Get inspired with chartreuse design templates.
The green in chartreuse brings springtime while the yellow brings cheer. Combined, it revitalizes everything it touches.
Inspiration in the color chartreuse.
Learn the history and meaning of the color chartreuse and how enticing it can be.
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How to use the color chartreuse.
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Try chartreuse color when you need a change.
Chartreuse is not a routine color. It’s not the first shade you think to use in projects. Its scarcity enhances the role chartreuse plays. It’s not only bright, but uncommon. Just like the meanings of renewal and creativity that chartreuse applies, choosing to use chartreuse is an opportunity to totally refresh an idea.
Find chartreuse color inspiration in nature.
Perhaps ogres like Shrek are the first chartreuse characters that come to mind, but the natural world has real examples of chartreuse that can inspire you. Start by looking at a bright green apple or algae. Many exotic birds, too, have chartreuse color feathers in their plumage.
Chartreuse provides a unique combination of cool and warm.
The color chartreuse is vivid. Its brightness, however, isn’t entirely warm like many other vibrant colors. The combination of green and yellow blends both cool and warm for a uniquely refreshing tone.
Combine chartreuse with other colors.
The color chartreuse can be combined with nearby colors green and yellow to play off its energy. Its brightness means that chartreuse color is best used as an accent or highlight. Pair chartreuse with any warm neutral (like a warm gray) to tone it down.
Information about chartreuse color.
The chartreuse HEX code picker is #DFFF00. Chartreuse color sits enigmatically between yellow and green on the color wheel.
Chartreuse color can be achieved in a RGB space with 223 red, 255 green, and 0 blue. The color chartreuse be achieved in a CMYK color space with 18% cyan, 0% magenta, 100% yellow, and 0% black.
What is the meaning of the color chartreuse?
Chartreuse is a vivid color. Sitting enigmatically between yellow and green, it releases optimism and life. The color chartreuse was named after a French liqueur of the same name. Unlike other beverage-inspired colors such as burgundy, chartreuse color isn’t well known. Once you learn about chartreuse, though, it leaves a lasting impression.
The color chartreuse is a heady mix of warm and cool colors. Chartreuse represents growth and vitality in a distinct way.
The history of chartreuse.
The color chartreuse was named after a green-yellow French liqueur made by monks.
The liqueur chartreuse verte was first made by Carthusian monks in the early 17th century. Once it traveled from the French Prealps to other parts of the country, the color became synonymous with the sweet and herbaceous spirit. Chartreuse gained popularity in the 19th century. By the end of the 1800s, vivid yellow-green color was described as chartreuse in both French and English.
Chartreuse color in fashion and interior design.
It seemed like naming a color chartreuse was enough to kickstart the color’s wider use. At the turn of the 20th century, chartreuse made its way into fashion and interior design. Chartreuse color details appeared in beaded purses, silk gowns, and more. In the home, the color chartreuse was especially popular in furniture. The 1920s marked the biggest decade for chartreuse. The color’s daring and vibrant vibe matched the bold energy of those times.
Chartreuse color was then forgotten—but only briefly.
The color chartreuse nearly disappeared after the 1920s. In the Great Depression and the postwar era, pastels and neutral colors took over décor and fashion. The 1980s welcomed vivid colors back, including chartreuse. During the 2000s, chartreuse color became more popular. Its ties to vitality, life, and growth made it a popular choice for tech brands. Interior designers now use chartreuse to “pop” against neutral white and gray. Etsy even named chartreuse the color of the year in 2020.
The color chartreuse across different cultures.
For Carthusian monks, chartreuse color represents life and chartreuse verte even grants life.
The green chartreuse liqueur (chartreuse verte in French) dates back to the start of the 17th century. In 1605, a French diplomat named François Hannibal d’Estrées discovered a recipe for a spirit that could help drinkers live a long life. The recipe was given to Carthusian Monks who tweaked it over generations to create green chartreuse. The recipe is based on the sugar in beets, however the herbs used while chartreuse is aged remain a secret.
The 1800s saw garments flaunted in bright chartreuse across Europe.
By the late 1800s, silk and velvet could be produced in the color chartreuse once synthetic dyes were invented. This boom in chartreuse color came shortly after the word chartreuse was first used in English. Gowns were adorned with chartreuse color beads and other details. Shoes and hats were made entirely of chartreuse and worn as accent pieces. Chartreuse color velvet was used in furniture, too, often placed as focal points in sitting rooms.
Art and tech culture both make statements with chartreuse color.
In art, many pieces in the late 1800s like Vincent Van Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night use chartreuse color to contrast an underlying vitality with darker surroundings. The color chartreuse also had a boom in digital designs. After 2000, tech companies started favoring chartreuse for its logos and products. Chartreuse combines the growth of green and the optimism of yellow, and this energy hits home with tech startups.