Give your home a golden glow

If ever a colour was designed to banish the gloom, it's yellow. This versatile shade oozes energy and optimism and even just a splash of it can instantly brighten a room.

Small wonder then that yellow – already established as a firm favourite for this year's fashions – is now blooming in interiors as designers make it the star colour for everything from fabrics to lamps.

There's a dazzling choice of interpretations; you can follow nature's lead and pick yellows evoking the bouncy brilliance of spring daffodils, opt for the more contemporary sharp and citric lemon, or perhaps choose a subtle burnished golden shade.

Turning on to yellow could prove to be colour therapy in our troubled times, says creative stylist Claire Hornby.

"A great way to cheer yourself up through the gloom, is to decorate with a shade that's fresh and vibrant," she says.

"Colour does affect our mood and yellow is definitely the one to go for, and can give you a personal spot of sunshine at home."

Yellow can also have the effect of making small, dark rooms feel bigger or simply provide the "wow" factor to functional rooms such as kitchens, studies and hallways.

Louise Smith, colour and design manager for Dulux, is a big fan of the sunny shades. "Yellow is a clear, bright and uplifting colour, which lightens and is welcoming when used in interiors," she says.

If you feel vibrant yellows would be too glaring, follow Smith's advice and go mellow yellow.

"Mustard yellows are the fashionable shades for this year, and they work beautifully on their own or combined with cooler neutrals," she says.

"Warmer golds and tans will also be prevalent, allowing you to bring the natural world inside to create a look of comforting and calming radiance."

Make yellow welcome and you could find yourself in a sunny frame of mind no matter what the global financial situation is.


Add Some Zest

If you're wild for yellow, be bold on walls. Paint a feature wall for instant impact or use it on woodwork contrasted with cream walls.

"To create a soft, inviting look, start with classic creamy yellows, which will bring warmth to spaces with limited light," Smith says.

"For something more lively, experiment with strong mustard yellows and cool greys to create a really dynamic room."

Use Dulux's radiant yellows, Lemon Pie and Pale Citrus, teamed with soft creams such as Timeless. For an eco alternative, try earthBorn paint's soft Humpty Dumpty yellow.

Wake up to the wide variety of fabrics – plain, patterned or floral – that can be used for curtains or upholstery featuring the shade.

Tricia Guild, founder of Designer's Guild, is certainly not alone in keying into the yellow trend.

But her take is, as always, innovative and chic.

Her Whitewell fabric Collection could be the chic shot of warmth a cool monochrome scheme is crying out for. On the high street, Marks and Spencer's ready-made curtains include yellow choices in either a bold spot or a pretty floral print.

Top tip: Window blinds are an easy way of ensuring a sunny outlook.


Focus on Yellow

Yellow furniture in a room will command attention, so make sure the design and quality of a piece is sound.

"A yellow statement piece – like a sofa or chair – is a great way to update and lift a room and give it a new lease of life for spring," says Gillian Anderson, trading director at UK store Heal's.

Its range brims with yellow pieces, including the Cube Loveseat armchair, which is available in a canary yellow fabric and the matching padded Cube screen, which can be ordered online at www.heals.co.uk.

The Love Chair, Dh5,000 from Barker and Stonehouse, is another elegant winner with its smattering of yellow hearts on the chair back.

If you don't want a yellow piece to overwhelm a room Claire Hornby advises mixing yellow with black to really make the colour come to life, but blend into the room.

IDdesign in Dubai, (04 341 34 34) offers funky yellow accessories such as vases, cushions and sculptures, which when placed alongside white or black furniture give a contemporary look to any room.

Budget Buy: Ikea's weirdly named but trendy PS Lovas two-seater sofa bed in Roma yellow, Dh1,426 or a Lycksele Lovas chair bed, Dh500.


Pick of the Bunch

Just as a simple bunch of daffodils in a vase brings a room alive, so yellow accessories can be relied on style-wise.

Storage tins can't be dull if they're yellow. Canisters for tea, coffee and other essentials brighten up a dull kitchen or living room space.

Give your sofa a shake up with Ikea's Lusy bedspread and scatter yellow cushions from IDdesign. Or treat the kids to some sunshine in their rooms with the yellow Pirate Kids bedset from Homes r Us (04 321 3444).

Treat yourself to a Flutterby cushion, Dh500, from Heal's, or save the pennies but still get the look with Marks and Spencer's Ikat cushion with cream circles on a yellow background, Dh125.

Alternatively, call up retro styles with IDdesign vases, Dh188, or bask in reflected glory by hanging Heal's Ghost mirror by Philippe Starck. Ikea's Sunnan solar powered work lamp, in bright yellow, would be a suitable eco choice.

Budget Buy: Celebrate spring with Emma Bridgewater's cheerful half pint mug, emblazoned with daffodils available from Harvest Home (04 342 0225).

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