HGTV's Jenny Marrs Say This Cheerful Paint Color Is Making A Major Comeback

The best kitchen spaces are often bright and filled with light. In Season 5, Episode 1 of "Fixer to Fabulous," hosts Jenny and Dave Marrs were tasked with updating the kitchen of a friend to reflect her love of the English cottage style. Part of the 1980s ranch home remodel was its drab, dated, and unappealing kitchen, which Jenny set to transform with a coat of soft yellow paint. By painting the walls and cabinets in this shade, she was able to create the sunny cottage feel the homeowner desired. 

While yellow was once popular as a color for kitchens in the mid-to-late 20th century, recent decades have left this cheerful shade in the dust. Only recently have homeowners and designers been resurrecting this once-popular shade. From soft, pale buttercup to richer and deeper shades of mustard, yellow is fast becoming a great option for kitchens. This is particularly true in English cottage and grandmillennial homes, two styles rooted in a vintage and cozy feel.

In the episode of "Fixer to Fabulous," (via HGTV) Jenny Marrs said, "In the kitchen, I want to have more of like a bright, cheery, happy, cottage kitchen with yellow. But, yellow is very tough because yellow can be a little bit bright and childish. But, I knew from the very beginning I wanted to do a yellow kitchen because it feels very countryside, and yellow is back. I'm very excited about it because I love yellow." She chooses a soft shade of yellow mixed with a bright white countertop, stainless steel appliances, and lighter, neutral-toned wood for the butcher block island.

This soft shade of yellow speaks greatly to the English cottage style, creating a sophisticated yet whimsical look that is more soothing than brighter, lemon-yellow shades of the past. Yellow is also an energetic color. embodying exuberance and possibility. It's a great alternative to basic white if you're looking for a way to make a room light-filled and bright. 

If you love the idea of yellow for your kitchen in large or small doses, consider the style and color of other features like countertops to choose your shade. Since the nuances of yellow shades can be greatly impacted by light, make sure to examine different shades in changing light throughout the day to get the perfect paint color. Yellow looks particularly great with white and light woods, but can also be paired well with creams, other pastels, and various neutrals like gray. To avoid a dated look, steer clear of pairing yellow with darker and deeper-colored woods that speak to styles of the 1970s or 1980s. 

While bright yellow can occasionally look childish, combining a more subtle shade of the color with creams or whites can look more sophisticated. For a lighter shade like the one Jenny and Dave Marrs chose in their remodel, try Pale Sunshine from Behr Dynasty or Light Yellow from Benjamin Moore. For a deeper shade, try Benjamin Moore's Hawthorne Yellow or Farrow & Ball's Dayroom Yellow. If yellow is not to your liking, several warmer shades of yellowish-cream share many of the same brightening effects and cheeriness of yellow but are more neutral like Benjamin Moore's Citronée or Benjamin Moore's Cotton Tail.