ᐅ My KALLAX shelf has developed a yellowish tint after repainting the wall – what could be the cause?

Hello everyone,

I recently repainted my living room and chose a wall paint that looks quite light but has a slight yellow tint. Since then, I’ve noticed that my KALLAX shelf from IKEA, which previously appeared neutral white, now looks somewhat yellowish—almost as if the light or the paint is affecting the color tone of the shelf.

I’m wondering what might be causing this yellow tint. Is it due to the type of wall paint? Or does the material of the shelf react differently to the light? It might also be related to the change from artificial lighting to natural daylight, as I have also changed the lamps I use.

Does anyone have experience with this or tips on how to possibly neutralize this yellow hue? Any advice on surface texture, color reflection, or ambient lighting would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

The KALLAX shelf itself does not change its color. The yellowish tint usually comes from the wall paint or the lighting in the room. Check if the wall paint contains yellow tones that are reflected in the white of the shelf.

Hello Danene,

you’ve brought up an interesting phenomenon that often occurs with color effects and material reflection. If your KALLAX shelf used to look neutral white but now shows a yellowish tint, this issue can be viewed from several perspectives:

1. Color reflection and light temperature:
The wall color containing yellow tones creates an ambient color cast. This means the white shelf reflects the light coming from the yellowish tinted wall. The illusion of a yellowish tint is also influenced by the color temperature of the lighting—if you have switched from cooler, bluish light to warmer light, this effect becomes more pronounced.

2. Surface material properties:
KALLAX shelves have a melamine-coated surface that is very smooth and reflects light partly diffusely and partly specularly. Especially in rooms with heavily pigmented walls, this can make the white shelf appear visually tinted.

3. Additional factors:
Daylight entering through windows and its quality (brightness, weather conditions) also plays a role. Even cleaning agents that leave residues can cause subtle yellowish reflections.

Here are a few tips:
- Try testing with a neutral white wall in another room or temporarily cover the area behind the shelf to confirm the wall color as the cause.
- Changing the lighting to daylight-like (about 5000 K) can reduce the yellowish tint.
- If possible, using a matte, white wall color can lessen this effect by reducing gloss and reflection.

What does your current lighting setup look like exactly? And have you cleaned or treated the shelf after painting?

valerie-tr schrieb:
The illusion of a yellow tint is also caused by the color temperature of the lighting

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I actually changed the lighting from a rather cool white halogen lamp to LED lights that I consider warm white, so maybe we’re already on the right track?

valerie-tr schrieb:
Changing the lighting to daylight-like (around 5000 K) can reduce the yellow tint

I will try that and get some daylight-like LEDs to see how that affects color perception.

Regarding cleaning: I didn’t treat the shelf specially after painting the wall, just wiped off some dust. No special cleaning products were used.

I’m curious to see if the change in lighting will bring a visible improvement.

The effect you describe is technically well explained and is based on light reflection combined with the color temperature of the light source used and the surrounding conditions.

The KALLAX material is melamine-coated with a smooth surface that reflects ambient light to a high degree.

The wall color, which has a yellowish tint, emits colored reflections that are cast back onto the white surface. Together with the warm color spectrum of the lighting, this results in a visible yellowish tint.

One solution is to change the lighting to neutral white or daylight white to add more blue tones to the spectrum and neutralize the yellowish tint. Alternatively, adjusting the wall color to a more neutral white (without yellow pigments) helps.

This phenomenon is called “color contrast” or “color reflection effect” and is common in interior design.

In short: The yellow tint on the KALLAX is due to the yellowish wall color and warm white lighting.

Switching to neutral white light or a more neutral wall color can solve the issue.