Modern Colour Scheme: Yellow and Concrete in the Dining Room

Shades of grey and concrete combined with yellows ranging from creams and lemons to buttercup, citrine and sunshine yellow make a great combination. We recommend using greys shades as a base with yellow providing pops of colour. We think this scheme works well with natural pale woods and stone to give a fresh contemporary look which lends itself well to the dining room

How to use concrete grey and yellow

If you’re brave enough, you could feature real concrete on floors, walls, or beams or also in accessory pieces, but we’ve gone for concrete-coloured paint or concrete-effect wallpaper today.

This colour scheme features a vibrant yellow with a cool grey shade which complement each other and brighten up your room. The colour scheme uses a flat concrete shade as its base, with neutral shades of grey, cream and lemon used as the secondary colours. To complete the look, brighter sunshine or strong lemon yellow is used to lightly accent the room.

The greys shown here are from Designers Guild and are (appropriately enough) Concrete, London Roof, and Portobello Grey. The yellows shown here are DG’s Custard Cream, DG’s Amalfi Lemon, and Lemon Punch from Dulux.

Any wooden furniture should be a light, natural colour, as this will complement the greys in the room.

To nail this look in your dining room, start with a nice concrete wallpaper or matt paint. If you can find a mostly grey wallpaper with yellow accents, that’s perfect, but grey wallpaper works too.

Feature Designers: MissPrint

This Persia wallpaper from MissPrint is an excellent start to your yellow and concrete dining room. It incorporates both yellow and grey, and the lily flower design will give your dining room a peaceful feel. (£69).

MissPrint are one of our favourite designers of wallcoverings and accessories at the moment and a lot of their pieces work well with the grey/yellow combination we are focusing on today, including from left, this hand-tufted cotton Dandelion Rug (£275-£550), the Little Trees Wallpaper in sherbet (£69), the Muscat wallpaper in yellow (£64) and the Navajo wallpaper in sunbeam (£64)

Feature Designer: Tom Raffield

One designer who works great with this colour scheme is Tom Raffield. He creates furniture and lighting with a natural but unique look. His pale, steam-bent wood creations are right at home with these colours, and each piece is hand-made with care in Cornwall, England.

If like us you were bowled over by the beautiful steam bent house nestled in Cornish woodland that was featured on Grand Designs recently — that’s them! And you’ll be pleased to know husband and wife team Tom and Danielle’s work is now available on the high street, bringing the lightness and elegance of beautiful hand-worked wood to the rest of us!

The yellow and concrete look works well with lighter natural woods, so use your dining furniture as an opportunity to take advantage of this. For a simple but distinctive option, get this Tom Raffield dining table from John Lewis. It also seats up to eight people, making it perfect for dinner with guests. (£1,895)

With larger rectangular dining tables, you have another option for seating: a dining bench. Dining benches give you an extra seat at the table and provide a different dining experience. Tom Raffield make a dining bench specifically for their dining table, which means they match perfectly. To add an extra touch of elegance, find a bench cushion that fits this bench and matches the colour scheme. (£645)

Your dining chairs are a great way to incorporate this colour scheme, but finding chairs with cushions that incorporate yellow and concrete may be a bit difficult and might become a little ‘matchy matchy’. Opt for a wood frame that’s light in colour with a simple grey cushion. These chairs from Tom Raffield are of course a perfect fit — and they’re made to match your dining table and bench. (£645)

Tom Raffield Lighting

No dining area is complete without a good light above it. Since your dining table and seating are relatively simple, this is a good chance to add a little flair to the room. Tom Raffield has some very creative lighting options, but this 5-light hoop pendant is one of our favourites. It makes a statement without being overly complicated, a concept which embodies the spirit of the room. (£345). Alternatively, copper and gold work extremely well with greys and yellows, such as in this pendant (£295) from Tom Dixon:

Finishing the Look

Unless you’ve gone bold with the wallpaper, at this point, there’s not a lot of yellow in the room, so take this opportunity to add some. This kitchen bin from Habitat has a beautiful bright yellow colour and an almost industrial look that’s perfect for this kitchen. (£50)

Serveware is handy for entertaining guests, but it’s also good for decoration. This wooden serving tray from John Lewis brings a splash of yellow to the room. At the same time, it also makes your dining room more functional (£25). Concrete lends itself well to accent pieces, too. We love these planters (£85) and concrete bowl (£69) from Future and Found.

Remember that with this look – less is more. Be bold with your colours. But don’t go crazy with accessories because too much yellow can shout rather than soothe!