Mellow the yellow!

Okay, I'll admit this is a little hard to see in the photos, but trust me, a little tweak goes a long, long way. I recently staged a beautiful home perched high on a hill overlooking the Hudson River. The lovely owner had painted this magnificent modern home in light yellow tones and purchased artwork at a chain discount art store. So, here are just a few things wrong with that last sentence, and I shared all of this with the owner, so please don't email me and accuse me of being a design snob. If you are listing your home for a certain amount of money (let's just say this place is a tad above most budgets) never, ever buy cheap art and attempt to pass it off as an original. It's better, in my opinion, to leave the walls blank. And a yellow house is never, ever a good idea unless you own a mustard company or enjoy the color of urine. Yellow, just so you know, tends to make skin tones look more grey/green and while that might pass in a mortuary, it certainly shouldn't appear in your home. This huge fireplace actually faces south and the river, so gets bright sunlight all day. Yellow, especially in bright sunlight, looks like you're eating at McDonalds under the golden arches...have I gotten my point across? This isn't to say, by the way, yellow can't be a beautiful, peaceful room tone. A small bathroom, for example, or babies room, possibly, but NOT a living room. So to fix this minor designer misstep, I warmed up the yellow tone by taking it away from kid-mustard to more of a grey-poupon. I removed the tacky artwork and replaced it with a dramatic mirror I purchased at Home Goods for $55. The mirror reflects the river and rolling hills and even when you're facing away from the gorgeous view, one look in it reminds you, once again, why this house is so special.
TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Three hours
COST: One gallon of Bonjoir Beige from Lowe's: $25, mirror from Home Goods: $55.00
STRESS LEVEL: feeling less intense my mellowing the yellow: LOW