Honey Bees

Sherwin Williams Color of the Month April 2016

Color of the Month

Did you know that SW comes out with a Color of the Month each month? Pretty cool! I thought it would be fun and beneficial to highlight the color each month so that you can get a feel for what it could look like in your home. Not only have I taken pictures, but there is also a video available to view it in “real time.”

Honey Bees SW 9018

Honey Bees is the color of the month for April. It’s a bright sunny yellow that used in the right space creates a cheerful and inviting environment. I honestly struggled a little bit with this color at first because it is pretty saturated. Used in a space with not much natural light, it gets really bright. My tendency with colors like these is to focus them in areas with either tons of natural light (Sunrooms, Kitchens) or in Kid-friendly areas where a more saturated color is more acceptable.

Playrooms are generally bright and fun and using this color definitely creates an environment for children to engage in. That being said, I decided to do four different staged areas of a possible Playroom scheme.

Honey Bees SW 9018 with Jersey Cream SW 6379

In the first Playroom set, I paired Honey Bees with one of my all-time favorite soft yellows, Jersey Cream. This gives an option to use it as a secondary color with an analogous color scheme in the space. If you have trim, such as a chair rail, using it below creates a subtle contrast and coordinates well with the main color.

Honey Bees SW 9018 with Half-Caff SW 9091

My second option on a possible Playroom area is using Honey Bees and Half-Caff (a new dark brown SW color). The contrast of the Half-Caff pops out nicely against the yellow of the Honey Bees and goes great with a monochromatic type color scheme. I staged this as a Playroom, but it could also double as a cute baby nursery with a jungle animal theme as well.

Honey Bees SW 9018 with Grays Harbor SW 6236

The next Playroom set up is with Honey Bees and Grays Harbor. I love Grays Harbor on the paint strip and I have actually been dying to see it on the wall! It’s a gorgeous darker blue-gray color that looks awesome paired with the sunny yellow of Honey Bees.

This works well for a triad color scheme. You can add the last triad color, a shade of red, through accessories or upholstery in the space.

Honey Bees SW 9018 with Plum Brown SW 6272

Lastly, I chose Plum Brown to coordinate with Honey Bees as a complementary color scheme. I love the combination of purple and yellow and this turned out to be an awesome Playroom set-up! Remember, you can use different shades (darker) and tints (lighter) of yellow and purple to create a complementary scheme that may take the shape in the decor accents such as upholstery (furniture, bedding, drapery), art and accessories.

Rugh Design Rating

Overall, I would recommend the use of Honey Bees for clients, but only in certain areas that I outlined in the introduction: spaces with lots of natural light (Sunrooms, Kitchens) or kid areas, such as Playrooms, Bedrooms or Nurseries. Don’t forget to link into the Color Wheel to see more examples of possible color scheme choices. If you are considering using Honey Bees, grab a sample from SW and see if it will work well in your space. Leave me a comment and/or picture to let me know how it turns out!