Best Yellows for Leading Architectural Styles of the Southwest: Spanish Style Homes

Spanish Style Home Yellows

The American West is rich with a variety of historic architecture, and among the most popular styles is the Spanish style. From Spanish Colonial to Spanish and Mission Revival, the homes have a long heritage and are grounded in a wealth of Latin influences. Key to the color palettes of these homes are neutrals in order for detail work to stand out such as the richly red-tiled roofs, iron work and colorful tile accents.

Photo by Sean Benesh on Unsplash

Historic Spanish Yellow Colors of the American West

Key yellows that work with Spanish style homes lean to ochre and subtle yellows though bolder choices exist highlighting orange-yellows and vivid shades. Here are several historic yellow hues to consider for Spanish home color palettes.

Honey Nectar (DET470): This sunlit‐tinged, lemon yellow was discovered on the interior of the Carmel Mission, as well as many other historic documents.

Ochre Revival (DET472): This creamy, yellow ochre, was painted on the interior of Kelso Depot. Revival styles gained popularity as they looked to the past for architectural ideas and infused them with updated amenities of the style and era.

Maize (DET473): This corn grain yellow, an influential, nature-based color, was found on the interior of the Kelso Depot. Maize, or corn, sustained the farming community and was integral to survival in the American West.

Honey Beehive (DET475): This dark, golden yellow was discovered on the interior of the Stanford Green Library. The name Honey Beehive is inspired by bee farming and beekeeping, hobbies trending in the U.S.

Where Buffalo Roam (DET480): Our research found this amber gold hue on the interior of the Stanford Green Library. The name, Where Buffalo Roam, is inspired by a line in the classic Western song "Home on the Range," sometimes called the unofficial anthem of the American West.

Need more inspiration? Here are six mood boards to inspire your next Spanish style exterior home color palette.

To learn more in depth about the color yellow and its influence on the American West, click here.  And read on to see why we chose the following shades as our Colors of the Months over time: Lemon Gelato (DE5464), Summer Sun (DE5405), and Beach House (DE5430) . And read on to see why we chose Honey Glow (DE5354) as our 2017 Color of the Year. Need more inspiration? Read our 2024 color + design trends report for an in-depth look at all the trends we look forward to in the next year.