HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I am dedicating this post to the color RED. If you remember my post last week, I showed you how green is a very underrated color in home decor. So, I think this is going to turn into a series where I show you underrated colors and how they can be used properly and amazingly. It’s Valentine’s Day, so what better color to choose for this week’s underdog, but red?
Coincidentally, the third movie of the Fifty Shades of Gray series opens today. If you’ve read the books, you’re familiar with the ‘red room of pain’. I solemnly swear that these red rooms will not be painful, but absolutely delightful! Christian Gray was not an interior designer, after all.
It might surprise you that I hate red. I think it’s super aggressive and intimidating. It is absolutely my least favorite color. As I get older, I prefer shades of blue and even neutrals (GASP!). As a designer, I have to be comfortable using allllll the colors. I mean, how would you feel if you wanted a particular color and your silly designer says, “Ummm, no thanks. I don’t like that color”? Rude, right? Being a designer means it’s never about you, only the client. It might even be a good idea to enlist your spouse or children as your “client” if you are designing on your own. It’s easy to get stuck in a hole of your own tastes, so it’s always best to use teamwork if you want your home to represent everybody who lives there.
So, if you are scared of a color (or pattern, texture, etc), the best way to incorporate it is in small doses. Another trick is kind of like immersion therapy. You know how you initially don’t like something, maybe a trend or a song, but then you keep getting exposed to it and suddenly you’re on board. The same thing applies here: if you want to branch out of your comfort zone, or even just try something new, try immersing yourself in it until your opinion changes. Because it will.
Red looks really great with all shades of blue and teal. The walls in the room above are a deep navy, and various shades of blue are repeated throughout the space. Without the red accents, this would actually be a tone on tone room. The red is showcased in a larger item like the bed, and then smaller items to establish continuity with the pillows, task lamp, and small vase of flowers on the desk. See, small doses. Isn’t this beautiful?
Another option is be SUPER FUN. The first image is super tonal, with red pretty much everywhere. You’ve probably seen that amazing deep blue library photo that’s been floating around the internet since it grazed the cover of House Beautiful. Well, it taught us a good lesson. Not all libraries have to be clad with wood and vintage florals. It doesn’t have to be boring. Quite the opposite is probably better to keep you interested in reading for long periods of time without getting sleepy. Libraries are no longer used as sun rooms for “the women folk” to have tea and gab (barf), they are really special places. In an age that has gone digital, a good library is sacred and should be celebrated.
The second image is my favorite. All of those colors and patterns! Swoon. So we have a bright sofa and side chair, curtains, lamps, and pillows, but the rest of the room is actually pretty neutral. Even though the walls are a bold stripe pattern, the palette is a pale gray blue with white. And look how traditional the other pieces in the room are. We have what looks like a vintage rug, a blue and white traditional silhouette of the chair, another chair that looks vintage with new upholstery, and a super minimal Parsons coffee table. This room is all about balance.
That’s what is important to note: you can use any color, as much as you want,
but there has to be some sort of juxtaposition.
If there’s one trend that has emerged in the last year or so, it has to be velvet chairs with a metal pedestal. Match that with good old black and white tile, reflective tabletops, greenery, and plenty of light, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a winning space full of character. The two images above show that you can just have the red sofa or chairs stand alone.
A bright color can be a design element all its own.
Now, did you really think you would make it through this post without some quirk? Nahhhh. Here’s another option for how to incorporate red. JUST GO FOR IT. Don’t both spaces look so friendly? The one on the left would be perfect for a mudroom, an area that is meant to be a disaster. But if it’s red, I feel like that would absolutely camouflage the disaster. That’s a new trick: hide mess with color.
Your home is your own, so be playful if you want. I always say that there are no rules.
What colors are you afraid to use in your home?
-K
