Colour du jour: Red

There is no color in the spectrum that commands more attention than Red. 

Candice Olson

Candice Olson

It’s a bold powerful color that evokes feelings of power, passion, sensuality and of course love. Red is a versatile color that can be used as an accent or as the primary color in a room. It works with neutrals like gray or taupe but when paired with black or white it’s pure drama. 

Red comes in many different hues. Darker red tones like burgundy, cranberry and claret are used in more traditional spaces. Lighter reds like tomato, brick and cherry are more energetic and cheerful and work well in casual rooms.

Miles Redd

So how do you decorate with red? Well that takes some thought. Anytime you have red in a room it dominates. If you decide to paint your walls with it keep in mind how it will relate to the adjoining spaces. Also if you are using it in a bedroom consider how you’d feel sleeping with such a vibrant color. Years ago I wanted to give my living room a punch of color and decided a red wall would do the trick. When we finished I stepped back and was happy with it but when I came home the next day I wasn't. The red was unsettling and unnerving. All I wanted to do was paint over it. Initially I thought it was because the room was too small. I told myself I just need time to get used to it and everything will be fine. It wasn't. When I came home every evening my home just felt out of whack. A week later I bought two gallons of primer and told my son it had to go. The lesson I learned is that you can’t paint the walls red, clean out your brushes, and think you’re finished. You have to think through what to do with the whole room. You have to commit to it.  

       

Now that I've seen other "red" rooms I realize what the room lacked was balance. One designer who I think does red well is Sarah Richardson. I've admired her work from Room Service through Sarah's House and now Sarah 101. She's never afraid to use lots of color. I definitely don't have her eye but I am always inspired by her work. Here are a few rooms she designed using red. Take a look and see if you can tell why they work so well. 

Each room reads red but none are painted red. All the red comes from the accessories. It's in the pillows, bedding, rugs, artwork, drapes and furniture, Also note how often it's repeated around the room. The repetition creates balance so your eye is not drawn to one spot. My favorite red room that Sarah Richardson did was this family room. 

Red is the dominate color but it definitely not the main color. The rooms carpet and walls are neutral and red and black are accent colors. Beautiful. 

If you decide to paint a room in your house red then jump in with both feet and have a ball. I wish I had that kind of daring. Before you take that leap, consider jazzing it up by adding a few red accessories such as pillows, a lamp and a vase. You may find that satisfies your desire for red. If that's not far enough, try painting just one wall and balance out the room with a red chair, a painted table and pillows on a neutral sofa. If that is still not enough and you want to paint the room red then I say go for it. If you love it, fantastic. If you don't, no worries. Primer is almost always on sale. 

Peace.