The boldness of red is not something everyone can carry off. Red is never boring. It signifies power, romance and confidence. It’s a sacred colour in India – a popular shade for bridal sarees and the hue of kumkum worn on the forehead of a married woman.
Naturally, it’s a colour that most people want to use in their home as it brings with it good luck and courage. However, it’s a powerful colour that should be used in moderation to prevent it from overpowering the interiors of a home. We’ve picked 18 different ways in which you can introduce red in your home without letting it dominate the ambiance.
Using bright red laminates on the kitchen cabinets adds a modern feel to the kitchen, making it bold and beautiful.
Modern living rooms tend to follow a neutral colour palette comprising beige, white, grey or cream. Adding red cushions or stools brightens up the area.
Red adds a touch of luxury in a media room or home theatre in the form of plush leather recliners that one can sink into.
For those who aren’t comfortable with too much of red, but want the benefits that it brings to a room, decorating with pretty accessories such as a red votive is recommended.
Red bead curtains can add a charming element to a bedroom. It doesn’t do much for privacy, but adds romance to the ambiance.
While red cabinets or walls are an option for the bold, a subtler way of introducing the colour in a kitchen is to display coated pans or crockery with red on them.
In a bedroom or study, a soft board upholstered with red velvet creates the perfect backdrop for displaying photographs or pinning up postcards or notes.
Adding a single red chair to a dull room can lift the mood by several notches.
Red upholstery on outdoor rattan furniture can add a fun design element to the area, making it perfect for relaxing or entertaining.
In an all-white bathroom, using panels of red on the walls or cabinets can transform the space from dull to cheerful.
Some Feng shui practitioners discourage the use of red in bedrooms. However, if it’s a favourite colour, there’s no harm in introducing small splashes of it to brighten up the room. In this bedroom the patchwork pattern on the bedspread adds red to the room without letting it overpower the area.
In this home, the bright red floating shelves separate the dining area from the kitchen and also provide a convenient storage option.
Adding a stunning red Venetian glass chandelier in the living or dining area is a sophisticated way to introduce the colour in a home.
In a living room, red can be introduced through a coffee table upholstered with a dull red that doesn’t take away from the classy décor.
If red on the cabinets is too loud, consider using red painted glass tiles for the backsplash. It’s a practical option as the dark colour doesn’t show up dirt and can be easily washed down.
While painting all the walls of a room red makes the area too dark, using the brightness on a feature wall can add a nice contrast and an interesting feature to the room.
In this bedroom, a bright red panel with a traditional motif on the wardrobe door infuses warmth into the area.
Perhaps the simplest way to bring red into a home is to use a red painting on the wall. Against a white background, it looks stunningly minimalist.
For more ideas on introducing colour to your home, see this ideabook.