Here Comes The Sun

It's warm, inviting and cheerful. What's not to love about yellow?

Designers say -- somewhat surprisingly, considering how widely it is used -- that yellow can be a tricky color on a wall. "Yellow is the hardest color to get right, without question," says New York designer Alexa Hampton. "As mellow a yellow you think you select, it's always much louder than you think it will be."

"Above all other colors, it's inclined to get more intense on the wall," says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of "Color: Messages and Meanings." Yellows with even the slightest green undertone, she says, can go greenish on the wall, especially if the room has lots of windows.

If you want to go yellow, Hampton advises sticking with the topmost choices on the paint decks because these are typically the palest shades. Paint a large sample, she says. If it's too bright, mix in a bit of your trim color. And consider off-white paint colors, too. Some of the creamiest shades turn out to be just yellow enough.

Love the color but aren't sure you want to commit to paint? Introduce yellow into the room with a cheery fabric or patterned pillows, a graphic area rug or a floral lampshade. Even these subtle touches are sunny.