How to decorate with Mustard

I doubt that any of us would ever say that Mustard is a favourite colour. In fact I always remember Tricia Guild, the founder of Designer's Guild and a lover of colour, professing Mustard to be one of the few tones she disliked!

I must agree that Mustard can be a rather dull and dingy colour. However, when used in smaller quantities, it is actually a beautifully sophisticated, mellow and warm tone. In how to decorate with mustard, I show you how to appreciate this much underrated colour.

Here is the basis of the colour:

Yellow and blue are primary colours and when mixed together make green.
Red and yellow are primary colours and when mixed together make orange.
Take the two secondary colours of orange and green and mix them together and you get Mustard.
In fact what you do get, depending on how much you use of orange and green, is a range of gorgeous, greyed down greens and oranges with mustard right in the middle. Add white to these and you get lots more options. Welcome to the wonderful world of colour!
These are Tertiary colours and there are a lot of other options. It is often these tones that are the best to use in interiors as they are not as strong and brash as their original base.

How to decorate with mustard — Image: HomeBunch

I like to decorate with mustard for the following reasons:

It is a rich and warm tone and is perfect to offset the current greys that are popular.
Grey is enhanced greatly by the addition of a touch of mustard, even if it is just a couple of scatter cushions.
Warmth is added to a crisp white interior with a touch of Mustard.
As it is fairly close to a neutral, it is easy to use in interiors but not quite as flat as a neutral that doesn't have an obvious undertone.
I like the mustard tones that are more yellow than green. I find that these bring freshness to a colour palette without the gaudy brashness of yellow.
Mustard is a more sophisticated alternative to yellow when partnered with navy blue.

Napery with a trim in a warm mustard complements the gorgeous warm tones of gold and timber. The overall look of the styling is one that is considered and elegant rather than brash and showy.

Colours to use to decorate with mustard

Blue and yellow are a traditional colour partnership. However if you adjust the tone and use a mustard with blue and contemporary whites then you get a very sophisticated colour palette for your interior scheme.

You should consider an interior scheme of warm greys, soft ivory and white complemented by mustard and yellow tones. Use an accent of on-trend warm blush to complete the look.

I love how the mustard colour in the cushions helps to tie in the timber frame of the artwork in this living room scheme.

I hope that this has inspired you to decorate with mustard and that you see it as a potential accent rather than a dull alternative. If you are unsure about how it will work with an interior scheme you should put together a mood board. I show you how in my FREE e-book which you can download here.