabinets give this classic kitchen a charisma, especially when paired with a backsplash that features tiles with a yellow harlequin pattern that dances from side to side. Upper cabinets boast natural wood construction, with specialty glass inserts that partially obscure the pretty green and white dishes on display. Black granite countertops add drama, while a wide-planked hardwood floor offers an heirloom sensibility to a clearly contemporary room .

Pale Yellow Cottage Kitchen

Dark wood countertops add a dramatic touch in a kitchen that's sheathed in pale yellow. Almost a neutral, the yellow paint allows the texture of the beaded-board paneling to play a major role in the kitchen's design. Strongly veined marble adds an organic presence to a room ruled by lines. Above the sink, a vibrant painting draws together the room's colors with dabs of red and green that make it a focal point .

Traditional Yellow Kitchen

Everything in this kitchen says traditional, from the furniture-style cabinets to the toile wallpaper and white ironware on display in open shelves. Yellow paint allows the cabinet details to shine: elaborate crown molding, raised panel doors and drawer fronts, and faux muntins over seeded glass insets. The island, which resembles an antique desk, anchors the room with its rich wood construction. A red-patterned Oriental rug calls attention to the red figures in the toile while offering a splash of color on the floor .

Kitchen with Yellow Tile

Rich, earthy colors accentuate this kitchen's unfitted English farmhouse feel. Buttery-yellow beveled-brick tiles comprise a backsplash that stretches from countertop to crown molding, creating a warm backdrop for barely gray Shaker-style cabinets. Woven area rugs soften pine floors, while handsome striped fabrics dress the windows. Bright yellow seat cushions pop against a green-painted island topped with zinc; the island makes the large kitchen's work triangle manageable .

Arts and Crafts-Style Kitchen

This cozy kitchen combines yellow-painted cabinetry, white subway tiles, and a white farm sink to create a charming early-20th-century persona. Mission-style shelves mounted on sturdy corbels work well for displaying colorful vintage pottery, which pops against pale yellow walls .

Soft yellow walls and pastel green cabinets with the look of age partner beautifully in this cottage-style kitchen. The cabinets feature beaded-board detailing, turned legs on the peninsula, and added molding to the door and drawer fronts. Tone-on-tone mosaic tiles create a beautiful beige backsplash that melts into the beige granite countertop. Brown barstools and an oil-rubbed bronze faucet offer dramatic darks against the mostly pastel background .


Warm and casual, these yellow-painted cabinets feature a softness of hue that allows them to stretch from floor to ceiling without overwhelming the observer. Brown granite countertops and hardwood floor temper the yellow with earthy tones. Bronze hardware marries the two colors with simple round shapes. Displaying a collection of brown and cream-color pottery with organic motifs adds interest without clashing with the primary color

These neutral shower curtains calm and center any bathroom space

Calming Cream

Tall Textile

Matching Materials

Flowy Fabric

Sepia Serenity

Simple Stripes

All warm colors have a natural affinity for each other so a color palette of yellow and red makes a cozy combination in this small bedroom. The antique wood bureau brings more warmth to the room and enhances its traditional style. The white ceiling, trim, and bed linens provide neutral visual breaks and keep the palette light .


Daisy-yellow walls create a happy background for this welcoming bedroom. Softened by white woodwork, beaded-board wainscoting and headboard, and a whitewashed pine floor, the yellow makes a sunny statement reiterated by the charming little footstool. To cool down the sunshine color, baby blue, azure, and apple green complete the color palette in the bedding, cafe curtains, bench, and rug .


Butterscotch tones add warm brown notes to this charming and traditional bedroom where color and paint create character in a small space. The rich yellow walls are painted to mimic wide wooden boards, while yellow and ivory toile linens, yellow chintz valance, golden sconces, and the bold contrast of an iron bed combine to produce a look that?s simple yet sophisticated .


 This serene bedroom makes judicious use of color and pattern for a nearly neutral color palette that promotes relaxation. Dashes of buttery tints dot the room but the comfy chaise is the only element that is solidly yellow. Cool tones of sage green and sky blue complement the color with cool hues. Window treatments, an upholstered bench, and the eye-catching hooked rug capture all the colors of the scheme in equal measure .


This cookie-cutter bedroom lacked focus, so an accent wall papered in a pretty yellow-and-white pattern gives it the visual interest it needed. The paint is matched to the wallpaper on the accent wall for a cohesive look. Though the room is vibrant, repeating the same color keeps it calm. Shades of yellow, with hints of ivory and beige, unify multiple patterns. The upholstered bed frame sport solid fabrics as a quiet foundation for patterns. The drapery motif works because it?s of a smaller scale than the other patterns in the room .


A mix of styles and cultures brings warmth and personality to this streamlined bedroom. The stage is set with pale yellow walls that complement the sunny aspect of the bank of lightly dressed windows opposite the bed. The handcrafted bedstead, too, injects color with bright yellow paint and powder-blue bedding accents. A midcentury reupholstered chair and sleek console bring the sleekness of metal framing. Ethnic collections in dark, rustic wood add both patina and global sensibility .
  

In this traditional-style master bedroom, vanilla walls provide the lightness it needs to keep it from appearing too stuffy and heavy. The dark four-post bedstead and nightstands dominate the room, but the bed gets a bit of lighthearted yellow and white toile pattern on the coverlet so it doesn?t take itself too seriously. Glossy white on the trim and ceiling serves as a foil to the deep charcoal carpet.

Canary yellow bedding gives this nearly neutral bedroom something to sing about. Beige walls, walnut flooring, and a patterned brown ottoman provide a neutral foundation that keeps the small space from feeling cramped. White on the angled ceiling visually lifts the height of the room while a nubby white rug lightens the dark flooring and adds sink-into softness. White linens, nightstands, and shades put the spotlight on the yellow quilt and shams. At the window, a cool watery aqua adds a cool contrast .


A Depression-era quilt got the color party started in this lively bedroom. Sunny-yellow figural and striped fabrics dress the bed and windows and tie the sky blue wicker chairs to the other furnishings. A simply striped blue-and-white cotton rug lightens the dark-stained walnut floors. Paneling, window muntins, and ceiling trusses provide a white-on-white series of geometric lines and patterns that add visual depth and interest without intruding on the already active group of fabric patterns .



A restful palette, cozy bedding, and the right nightstand make this bedroom a cocoon of color and comfort. The one-color scheme is easy on the eyes and just as easy to pull off. Vary the intensity of the color by keeping walls a couple of shades lighter than the bedding. To keep the palette from veering too far toward a sweet pastel scheme, add plenty of neutrals such as this bordered rug, graphic charger artwork, and the tiered night table. Add texture with a tone-on-tone wallpaper pattern, nubby throw, and crocheted pillow .