When it comes to making your home look more expensive, heritage paint shades are usually the obvious choice. But an unexpected colour is starting to make waves online – and designers say it can give a room an instant luxe lift.
That colour is chartreuse: a vivid greenish-yellow named after the French liqueur. Once considered tricky to decorate with, it's now being embraced as an elegant accent shade and a bold wall colour that can make a home feel richer, warmer and more elevated.
'Chartreuse can absolutely make a home feel more expensive when it’s used well. It’s one of those shades that sits between yellow and green, so it naturally feels vibrant but also quite refined,' says Victoria Robinson, trend expert at Hillarys.
'There’s also a sense of heritage to the colour. It’s been used across different design eras, from classic French interiors through to bold 1970s schemes, but what we’re seeing now is a much more modern, balanced take.'
It's not just the richness of chartreuse that makes it feel so luxurious, but its distinctiveness, too – and yet it can be a hard colour to style. Get it right, and chartreuse looks considered and elegant. Get it wrong, and it can look a little off-putting.
That's why we've asked experts for their top tips on styling chartreuse. Here's what they had to say...
1. Make it an accent colour
'Our top styling tips are to use chartreuse as a focal point through a sofa or rug rather than throughout the entire room,' says Julia Bilotta, creative stylist at Sofology.
You can then repeat the colour by painting it on an alcove or window frame, giving your home a joyful, unexpected pop of colour.
2. Pair it with neutrals
'When styling chartreuse in 2026, it’s all about restraint and pairing. It works beautifully alongside warm neutrals like stone, taupe and soft terracotta, which help ground the brightness,' says Victoria. Here, opt for a muted neutral background to really let the chartreuse shine.
3. Introduce vintage elements
'Chartreuse has a slightly vintage quality that pairs particularly well with antique or handcrafted pieces, helping create the collected-over-time aesthetic that many homeowners aspire to,' Etsy's trend expert, Dayna Isom Johnson, says.
Here, pair a chartreuse wall with vintage decor for a distinct but grounded look.
4. Style it with natural materials
'Chartreuse works particularly well when balanced with natural materials such as timber, linen, rattan and stone,' says Cathryn Sanders, head of creative at Earthborn. This can be introduced through wooden furniture, rattan lighting or stone accessories.
5. Pick a hero piece
If you don't want to drench your whole kitchen, sometimes restricting the colour to just one hero item can do the trick.
For Alex Main, director at Main, your kitchen cabinets are the ideal subject. 'To create a sophisticated and expensive-looking kitchen, opt for chartreuse cabinetry to really make a statement but pair with safer neutrals so it feels curated and not overwhelming,' Alex says.
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The Colour Edit
