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Decorating the Yellow Room

We’re calling it the yellow room.

When my oldest son moved into his condo in late 2021, he took his bed, a desk, and a small table. He’s a minimalist like his mom. My son takes comfort from the familiar, whereas I enjoy change, so it worked out beautifully for both of us.

Mike and I bought a bed and a nightstand from Scandinavian Designs for the room, and that was it for a year. After that, I didn’t have the time or the energy to do more. I spent the last few months of last year researching assisted living for my younger sister, cleaning, clearing, packing, and organizing movers for a rainy December day. I set up her new space, hired a realtor, and cleared out what remained at the condo. Her place sold last month.

Between those hectic weeks, I made lists. Then, I spent evenings looking for unique bed coverings online.

Now and then, I would flop down on the new bed and think about how the space should feel. Once you have a sense of the feel of the room, design features naturally follow. I wanted a botanical vibe, green, but not too much green, and the idea of lemons and sunflowers entered the mix.

Digital lemon artwork (Etsy), Original Sunflower (a gift from Kelly), and Original cat painting, (artist/friend Barbara Oertli)

I must have mentioned this to my friend and fellow volunteer, Claudia. She gifted me a pair of beautifully hand-sewn, lemon-themed flannel pillowcases on my last day downtown. That gift got me moving.

Lemon flannel pillow case, a gift from my friend Claudia

The yellow room features bargains and splurges, unique items from my home, and plenty of cat fur.

I bought a yellow towel for the cats, and most of the time they sleep on it (Mouse looking entitled)

I found a package of decals online that assembled into a lemon tree. I wanted the tree to cover part of two walls, and after some thought, I decided to start the tree trunk along the baseboard. It worked! I spent a couple of afternoons adding clusters of leaves and then added the lemons as a finishing touch. The hummingbird decals came with the tree.

Completed lemon tree
Closeup of the tree decals

Our local Michael’s had a 90% off sale on custom framing, so I pounced. They framed three calendar pages from my 2022 wall calendar, and to my delight, they look fantastic. I hung the pictures for a few weeks before deciding to have the windowed wall painted green. Green walls made everything pop.

I found a few bargains at Cost Plus World Market:

  • A small wicker table
  • A decorative yet functional water sprayer
  • The round wicker piece over the bed
  • and that cute cat vase

Given our earthquake penchant, I never put anything heavy or breakable over a bed.

The floral chair swivels, so it will work nicely with the desk. It was s splurge!

The room is almost done, except for two details. First, a narrow desk is on order and should arrive in April.

The desk will go along this wall, currently reflecting the shudders
Treasures on the nightstand: mini-apron, a gift from Marlene, watering can frame, a gift from Carrielin and a sunflower card, a souvenir from my son’s trip to Florence. The lemon tray traveled from the kitchen.
Organic cotton light-weight sunflower blanket and assorted cushions from Ownkoti
The ficus once lived in the corner

Sadly, the gorgeous Ficus I bought for the room dropped 80% of its leaves. I need to sort something else out for that corner. The room has very little natural light, so this was a one-plant test. I’ve moved the plant to a brighter location, hoping it will rebound.

The plant looked nice while it lasted

The guest room is officially open! Here are a few more pics. I’ll share an update when the desk arrives.

51 thoughts on “Decorating the Yellow Room”

  3. Holy Cannoli !! You’ve been hard at work! So nice of you to redo my room, LOL! It looks totally different and somehow, roomier! What’s missing? Or maybe it’s just the bed being relocated? Excellent decorating my dear, Mouse included 😀 He’s the right colour to blend right in with the bed spread! I’m not aware of Ownkoti, but everything from them is dreamy. My favourite thing is your new swivel chair! Shame about the plant, I can’t keep anything alive here, the cats do their thing to torture, maul and chew on anything green. You did a good job with painting! Funny, I’ve actually taken down my wall decal, I just tired of it. That lemon tree is perfect in the corner! What’s next super woman?! 💛🌻🍋

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    • I hope you like your room, Boomdee. It’s certainly a different vibe for both of us. I don’t think I’ve ever decorated with so much yellow, but it’s been fun.

      The layout of the room only allows for a few bed placements, and I’ve tried them all. I like being able to enter the room without going around the bed. I tried the bed in the middle of the room and it took up too much space. This placement allows just enough room for the bed and one nightstand, with wiggle room to make the bed and expose the floor heating vent.

      I ordered a bed without a foot board and that makes if more spacious. It’s lower, and that helps too. The chair and the table are small in scale, and the desk on order is narrow, too. You’ll be applying makeup there on your next visit!

      One of the nice things about wall decals is that they can be easily removed. They’re an inexpensive way to decorate, so permission to have fun. 💛🌻🍋

      Ownkoti is my new favorite site. I’ve ordered items for a client from there as well.

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  6. All right. This gets a Maine “Wowsah”! Absolutely beautiful. And I am with Tialys. If I were a guest, I might never leave. 😉 I also really enjoyed how you took us through the process.

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    • Thank you, Sara! I really had fun pulling this all together. Now I want another room to play with. 🙂 I’ve moved the ficus to a bright location and it’s already sporting new leaves, so I’ll take that as a positive sign.

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  11. Oh it is a beautiful room ~ calm, pretty, welcoming. I am in love with the lemon tree. What an inspired choice. Its open branches fits with your less-is-more concept. The hummingbird is the perfect touch. (My house is looking very tired and in need of a revamp.)

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    • Hi Anne! I wish I lived down the street so I could come play at your house. I love brightening spaces, and I know you could use a pick-me-up. I’ve been thinking of you.

      Thanks for your kind words on the yellow room. I had fun assembling that lemon tree. It was oddly thereauptic.

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  13. Love it, Alsy, you’re so talented! I love the tree and the blanket and just the relaxed vibe of the room. Add me to the list of people who’d overstay their welcome

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  16. What a sunny delight, Alys! Such thoughtful design ideas! I love all of the ways that you brought nature into the yellow room. The lemon tree is so wonderful and I just love the framed calendar pages. So much inspiration here, Alys!!

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      • Since making my blog private, the fun has gone out of blogging, so I don’t post much. We are well anyway – daughter in her final year at school and I’m gearing up for another season of living history (where I dress up in medieval costume with a group called the Frei Compagnie).

        Your room is quite an inspiration to me, by the way. Still working on decluttering here – and striping the bannisters! – but we are making some progress with the house 😊

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        • Helen, I’m really sorry to hear that. It’s hard to lose something you enjoy, especially with a meddling “person from your past.” Why do others find pleasure in making someone’s life miserable?

          It’s good to hear that you and your daughter are doing well. Your dress up in medieval costume sounds like so much fun. I would love that. Best of luck with your continued home improvements. Please let me know if I can provide any tips along the way.

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          • Thank you, Alys. The medieval event on Sunday was good fun. Maybe I’ll do some decorating after Easter 😊.

            I don’t know who spooked me on my blog last year. And this person might very well have not realised they could concern me with their actions. Eg People who don’t have blogs don’t necessarily know about the stats function.

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            • I’m glad you had a good time at the medieval event. I think you’ll have an equally good time decorating. I’ve always enjoyed “puttering” around the house, rearranging things, adding color with cushions, flowers, plants or the like. It’s therapeutic. If someone comments on your blog, there is a way to block them, but if you don’t feel safe in this space, its understandable.

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  20. That room feels “alive” What a greeting your guests will get going in there. It has to make you feel better every time you look at it. You did a great job adding pizzazz to that space. Love the colors. I’m doing a lot of yellow these days to counteract the dark gloom of winter. Bought yellow sheets last spring when I got my new smaller bed. Just almost enough room to get around it is a phrase I well understand. That is a perfect shade of green too. Plants, especially ficus are very sensitive to where they live. I’ve come to the conclusion all my plants here have to artificial. I forgot about that apron! It looks so pretty in there. I would have no room for it here so I’m glad it’s got a happy spot. You do good work, Alys. Hugs.

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    • Thank you so much, Marlene. I really enjoyed myself, and in fact, went in unexpected directions as things evolved. Yellow is so cheering. I wonder if it will increase in popularity is part antidote to our troubled times. Yellow is not a color I can wear, but it’s fun decorating with that color. I love that little apron, and I’m delighted at how perfectly it works in the yellow room. It of course always makes me think of you. Hugs, MH

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      • I agree with you about yellow. It’s a tricky color to wear if you can find the right tone and value in clothing. I also prefer to decorate with it. Put yellow sheets on for March and have a patchwork quilt that Emily made and I bordered and backed with a rosy yellow and quilted. Just pulled the winter quilt off. The yellow walls in the hall are not a pretty yellow. The kind that sucks the life out of everything. I need to get my wall hangings done to cover them soon. 🙂 I knew that apron belonged with you. There is no place for it here unless I hung it off the ceiling. They were made with vintage linen by a couple of elderly sisters. 🙂 Hugs and love, M

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