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The soft, muted hue of butter yellow suddenly feels like it’s dominating the design zeitgeist, both in fashion and interiors, but in reality, the trend has developed slowly, over time. The colour emerged a year ago on the high-end designer catwalks, before slowly trickling into our daily consciousness and climbing rapidly in popularity from mid February 2025. Celebrities have donned the shade on the red carpet and KitchenAid revealed Butter as their colour of the year for their annual limited edition stand mixer.
Why we’re drawn to butter yellow
The creamy, soft hue of butter yellow is being touted as the new neutral. It’s universally easy to wear and style for all, but that’s not the only reason why it has gained so much traction.
In colour psychology, yellow symbolises optimism, self-confidence, creativity and happiness. The softness of butter yellow is landing well during spring, a season associated with pastels due to its abundance of new life. Reaching for butter yellow is a gentle way to embrace the seasonal shift and uplift our mood as we emerge from the hibernation of the colder, darker months. We subconsciously associate it with sunlight and flowers in bloom, such as primroses, narcissus and tulips. When we navigate our fast paced lifestyles, we can often find ourselves distanced from the reassuring cycles that are taking place around us. Seasonal living and marking the changes in nature helps to leave us feeling more grounded.
Butter yellow also evokes a sense of nostalgia and comfort, without being overwhelming or garish. Its soothing nature is something many of us are seeking against the backdrop of political, economic or whichever uncertainty. Brittni Pertijs, color, material, and finish manager at KitchenAid’s parent company, Whirlpool, explains; “For this year’s colour, we were driven by tapping into comfort and nostalgia, and the yellow colour has the ability to transport you back in time, evoking some of the warmest memories.”
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