Tabletop Design Ideas in Ultimate Gray & Illuminating Yellow {Pantone 2021 Colors of the Year}
As soon as Pantone announced its 2021 colors of the year, Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow, I got excited to put together some yellow and gray tabletop design ideas and inspiration! They are both incredibly versatile colors, whether used on their own or paired together. I often use gray as a neutral color because it’s soft but moody and works in so many shades. When you layer it with yellow, which is such a happy color, it just excites me visually. After such a sad past year in the world, this combination of colors and energies feels like just what we all need!
Read on to explore the yellow and gray tablescapes I created and to learn about all the ways you can use these color palettes in your own home and events.
Using Ultimate Gray
When I think of gray I think about how it’s in the same family as silver. It's a neutral color, and anything that you pair with it is going to look good. Cooler colors like blues and periwinkle work well, and metallics of all shades stand out beautifully on a gray background. When grays is paired with yellow it’s such an interesting combination. The colors come from the opposite ends of the energetic spectrum - to me it’s like seeing hot and cold coming together.
Simple ways to incorporate grays into your daily life:
Add gray succulents and air plants to your home or office
Choose soft and silvery Dusty Miller in your floral arrangements instead of traditional greens
Freshen up your decor with small touches of gray in pillows, throws or hand towels
Using Illuminating Yellow
Yellow is part of the gold family - it has a sunny, shiny, happy energy. Yellow can stand on its own as the focal point of any design, but is just as effective as an added splash of color. You can pair it with other brights for big, bold energy, or with soft whites, pastels and neutrals for a calm, quiet, serene feel.
Simple ways to incorporate yellows into your daily life:
Purchase a few yellow orchid plants at your local grocery store, and watch this tutorial to learn how to embellish the container you display them in
Find yellow flowers to display in any season - forsythia in winter, tulips and daffodils in the spring, dahlias in summer and fall
If you're serving cocktails for friends, little details like lemon twists and yellow napkins make a fun touch
Add small accents of yellow to your outfit - a yellow scarf, bracelet, bag or shoes will instantly brighten up your look!
Ultimate Gray Tabletop Design
For my Ultimate Gray tablescape, I used a monochromatic palette with a combination of textures and surfaces. I paired a soft charcoal velvet table linen with smooth, matte-finish dove colored plates and a textured linen napkin. To deepen the palette I added touches of honey colors in the silverware, candles and votive holders. Event the flowers - a variety of dyed and painted blooms - were gray. (Read my tips on designing with a Monochromatic Palette here!)
Illuminating Yellow Tabletop Design
For my Illuminating Yellow tablescape, I used not only bright yellow but buttercream, gold, sandy yellow, and touches of nude to add character and texture. Utilizing variations of the yellows and creams really allow each individual color to pop. I always recommend playing with the shades and tones of any color you’re working with - you may be surprised at the combinations you’re drawn to the most! My favorite details of this tabletop design were the delicate yellow flowers used at each place setting. They added such a modern and creative embellishment to a very elegant atmosphere.
