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The Chartreuse Color: 20 Inspiring Ideas

If you’ve ever wondered what the chartreuse color is all about, keep reading and you’ll find the answers. Here, we’ll look at 20 inspiring ideas that come from chartreuse, a home decor color that is making a comeback.

Chartreuse Color

Today is all about chartreuse as it holds a special place on the color wheel. We’ll shed some light on this bold and vivacious hue. But what color is chartreuse?

As a bright mix of yellow and green, chartreuse takes the place of lime and mustard with more powerful personality and appeal. The French liqueur called “chartreuse” and enjoyed by Carthusian monks has since become an official color. It even has a hex code, so you know it’s for real. 

  • HEX:#dfff00
  • RGB DECIMAL:rgb(223,255,0)
  • RGB PERCENTAGE:rgb(87.5%, 100%, 0%)

chartreuse as it holds a special place on the color wheel.

It might seem new, but the color has deep historical roots and a long cycle of coming and going with the trends.

History of Chartreuse

Chartreuse gets its name from the French liqueur first by Carthusian monks. Originally, the secret blend of 130 herbs was a medicinal potion. However, the taste became a popular beverage.

By the late 18th century, the hue had colored everything from fashion to home décor, bringing death with it. Eventually, early chartreuse dyes had arsenic, ending the color’s trendy period.

Roughly a century later, safer versions emerged, leading to another round of chartreuse fashions in the 20s. Over the next few decades, its popularity waxed and waned, hitting peaks with midcentury modern décor and 80s trends.

Recently, it has worked its way through fashion and home interiors, especially for those creative enough to find ways of adapting its use for contemporary décor.

Shades of Chartreuse

The color chartreuse is a mixture of yellow and green. Chartreuse can be a warm color or a cool color, depending if yellow or green dominates a particular shade. Options span from lively spring-like green shades to more yellowish hues.

The Many Moods of Chartreuse

Chartreuse Moods

Chartreuse is found in nature. From the delicate yellowish greens of new plant shoots to the vibrant color green of an apple or lettuce and the muted tone of an avocado. Chartreuse has specific connotations:

  • Represents enthusiasm, happiness, nature, growth, and youth.
  • Chartreuse is not considered a color for relaxation but is viewed as a highly energetic color driving inspiration and motivation.
  • It fosters focus, concentration, and creativity.
  • People who like chartreuse are creative and their enthusiasm and positivity let them make friends.
  • People who like chartreuse colored decor find it difficult to create balance in their lives. The push and pull between the calm of green and the excitement of yellow can contribute to anxiety.

The Color Chartreuse In Home Decor

How To Use chartreuse To Bring Accents

As with most bold colors, it can lend a bright pop or be the dominant color in a space. It depends on your comfort level and how vibrant you want to be. Also, remember that you can go for a big splash of chartreuse, but use a shade that’s more muted in tone. Here are a few tips on using chartreuse in your décor:

  • Color accent. The color can be restrained in a living room, for example, with just a few small pops of color, or it can be a statement making accent, like a boldly colored wall.
  • Chartreuse can work with any home décor, from glitzy or conservative traditional to wildly modern. It all depends on the shade you choose for your wall color.
  • Lighting  affects the way a wall color looks and the human eye can only do so much. Assess your choice in natural daylight as well as with your after-dark lighting scheme in a particular room.

What Goes With The Color Chartreuse?

What Goes With The Color Chartreuse

You might be surprised at what colors you can mix with chartreuse because there are plenty of options. Once again, your choices will be swayed by the shade of chartreuse you want to use

  • Gray – This color was trending and some homes are suffering from gray overload. If you have a gray-based neutral room that needs a serious refresh, chartreuse is an ideal choice. Add pillows.
  • Navy Blue  – Since navy blue can be considered a neutral in most spaces, it complements chartreuse very nicely. This combo works whether the blue is a true navy or a moodier version.
  • White  – Just as in fashion, white can go with everything and for a bright and cheery space, create a color palette around chartreuse and white. It’s a good choice for a bold shade but also works well with milder options.
  • Pale Lavender –  Fans of light and springy shades of décor will want to consider mixing chartreuse with lavender. It’s a pretty combo, but this palette can also feel quite feminine, so that’s important to keep in mind.
  • Red – The color chartreuse can be mixed with red, and it makes a strong interior design statement. You’ll find examples that run the gamut from earthy red tines to more vibrant options. Either way, it’s best to choose one of these hues as the dominant one and make the second the accent color.

How To Use The Color Chartreuse 

We’ve compiled a list of 20 rooms that use chartreuse. Learn how to accent chartreuse with the following colors to it pair with by taking a peek at the ideas below:

1. Chartreuse With White

What Color is Chartreuse

If you’ve decided on chartreuse in a larger area or larger bouts, make sure you balance out this strong tone with a light and comfortable neutral. Whether that be a beige or creamy white, you’ll want to compliment the color but not have it overpower your living rooms or kitchens.

2. Chartreuse Flair

Stand Out With Chartreuse

This color is also perfect for dressing standout pieces of the house. Whether that be the sofa or office accent chair, chartreuse makes for a great option of creating focal points in any room. Like this sofa, for example, it transforms this charcoal-dipped space into something even more stylish.

3. Chartreuse Dining Room

Chartreuse Bold Choice.

Don’t be scared of going bold. Your dining room could be the highlight of your home if you dress the walls in chartreuse. This example feels like a renewed apple green, but it’s an entitled chartreuse hue. The room pops even more by adding violet and cobalt blue around the space for complimenting and accessorizing.

4. Chartreuse Walls

Chartreuse Lightened Up.

Give your chartreuse walls a lighter look by placing them in an area with a lot of natural lighting and creamy textures and wooden accents. It gives a softer look to this lively, green shade and a more touchable finish. But it never takes away from its unique look! {found on pillmaharam}.

5. Chartreuse Retro 

Chartreuse Retro Style.

This color dresses retro pieces well. There’s something about the funkiness of the color that makes retro pieces look contemporary and hip. It’s a great way to mesh that vintage flair with fashion-forward energy without committing to a blander, more traditional look. {found on dijeaupoage}.

6. Chartreuse Wallpaper

Chartreuse Printed Looks.

For a surprising and outside-the-box space, decorate it with a printed piece of chartreuse. This guest bathroom has texture, tone, depth, and interest with just the addition of these patterned wallpaper. It may seem busy but we see it as a fun addition to the house.

7. Trendy

Rooftop kitchen in Chartreuse color

This blue-hued room was taken to an entirely different level with the addition of these trendy and fun chartreuse chairs. It adds a youthful presence to the space and makes a personal touch that much more evident. The pairing of these two shades is magical.

8. Outdoors

Rooftop kitchen in Chartreuse color

Chartreuse can even brighten up and add style to your outdoor areas. From the front porch to the back, paired with whites, blacks, or charcoals, this color will make your outside pop with a bout of design-worthy envy. You’ll have the best curbside on the block. {found on fabarchitecture}.

9. Small Spots

Small Spots.

This chartreuse door makes this simple and sleek space so much more interesting and fun. This is a great example of how an easy addition and idea can transform even the smallest of spaces around the house – and anyone can make this happen without breaking the bank. {found on feldmanarchitecture}.

10. Chic

Funky Accents.

Chartreuse is one of the best colors to dress your home in funky styles with. Because it has such a unique tone and texture it makes for such a fun way of decorating with prints and personality-filled nick-knacks and tidbits. {found on amylaudesign}.

11. Yellow Green Color Surprise

Matching accents.

The bright chartreuse accents give this dining room a really vibrant and exciting look and create a sunny atmosphere without being too bold. Also, it’s beautiful how the chairs and the curtains fill the whole room with color. This gorgeous space was designed by Martha O’Hara Interiors.

12. Apple Green 

Rooftop kitchen in Chartreuse color

Chartreuse is a powerful and vibrant color in small doses. It’s also a nuance that goes well with neutrals and grays. This combination is beautifully exemplified in this beach-inspired bedroom created by Musso Design Group.

13. Shade Of Chartreuse

Rooftop kitchen in Chartreuse color

This living room designed by Giulietti / Schouten Architects makes use of chartreuse as an accent color in a very interesting way. The color accents are unexpected, in the form of an accent wall that’s small and almost completely hidden behind the furniture as well as a simple border around the painting hanging above the fireplace.

14. Chartreuse Accents

Rooftop kitchen in Chartreuse color

A white ceiling and gray walls with a white border at the top and the bottom create a minimalistic and neutral décor which is balanced out by the wooden floor.

However, it’s the chartreuse sofa that completely changes the ambiance in this bedroom, infusing it with energy and adding a sophisticated vibe to its design. This beautiful space is the work of studio Wake + Loom Design.

15. Hue Angle

Rooftop kitchen in Chartreuse color

Introducing two strong accent colors into a room is not easy and yet Melhem Construction Group managed to make it work here. These colors are concentrated around the staircase area which features a dark turquoise wall complemented by a chartreuse bench and balanced out by the dark wooden floor.

16. Nature Color System

Rooftop kitchen in Chartreuse color

A little bit of color can add more character to a small structure like a garden shed for example. This one by Atmoscaper Design has a simple wooden exterior and it’s decorated with all these bits like window planters and trellises and that creates a nice feeling of immersion and a strong connection with nature.

17. Yellow Green Color Kitchen

Rooftop kitchen in Chartreuse color

It’s easy to get carried away when designing or decorating a kitchen and wanting everything to match. When you get the color palette just right the whole room suddenly comes together and everything looks perfect. Check out this beautiful mixture of dark wood, bright chartreuse, and black countertops. 

18. Lime Green

Rooftop kitchen in Chartreuse color

One of the easiest ways to add color to a room is by giving it an accent wall. That strategy was used in this playroom designed by Durham Builders but it took a unique turn. You see, it’s not just the wall that has this vibrant and beautiful shade of chartreuse on it but a section of the ceiling, the door and the shelves on it too.

19. Apple Green Patio

Patio ideas.

Chartreuse is a nuance that fits beautifully into the color scheme used for outdoor areas such as patios, decks and backyard seating areas. It’s a color inspired by nature that belongs in nature and there are many interesting and creative ways to integrate it into various types of designs. Here, for example, it was used to create a backdrop for the patio in the form of a minimalist fireplace surround.

20. Chartreuse Yellow

Rooftop energy.

The cities are lacking in color, with most of the building’s concrete and have a neutral feel to them. That’s why it’s exciting and satisfying to bring color into our designs and decor, especially outdoors. This magnificent rooftop deck by Chicago Green Design Inc. is bursting with energy and we love that about it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ

What Hue Angle Looks Good With Chartreuse?

Varying from yellow green to green-yellow, chartreuse pops when paired with black and white. The color shines alone, but it also can be muted with gray and tan.

What Does Chartreuse Symbolize?

Chartreuse represents enthusiasm, happiness, nature, growth, and youth. Like standard green, chartreuse is associated with the liveliness and blossoming of spring

What Is The Closest Color To Chartreuse?

Bright green is on the color wheel one third of the way between chartreuse green and harlequin #3FFF00). Bright green represents a visual stimulus of 556 nanometers on the visual spectrum as measured on the CIE chromaticity diagram.

Is Chartreuse A Warm Or Cool Color?

Chartreuse is often called by one of its shades including colors green like apple green, lime green, light grass green, light green with a tinge of yellow and mellow yellow. The greener shades of chartreuse have a fresh, springtime feel, and are ’60s retro.

When Was The Color Chartreuse Popular?

Chartreuse had several other moments in the limelight. It was big in 1937, and again in the sixties. It was a favorite of midcentury-modern trendsetters, including the Finnish furniture designer Eero Saarinen, who created his womb chair in 1948.

Chartreuse Conclusion

The color chartreuse holds a special place on the color wheel. You’ll find the color in a living room, mixed with the color green. It’s also a good fit for a dining room. The human eye is sensitive, so chartreuse is confusing.

Chartreuse accents like yellow-green, pale green, and apple green offer pizazz in a room. One thing that stands out is green chartreuse. Whether you’re working with a new color or accent color, your room will radiate with chartreuse. As the color was a popular French liqueur enjoyed by Carthusian monks, the color name evolved when chartreuse became an official color and domestic monthly fad.

One thing you shouldn’t forget is how the color green and lime green make excellent feather fans as both are backdrops for chartreuse. The color indicates that one makes friends easily. The color works best used in children’s rooms and dining rooms as the color offers a friendly vibe. 

As a primary color for bedrooms, apple green with a yellow tinge would create a bold shade. If you want to decorate your room with chartreuse, you will create an atmosphere that is friendly and pleasant. The color is unique in so many ways.