The Unexpected Color That Perfectly Complements Neutrals In Any Room

Sick of pairing neutrals on neutrals? While neutral color palettes can be quite helpful when trying to make a room versatile, using only achromatic colors can result in a rather mundane and boring environment. That's why pops of color are almost essential to liven up a neutral color scheme, bringing in a bit of pizzazz or breathing new life into a space. However, choosing a compatible accent color to your neutral room can be quite a challenge. You don't want to overpower the space with too bold of a selection, nor do you want to choose a color that's too subtle to make any impact. Fortunately, there is a vibrant yet unexpected color that perfectly complements neutrals in any room.

Enter the color often associated with sunshine and joy — yellow. This vivid color may seem overpowering at first, but if you choose the right shade, it can blend seamlessly with any existing neutral color scheme in a room. This year has seen a rise in the popularity of butter yellow, especially after the color was deemed as Kitchenaid's Color of the Year for 2025. Butter yellow decor has been swooped up and placed into homes, creating an instant mood boost with its subtle brightness and pop of color. Whether you find the mellow shade still hot or on its way out, there are plenty of other golden hues to choose from that will pair well with and light up achromatic color schemes in any room of your home.

While it may not come off as such, the color yellow can sometimes be considered as a neutral color by designers, due to its ability to play and pair well with a variety of other tones, lighting, and textures. Despite its vibrancy, yellow can be a beautiful and vibrant color addition to a room, as long as the right shade is chosen. Muted and pale shades, like the aforementioned butter yellow, are great to add a subtle pop of color in a space without deviating too far from its achromatic decor. For those who want to go bold, select a brighter and impactful hue – like mustard or gold – to truly make enough of a statement in a room. The bolder hues will not be overpowering, as neutral furnishings and decor can help tone down the color and tie the space together.

Often associated with feelings of joy and comfort, yellow hues can also bring extra warmth and exuberance to a more bland space. Adding yellow decor pieces or a yellow accent wall to a living space that's decorated or painted with whites, tans, grays, or creams, can invoke a comforting and inviting ambiance in a room, while adding a delightful burst of color to an otherwise bland space. When selecting your perfect golden hue, it's important to keep in mind how much natural light a space receives. Since yellows reflect light, the shade you choose can be lightened or brightened depending on the time of day.