10 Gorgeous Chartreuse Color Ideas for a Joyful Refresh at Home
Top designers share advice on how to fearlessly decorate with this bright shade.
Neither yellow nor green but somewhere in between, the color chartreuse is nothing if not spirited. Even just the smallest accent—the spine of a book in a home library or a sprig of elderberry in a fall flower arrangement—is enough liven up an environement. That the color is always the life of any palette party should come as no surprise. After all, the color name comes from the French liquor green chartreuse, first introduced in 1764 by Carthusian monks. Chartreuse in French means "charter house," which is what the monasteries inhabited by Carthusian monks were called.
But what's the best way to decorate with this energizing color? How much chartreuse is too much chartreuse? And what's the best way to moderate its electrifying effects? For answers and inspiration, we turned to the country's top decorating experts. "As a color found in nature, chartreuse works well in almost any application, from curtains to upholstery and, of course, as a wall color," says designer Meg Braff, who notes the color looks just as beautiful in the evening as it does flooded with natural light. "During the day, chartreuse brings a zippy feel to a space. At nighttime, it feels more subdued, and in lower light or candlelight, it feels dramatic and romantic," she says.
For New York–based author and gallerist Emily Eerdmans, the real beauty of decorating with chartreuse is its energizing effect. "Chartreuse is so joyful, and its brightness literally dazzles the eye. For me, it's an antidepressant. When I walk into my chartreuse parlor, I get a burst of energy. I really do." Eerdmans also underscores the versatility of chartreuse, noting that it's the color of new growth in the garden. "Lilacs and delphinium blue look fabulous with chartreuse, but really any color from your garden will work with it," she says.
We've pulled 11 gorgeous examples of decorating with the color chartreuse from our archives of green rooms and yellow rooms to inspire your next project. Here's one thing we can guarantee: Brighter days are on the horizon!
The Chartreuse Parlor
The upper salon of Emily Eerdmans's New York home is light-flooded and chartreuse-lacquered—a shot of pure caffeine. "Greens are a tough color to get right and can be super unflattering if they don’t work with one’s lighting," acknowledges Eerdmans. "Benjamin Moore Chic Lime, a Mario [Buatta] go-to, has worked gorgeously in several different rooms, so I might even say it is fail-proof."
The Chartreuse Breakfast Room
In the sunny breakfast room of designer Meg Braff's Long Island home, a Bernard Thorp botanical-print linen, which covers a set of Serge Roche–style chairs, inspired a garden-fresh chartreuse palette. A plaster-finish lantern features floral vine detailing. “Paired with the trellis wallpaper, it makes you feel like you’re sitting in the garden.” Wallcovering, Meg Braff Designs. Trim color, Sweet Daphne by Benjamin Moore
The Chartreuse Library
In the library of her Long Island home, designer Meg Braff accented bright chartreuse walls (painted Vienna Green by Benjamin Moore) with cool delphinium blue and and leopard-patterned fabric from Brunschwig & Fils. "My husband actually chose the [paint] color, and I was happy to oblige," says Braff, who points out that chartreuse works nicely with wood furniture and ebonized pieces, which have a grounding effect.
Chartreuse Bedding
At Leontine Linens founder Jane Scott Hodges's bedroom in New Orleans, Pierre Frey’s Mortefontaine fabric (a Second Empire floral designed at the same time that her home was built) in greens and blues and a seafoam green Hollywood Regency bed found on Chairish make a worthy stage for a rotating collection of embroidered bedding—here, with her Leaf Trio border and satin tassel-pattern quilt in chartreuse.
The Chartreuse Hallway
"I love the unexpected, whether a supercharged color or an interesting shape," says designer Ceara Donnelley of the chartreuse she chose for the Charleston hallway—a "hyphen" between her dining room’s robin’s egg strié (inspired by nearby Drayton Hall) and moody peacock-blue butler’s pantry.
Chartreuse Accents
For the living room in her New York apartment, designer Cece Barfield Thompson was inspired by the green vistas of Gramercy Park below. Chartreuse accents—in the upholstered bench, for example—mix beautifully with deeper green shades like olive and moss, all of which are found in the leafy dahlia hand-block linen (Clarence House) covering a pair of chairs. An oil painting by London artist Daisy Cook hangs over a nine-foot Schneller sofa upholstered in stain-resistant fabric (Perennials). The coffee table is crafted from a 19th-century Chinese screen.
The Chartreuse Bathroom
Chartreuse is a "commitment color," say Corey Damen Jenkins, who lacquered the Neoclassical millwork in this primary bathroom with the bold shade. "It’s a color that will definitely wake you up in the morning!"
As for what colors to pair with the yellow-green hue, Jenkins notes "it really depends on if you’re dabbling in subtlety or looking to make a statement. Chartreuse plays very well with jewel tones like cranberry and sapphire, but it can also be the perfect foil for chocolate and creme!"
The Chartreuse Living Room
In this New York living room designed by Chiqui Woolworth, glossy chartreuse walls, vivid dragon-print draperies (Jim Thompson), and punches of bright watermelon pink cloak the living room in a carousal of color. The artwork over the mantel, Contemplation, is by Anne Rose, the owner’s mother.
The Chartreuse Nook
In their 1960s apartment in Atlanta, John Oetgen and John Lineweaver created a dynamic background for their world-class art collection using colorful stripes, such as these chartreuse ones throughout the breakfast room and red ones shown reflected in the mirror. Here, accents of apple red and turquoise blue lend contrast to the yellow-green. The banquette is covered in a Jerry Pair leather.
Chartreuse Lamps
In this parlor-style living room in Greenwich, Connecticut, designer Richard Keith Langham used a pair of chartreuse lamps on a narrow sofa table for a sense of separation between two conversation zones created by back-to-back sofas.
Chartreuse Settees
For her New Orleans home, author Julia Reed worked with designer Thomas Jayne to help create a series of rooms as layered and storied as she was. Here, in the parlor, a pair of antique settees covered in chartreuse fabric worked like a shot of caffeine against the soft green walls, a collection of botanical prints, and a pair of wooden chests.
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