Why You Should Want Yellow Ochre in Your Home
Earthy and warm, this ancient colour evokes the sands of time as well as speaks to modern decorating sensibilities
Samantha Schoech
19 January 2022
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel and design. I just completed my first remodel, turning my crumbling 1941 kitchen into a beauty of grays, whites and natural wood. If I could, I'd sleep on the countertop. That's how much I love it.
You can also read my parenting blog on Baby Center http://blogs.babycenter.com/author/sschoech/
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel and design.... More
Yellow ocher ranges from golden to light brownish and is one of the oldest tints used by humans. It’s what you see on the plaster walls of Tuscany. It’s a wheat field at sunset. It’s the glow of golden oak floors.
Ocher on the walls
The textured ocher walls add warmth and elegance to this spare room with concrete floors.
The textured ocher walls add warmth and elegance to this spare room with concrete floors.
Ocher walls give a space gravitas. There is something distinguished and comforting about this colour – maybe because it has weathered trends for centuries.
Find a designer to design your home
Find a designer to design your home
This is a very orangey ocher. It's chic and warm and provides the perfect backdrop for an otherwise muted black and white room.
This light, greenish ocher is nearly neutral, but its warmth and depth make the rest of the room feel cosier and more intimate.
Eclectic design is so often played out against a white background. This glowing yellow ocher adds grace and confidence to the room.
See how well it goes with teal? It’s earthy and traditional and modern and fresh.
Is gold and teal the perfect colour combination? Find out
Is gold and teal the perfect colour combination? Find out
Ocher in the kitchen
Ocher is said to stimulate appetite and is associated with food. Perfect for the kitchen.
Ocher is said to stimulate appetite and is associated with food. Perfect for the kitchen.
This ocher tile backsplash adds a touch of much-needed warmth to this open, white kitchen without sacrificing its modern aesthetic.
Ocher walls with exposed brick and terracotta tile floors fit right in in any home. It’s a classic look.
Basics of decorating with ocher
Ocher works well in rich, traditional rooms. It is especially beautiful in upholstery or draperies.
Ocher works well in rich, traditional rooms. It is especially beautiful in upholstery or draperies.
Ocher also makes a perfect warm base for a more modern, eclectic room.
Ocher velvet with muted teal. It's modern but not cold.
The golden tones in the natural wood bed frame and the modern bedspread seem to glow against the very pale neutrals in this bedroom.
Here’s how to bring gold at home
Here’s how to bring gold at home
Spots of ocher velvet against black and white add muted, not-too-eager pops of color.
Ocher outside
A large ocher vase adds colour but looks earthy and ancient in a garden setting.
A large ocher vase adds colour but looks earthy and ancient in a garden setting.
A more muted version of the colour with a red tile roof adds instant Mediterranean cred.
See these 11 elements of mediterranean design style
See these 11 elements of mediterranean design style
Even paler, almost beige. But still with that yellow glow.
Ocher patio bricks have an ancient feel. Can’t you just picture the sandals of the Phoenicians on this?
Read more:
10 Spaces That Light Up With a Slice of Yellow
Tell us:
Have you used yellow ochre at home? Share images and tell us how in the Comments below.
Read more:
10 Spaces That Light Up With a Slice of Yellow
Tell us:
Have you used yellow ochre at home? Share images and tell us how in the Comments below.
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