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In our research, yellow nurseries seem to be about as rare as yellow diamonds; the sunny hue is typically relegated to a supporting role for more popular sage green or duck egg shades. But when you find spaces like the ones below, where the color is proudly front and center, it’s clear we’ve been approaching things all wrong. Yellow is an instant mood-booster—a major bonus during those sleep-deprived early months—and as a primary color, it plays especially nice with less expected (but just as kid-friendly) shades like a poppy red or cornflower blue. Read on to see for yourself.
The All-or-Nothing Yellow Nursery
To keep a space on track, Danish product designer Cathrine de Lichtenberg is a fan of choosing one color combo and leaning in hard. For her daughter’s nursery, that duo is lavender and yellow, the latter of which shows up in an almost-beige on the walls (Yellow Snow by File Under Pop), a vibrant lemon on the sheer curtains, and a classic gold via the 3D sun rising in the corner.
The Yellow Nursery That Celebrates the Fine Print
Paint isn’t the only way to bring big color into a baby’s room. Designer Bess DuBose instead layered Pierre Grey’s yellow-flecked floral Bengali wallpaper with mustard-hued roman shades in her son’s nursery, which pop all the more against the palest blue trim (Skylight by Farrow & Ball).
They’re making us blush.
Peep our pink nursery ideas →
The Closet Turned Yellow Nursery
Before it was her son’s nursery, this space was indeed designer Summer Thornton’s bedroom closet. Despite a house extension, the spot is still small—but no one could call it an afterthought. The paneled walls and ceiling are both coated in an unapologetic high-gloss yellow for a jewel-box effect, mirrored in miniature by the USM shelving unit.
The Yellow Nursery Decorated Backwards
Oftentimes, a room’s palette starts with a stand-out piece or pattern and expands to paint colors from there. Brogan Cox, creative director of London furniture studio Sebastian Cox, did it the other way around for her child’s space. The first thing she decided on was her paint pairing: Edward Bulmer Natural Paint’s Florence on the walls and Invisible Green on the molding. From there, Cox searched for the right wallpaper, landing on the dreamy Blackthorn pattern in Spring by Morris & Co., which includes her exact two hues, plus some pink and orange for good measure.