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Decorating with Red

by | Feb 10, 2012 | Color, Decorating Inspiration

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Decorating with Red

DECORATING INSPIRATION: RED

It’s almost Valentine’s Day!

So, of course, we can’t let this opportunity to talk about decorating with RED slip by without a mention now can we? I’ve always loved red and used it in most of my houses.

Do any of you remember my red toile chair, from back in the old house? I loved that chair.

I kind of miss having red in this house. I do have some red, but I really would like more.

Hmmm. Maybe time to make that happen! There are so many ways to use red, and so many variations in the shades and tones of red! I would love to paint some doors red!

So what do you think? Seems like there are lovers of decorating with red and those who just don’t like it.

I know lots of you love Sarah’s House as much as I do, and she has done some awesome rooms with red!  A couple of them are featured in my collage, above.  You can also find some of Sarah’s red rooms in my post on 5 Decorating ideas from Sarah’s Cottage and on this post about Autumn Rooms.

So, Red. Yay or nay?

Let’s do a battle of the red in the comments and tell me if you love decorating with red or not!

Images:
1. House Beautiful 2. House Beautiful 3. Lonny Magazine via Mimi & Meg 4. Sarah Richardson
5. Sarah Richardson 6. House Beautiful 7. Quadrille Fabrics 8. BH&G 9. BH&G 10. Traditional Home 11. Apartment Therapy

55 Comments

  1. Cheska Hunt

    I love decorating red during Christmas and Valentines Day as Love is in the Air! For summer months, i choose Yellow and Bright colors.

    Reply
  2. Annie

    Oh yes please, I love splashes of red – all the time! just don’t have any yet – those three beds lined up are awesome!!

    Reply
  3. kelly in georgia

    Love Sarah! Love red!!! My sofa is red…has been for the past 8 years and will continue to be so even in the world of white slipcovers…just too good at Christmas and V-Day and 4th of July! Daughter’s room walls are red with white polka dots. The quilt on my bed is red. Red is just so celebratory to not be surrounded by. So bring on the red I say!

    Reply
  4. Susan

    I love red, too – I don’t have any in my home at the moment – since my decorating is predominantly blue and white, I didn’t want to have a red, white and blue theme – if I did red, it would be red and white.

    I love your toile chair! Do you still have it? You should totally add some more red to your space!

    Reply
  5. Sallie

    Yay for red!

    Reply
  6. michelle starling

    I love Sarah’s house and her style. I love her use of fabrics. And, obviously, I LOVE red. I love my crimson red walls, my white kitchen cabinets against the red, and my open shelves with red backs. It’s truly a beautiful color.

    Reply
  7. Helene

    Thumbs up for red when it comes out looking like the pictures you posted! But I think you might need your special talent and decorating eye to pull it off properly.

    Reply
  8. Deanna

    I always use red in my decorating! It makes me happy!

    Reply
  9. carmel

    I’m a big red lover! I have red walls in my family room and foyer. It’s certainly not for everyone, but everyone doesn’t live here. ;) Great collection of images! #1 and #3 are some of my favorites!

    Reply
  10. Dana at Cooking at Cafe D

    I’ve never been one to paint with bold colors…until now. We have a tomato red area in our kitchen. It brings lots of energy – we love it!

    Reply
  11. {darlene}

    Firm believer that if you love a color, you should bring into your home. And the opposite is true. So, for me… not much red. Orange red, maybe. Red lipstick, yes!
    Have a great day, Melissa!

    Reply
  12. Heather

    Yes to red – in small doses as an accent. Currently reworking my kitchen design which will have touches of red throughout it along with a creamy beige painted cabinets and floor.

    Reply
  13. Gina

    I have versions of red throughout my house, but I am definitely a more ‘green” person. We have a cinnamon red couch, and burgundy red in the bedroom. I also have touches of a calm red in the kitchen. i love to wear red, but in a home, I find it too jarring. That’s just me – I like it fine everywhere else!

    Reply
  14. Diane

    Hip Hip Hooray for Red!!!!!
    I inherited some red transferware dishes. They hold so many pleasant memories of my aunt and our fun times together. They were my only request. I’m thrilled to have them. So…when I moved to this house, I decided that they would be the inspiration and ‘centerpiece,’ so to speak, of my great room decorating. And that led me to paint an adjacent wall in my entry…just 7 feet long…Lowe’s Valspar Geranium Red. It perfectly accents the dishes which are in an old china cabinet on another whitish wall just 4 feet in front of it and to the side. I love it!!!!!! Sometimes we don’t need huge expanses to create the bit of lovely that will make our hearts sing. And mine does…especially as I can look up from my chair and see both of them (wall & china) as I write.
    Go RED!!!

    Reply
  15. Amy

    Yay red! I love red, it’s such a vibrant, happy color!

    Reply
  16. Sue

    Melissa,
    I love red too. Our front door is red as are the walls of our dining room. We have white dining room furniture with cherry tops. The white really pops against the red and looks so good. I get lots of compliments on our dining room. I also like to use reds in other rooms as accents. I currently have a red down comforter on our bed and red accent pillows on our couch and love seat. It’s so cheerful and works almost anywhere. Not to mention how great it looks at Christmas with a few seasonal things added. I really love all the rooms featured on today’s blog.
    Sue in Fl.

    Reply
  17. Amy

    I used to have a brick red couch that was really nice and I decorated overall with neutral accents and dark wood. Red can be such a fun color to incorporate, but it can be overpowering. Like any relationship, passion needs to be tempered with a grounded sense of reality. If I think of that in color form, it always takes me back to red and earth tones or neutrals. Number 4 is my favorite. :)

    Reply
  18. Kim

    I love Sarah! Have you seen Sarah 101? I think that’s my favourite, although I do love all her shows. I just painted my kitchen walls and the dining room ceiling a pale blue from Sarah’s paint collection.

    Oh! And I love red! Our tv room is painted red. And I’m adding touches of red here and there to the rest of the main floor which I painted pale blue and grey.

    Reply
  19. Jill Flory

    I like! Red is one of my favorite colors. Especially with white as the background.

    Reply
  20. Jennifer

    Definately YES to red! It is a theme running throughout our home. There is red is just about every room in our home. Red can really be put together with a multitude of colors. There is no combination like red, white and blue!

    Reply
  21. Traci

    I heart RED! We have a red/burgundy accent wall in our dining room! Love, Traci

    Reply
  22. Kelly Palmer

    My husband and I are renovating the kitchen in our 1939 Craftsman style home. I remember my Mom saying that she always wanted to have a red kitchen but never got the chance. She passed away in 2006 so in honor of her we will be painting our “new” kitchen red. I’m sure that every time I look at the walls it will remind me of her :)

    Reply
  23. Tiffany

    I’ve loved red ever since Mr Big painted that one wall of his bedroom red in SATC. But then, it seemed like every house I went in had a red dining room and I kind of lost interest. Seeing your pictures kind of makes me appreciate it again. A little bit of red for me goes a long way though. Red doors, however, are always fabulous!

    Reply
  24. Kelly Palmer

    My husband and I are renovating the kitchen in our 1939 Craftsman style home. We will be painting our “new” kitchen in red in honor of my Mother who passed away in 2006. I remember her saying that she always wanted a red kitchen but never had the opportunity. I am sure that every time I walk into our kitchen I will think of her :)

    Reply
  25. Kaye

    Always been a red lover!! Can’t live without it!

    Reply
  26. Margaret

    I discovered a lovely little red basket yesterday in an antique/gift shop. It came from blessingbasket.org — and today I intend to choose the “perfect for today” spot in my home to display it.

    Reply
  27. Kaye

    Always been a red lover! Can’t live without it!

    Reply
  28. NanaDoll

    LOVE using red…somehow it finds its way into the house. I told my husband that the next time we do something new in our bedroom, I am going for red. He is a blue fan, but I love red. We’ll see how that plays out :)!

    Reply
  29. Karen

    Melissa,
    I love red, in fact I have a red-walled family room. That said, I love blue and white as well so I decorated our guest room with blue and white. (So many great color combinations so few rooms!) :-)

    I do remember your red and white toile chair, it was one of my favorite things that greeted me when I opened your blog before you got rid of it.

    Karen

    Reply
  30. Courtney

    I love using red here and there! I have a favorite comfy chair that’s red and it just makes me so happy!

    Reply
  31. Jen

    Most of these pictures I really love. I have red in my kitchen, kind of just as a few pops of color. Even though I like all your pictures of red I’m not naturally drawn to red when I see it, it doesn’t speak to me like the perfect robins egg blue color. All the same I do still enjoy red when it’s dome right : )

    Reply
  32. Mary

    Hi Melissa,

    Oh I just love to decorate with red – – – all sorts of shades of it. And I like green too. One of my favorite things are red and green plaids. In a way, my home can look a little bit “Christmas-y” all year long! :-)

    Have a great weekend.

    Love,
    Mary

    Reply
  33. yby5

    It’s making me think I should put my red slipcovers back on my parson chairs-thanks for the push :)

    Reply
  34. Terri

    I love my new white furniture with a red and natural gingham couch. I use red and turquoise accent. Makes my heart sing!

    Who won the heart shaped Valentine pillow?

    Reply
  35. sarah

    yes to red. had a red wall in the family room forever…..now though it’s blue. i am leaning more towards the blues greens yellows lately. but i still love red.

    Reply
  36. kadie kowalewski

    Red is my favorite color.Consequetly its my mothers as well,the red delisious apple dosen’t fall far from the tree i guess.I find it hard not using red in decorating. Me and My husband just got married and everything we registerd for our kitchen was primarly red. Love the red:)

    Reply
  37. Jill S.

    I can’t imagine living in a house without red! In all three of the homes we’ve owned over the past 18 years, I’ve painted the living room walls red. I also have red accents in the foyer, kitchen, master bedroom, family room, and kids’ bathroom.

    Reply
  38. Debbie

    HI Melissa, yes I’m a red girl. Not afraid of this color. I tried to go soothing, neutral, calm, serene with color…but something inside me kept screaming “I need some RED girlfriend!” So I yielded…hubby who is a farmer said he didn’t like red…and I said “think tomato, red pepper, Rhode Island chicken…”. So I have a tomato colored couch and chairs! giggle giggle

    Reply
  39. Jaimie

    I fall in the don’t like it group. I actually love wearing reds, especially saturated raspberry red or dark burgundy, but in rooms I can’t stand it in more than accents, and I don’t have any in my house except in artwork. Yellow is the same, except I won’t wear it at all. They just feel too abrasive.

    Reply
  40. birdsandsoap

    I’m loving red lately. I’ve got big plans for red in my homeschool/craft/office room. I was inspired by my favorite Rodney White print. It has a vintage feel with cherries (love) and the quote “We tend to seek happiness when happiness is actually a choice.” Great thought to remember as I struggle with a content heart(feels like a daily struggle sometimes). Anyway, back to the red. I’m planning on a lime green and aqua room with bright, cherry red accents. Check out my pinterest, it makes me swoon: http://pinterest.com/birdsandsoap/craft-class-room/

    Reply
  41. Lisa

    I’m not a red decor person…a few splashes at Christmas and Valentine’s day. I prefer the old French washed-linen color of red. Is there a name for that color? My MIL loves red and I tell her that pink is my “red”.

    Reply
  42. diane streicher

    I just have a tiny little opinion on this…red makes everything better!!

    Reply
  43. kris strickland

    I loooooooove red beyond words haha there ia so much red in my house and I couldn’t be happier! It started mainly because our team is Texas tech which are the red raiders :)))) in the process of going retro in my kitchen now and of course its red haha just glad to know im not alone!

    Reply
  44. Carol

    I am a red lover from way back. Every room in my house has red, except the bathroom. If you check out my blog you will see all my red along with blue and yellow. Bright primary colors just make me smile.

    Reply
  45. KATHYSUE

    No red in my house but I do use watermelon/pink in some things, I guess that is an almost red! I am lucky that my BFF’s home is all red and white and I helped her decorate it, so whenever I need a dose of red I go and visit!! I love all of your inspiration pictures, they are just the right amount of red, not too much. Perfect for Vday!! I am busy working on my master bedroom, got a new bed and the bedding is on its way, now for the sheets!! xo
    Kathysue

    Reply
  46. Rhonda Devine

    Also love to always keep touches of red in my home decorating. Right now, I have a red toile covered East Lake chair in my living room with red toile Waverly curtains. I also made an easy yo-yo table doily by interspersing sold red fabric and red striped fabric–it is fun to have out for Christmas and Valentine’s Day!

    Reply
  47. Sandra

    Yay for red !! I love it as an accent.

    Reply
  48. Sunny

    I am so happy to see your post and mostly to see the comments. So often now people seem to be leaning toward a paler, white dominant decor…I thought maybe my love of red was becoming dated…but now I have renewed confidence in my choice of red. I have no red walls but there is red in almost every room of my house. Thanks for the confidence boost.

    Reply
  49. Julie

    I LOVE red. My kitchen is red, I have a red accent wall at the entry, I HAD a red dining room but I’m covering that up with an earth tone (plus it’s just a little too much red). It’s my favorite color to accent with.

    I’m getting ready to paint a youth bed for my son…RED. His room will also have earth tone walls, but the punch of red will make it fun. Glad to see others still like it, too!

    Reply
  50. liz

    in small doses, yes.
    in other peoples houses, tons!

    Reply
  51. kitty sondern snyder

    YES!
    I LOVE everything Sarah Richardson does! She`s fantastic, funny and chic!
    YES!
    I love RED. I painted my kitchen table and chairs bright RED with Marine paint several years ago and they they are still going strong in the second house I`ve had them in.I have lots of RED accents in my Turquoise Blue kitchen and Creamsicle Family room, too.Red pops are fun in my daughter`s Lime Green bedroom, and my son`s bed frame is RED!
    Go RED!

    Reply
  52. Erin

    Red makes me happy…and anyone who visits my house would know that instantly as I have tons of it in my family room, kitchen, and dining room! Not to mention the master bedroom as well as accents in 2 of my 3 boys’ rooms. It is a fabulously lively uch color and can brighten any space…or heart! ;-)

    Reply
  53. carol tilson

    There’s nothing wrong with a little color! I’m a home decorator in Rochester, and I make sure I have some color in each room I design. Keep up the great writing!

    Reply
  54. Pam Cates

    Red is my favorite color! My happy color forever. I especially like it with turquoise! VOTE YES FOR RED!

    Reply

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