The Yellow Room’s origins date to the initial 1734 construction of the house by Augustine Washington, George Washington’s father. Before George Washington’s remodeling of the 1750s, this space formed part of the garret level, but its original size and configuration are not known.
The room took its current form with the creation of the full-height second story; George Washington’s first major building campaign, which began in 1758 and likely continued into the 1760s. The floors, mopboards (baseboards), chair rail, cornice, window architrave, and north (central passage side) door and door architrave that are still in place date to this period.
When the south wing of the house was added in 1775, the room underwent further changes that are still visible in the room, namely the addition of the closet in the south wall (nearest the Washington bedchamber), the closing of any pre-existing window or door openings in that wall, and the updating of the mantel.