Yellow and green room ideas – 10 ways to decorate with natural tones

Yellow and green rooms are amongst the sunniest of spaces – perfect for warming up cool, north- or east-facing rooms, or, if the tones are moodier, for bringing a subdued glow to bright south- or west-facing rooms. 

Below, decorating editor, Emma Thomas, together with interior stylist Sally Denning, have curated a selection of their favorite looks for yellow and green rooms. They're sophisticated, mellow – and right on trend for your interior design for the year ahead.

Yellow and green room ideas

If you love green room ideas but feel they need a little more warmth, or want to take the exuberance of yellow room ideas down a notch, these yellow and green rooms are the perfect compromise. Our decorating editors take you through how to achieve the looks, step by step, including how to match yellow and green to other colors and differing patterns.

1. Lay a vibrant floor in an entryway for instant appeal

Decorating with green in an entryway? Combine it with touches of yellow and neutral walls. Here, elegant chequerboard flooring in zingy green and white, combined with the rich ochre of an oversize pleated lampshade and the fresh green pattern of a statement chair gives this entrance real wow factor, a great option for green hallway ideas.

Mix patterns in similar tones, such as the graphic chequerboard flooring and chair fabric with fringe skirt, with complementary accents on cushions and lamps creates a pleasing and harmonious decorative mix. 

Using texture in interior design – such as the natural texture of the sideboard door fronts – adds warmth and an organic element. The artworks have also been carefully selected to sit happily within the scheme's color palette. You can use the color wheel to get the balance of tones just right.

2. Major on a yellow focal point for a cozy appeal

Looking for yellow living room ideas that aren't too yellow? You can create a cozy yellow and green living room with tactile velvets, earthy natural textures, and pleasing patterns in this season’s most warming of color palettes, without the yellow being overpowering.

The glow of an ochre velvet sofa creates a focal point in this elegantly muted living room. A geometric flatweave rug in a palette of greens adds pattern interest and warmth at low level.

While painting a small room in a deep rich natural tone accentuates the atmosphere of a warm snug, a tall statement wall shelving unit with ceramics on display draws the eye up allowing the room to feel taller, airier and more spacious. 

3. Consider statement shelving for displaying collections

Bookshelf ideas needn't include books in yellow and green rooms. Using statement shelving for display is the perfect way to enjoy a favorite collection of ceramic vessels. Mix and match pieces in your chosen palette to add interesting shapes and tones as a delightful and personally curated wall display.

4. Max out the yellow, with touches of green

When the yellow you are using is more of an ochre, you can afford to use it on walls and matching drapery, without it being overwhelming. Touches of green – in accessories, artwork or even just foliage – will add a refreshing touch of zest to the mustard tones.

Yellow and green room ideas do suit being matched with neutrals, including warm wood tones; you can see from the room above that they are also wonderful contrasted with black, too, great for yellow hallway ideas.

5. Choose a round dining table for more intimate entertaining

Green kitchen ideas have had something of a moment in the past couple of years – and you may want to extend that color scheme into your dining space. Since green can be a cool color, choose a round green dining table to sets the scene for an informal dining gathering that also feels welcoming. 

A rich ochre rug adds warmth underfoot and that inviting green and yellow room combination. The calm combination of these layered tones is set against restful taupe wall panelling to evoke a serene scheme. Opting for upholstered dining chairs ensures maximum comfort when entertaining guests. Colorful tableware, such as ceramics, glasses and linens, add a personality to the table setting. 

6. Display your favorite finds in yellow and green rooms

Elegant tablescape vignettes are a delightful and playful way to personalize a yellow and green room: mix your favorite lighting and objets for a pleasing arrangement. 

Each piece here has its own character and story to tell, from the painted faux bamboo side table, to the green column lamp with bespoke decorative shade, to the choice of ceramic and glass vessels. A foliage branch gathered from the garden and casually placed in a ceramic pot adds an organic finishing touch. 

7. Bring yellow and green to the bedroom 

Green bedroom ideas are amongst the most restful of spaces, but if you add a touch of yellow, you will inject the room with warmth, too. 

Here, a sleek four poster painted in a gentle pea green sits happily within the muted backdrop of the panelled bedroom, with a yellow patterned fabric canopy as a delightful finishing touch. The green shades are lifted by the rich ochre tones of the canopy, quilt, cushion and lamp. The patterned rug cleverly echoes the greens used throughout, helping to pull the overall look together.  

8. Make your bathroom warmer with a yellow touches 

Yellow and green room ideas can create a relaxing environment in which to enjoy a warming soak, and there are a few simple additions that can turn what can feel like quite a clinical, functional space, into more of an inviting room in which you long to linger. 

A simple side table on which to display your favorite toiletries feels like a wonderfully indulgent addition to green bathrooms, especially when covered with a textural tablecloth in a rich chartreuse. The addition of fresh foliage or flowers from the garden lends an air of organic informality. 

A simple cafe curtain adds softness and essential privacy. A natural wooden bath plank offers a handy ledge to place items needed to hand. Finish off with atmospheric candlelight.

9. Pick yellow for bathroom walls 

Yellow and green are wonderful bathroom color ideas – a deeper ochre yellow will make the space feel warm and welcoming, perfect for long, relaxing soaks. Here, touches of deep, earthy green help balance the yellow so that they space feels more layered. If you do choose a yellow with these tones, ensure your bathroom lighting ideas are fitted with bulbs that mimic daylight – anything too warm-toned will make the space feel murky. 

10. Add yellow and green in subtle touches

Yellow and green room ideas needn't be dominated by these shades – you can add them as the most subtle of accent color ideas. If you like to change up your schemes regularly, stick to accessories you can swap out easily – such as fabrics – for a more permanent approach, fixtures, such as tiles can be a beautiful addition, but even here, the green of these backsplash tiles isn't a dominant part of the scheme. 

Do yellow and green go together in a room?

Yes, yellow and green do go together well in a room, however, there is one color rule to stick to in order to ensure success. The first is to match the tones of the yellow and green – so pastel yellows and greens will work together, and muted yellows and greens will complement each other, but a pastel yellow and murky green will clash. 

Which other colors work well in yellow and green rooms?

Colors that work well with yellow and green really depend on the tone of the pairing that you choose. A pastel yellow and green room scheme will work well against white, and you could add one other accent shade, such as pastel blue or pink. In a more muted yellow and green room scheme, you can take the white down to a more neutral background, such as deep creams or earthy beiges; colors that match this type of scheme include black, brown and woody tones.