It’s the color of passionate romance and thundering rage, the hue of choice for sleek sports cars, old-school power ties and knockout nail polish. Sexy or sweet, rugged or regal, red always gets noticed.
And, according to interior designers, it’s a secret weapon if you want to add a burst of style and energy to your home without major expense or effort.
“Red is one of those statement colors,” said designer Janine Carendi. Even in small doses, “it is something that can really ignite a room.”
In this season of bargain hunting, here’s your guide to seeing red — and using it affordably — to bring a fresh look and distinctive energy to your home.
Designer Brian Patrick Flynn calls it “the bold neutral.” There are shades of red to match any colors already in your home. Red can be traditional (warm, deep reds like cranberry and cinnamon) or modern (brighter, lighter shades like true red or cherry), and it works as well with homey French country interiors as it does with elegant, Asian-inspired ones.
It’s also a quick-fix color. It can brighten a room that gets little sunlight or give a facelift to a room that feels dated. In traditional rooms that feel a bit stuffy, Flynn suggests covering formal wood paneling with flat red paint: “It’s clean and serene and more modern.”
If you have an old piece of furniture or accessory that’s functional but worn, paint it red. A bold, red lacquer finish “breathes new life into just about any piece and instantly makes it the star of the room,” Flynn said.
For small pieces, like chairs, lamps or vases, regular cans of spray paint should work. For large pieces, consider renting a sprayer (the technical name is HVLP, or high-volume low-pressure sprayer) from a home improvement store. The cost is minimal, Flynn said, and the units come with instructions. The store may also offer tips on using it.
Search your home for items to group together, like books with red covers, red picture frames and pieces of art that include the color red.
Carendi often uses red as a “conceptual anchor,” threading red pieces through the rooms of a home “so that each room, however different they might be, they have a red element.”
Consider unexpected locations: Use a rich, red paint on a ceiling or in the interior sections of a bookcase. Carendi even suggests painting the inside of your closets a bright, cheerful red.
Texture matters when choosing paint, Flynn said: “Red can easily take five to seven coats, which is very time consuming, but also may end up more streaky with each coat. So I opt for flat because it shows less streaks and has a nice, sophisticated finish.”
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