Fifty Shades of Red: Transforming Rooms With a Color I Once Hated

No longer a red hot mess...

Mar 05, 2024

I don’t know really what happened between 2005 and today when it comes to red, but I’ve had a seriously long-standing hatred for it.

I wouldn’t wear it, I wouldn’t decorate with it, I hate red roses, I didn’t like red wine, I wouldn’t even use red on Valentine’s Day. I also truly hated red on my lips. I didn’t like to be in public spaces where there was a lot of red. I hated red brick houses and walls. And forget red cars - never!

My issue with the color red was so seriously weird that even I was confused by it. And to lovers of red reading this, isn’t it almost offensive to read my feelings? But, before you hit unsubscribe, I’ve had a massive change of heart so bare with me because I have finally embraced red.

It started slowly with orange-red lipstick and nails.

Then it blossomed to an orange-red leather bag from COS.

That was around 2021.

Today, in 2024, I’m actually flirting with deep red tones IN MY HOME.

Why the change?

It came from a project I recently completed. Here are 2 photos of a deep red that I used recently on some walls at Domotex where I had a trend exhibition in a 2,800 square ft. space at the fairgrounds.

Here is my space above, this time I added the lovely Caparol Icons “Burlesque” red on an exterior wall. It was a total stunner - everyone loved it.

This is where my deep red obsession developed… I remember planning the space thinking that I had to use red because I wanted at least one color that would challenge me that would also be trending for 2024. I picked Caparol Icons paint color Burlesque. It reminded me of the film Moulin Rouge with Cher. This tone of red was all about sensuality and passion and cozy vibes. It was alluring. It was confident.

After the color went up, I loved it so much that I completely shocked myself. It leveled me up as a designer - made me more confident in myself, because I felt like I broke through an emotional barrier.

Ever since my trend exhibition (which was in January) at Domotex, I’m always dreaming about deep red. I slowly started adding it to my home after 20 years without a single red object in sight.

I was such an anti-red person for so long. I felt it was too hot, too energizing, too passionate, that it was somehow bigger than me and my own big personality.

I felt in competition with a color. Imagine that.

I’m an Aries, a fire sign, so I’m a real risk taker and love maker. Yet, I believed that if I had red in my home it would dominate me or worse, it would rev me up even more so I’d never have peace. I felt red was a color I could never, ever live with after leaving it behind back in 2005 in my 1876 carriage house in the countryside of New Hampshire, USA.

And now…For the first time in nearly 20 years, I picked out not one but three red objects for my home. A painting with red in it, a dark red and pink lamp from Paris (shown in this photo) and yesterday, a vintage floor light arrived from Berlin - aa mix of red tones for the floral shade and the glass base is deep red. You can see it in the collage below. Stunning!

Are you ready now to go bold with me and peek in on how to use red at home in case you were also red-avoidant as I was for so many years… I’d like to open you up to it, to inspire you a bit to experiment as I am currently…

Photography by Haris Kenjar / Crowne Paints / Pure&original Paints / Emily Henderson book excerpt via Domino mag

Apartment Therapy / Mad about the House / House & Garden UK / Calvin Ma

Abigail Ahern / Bob Vila / The Spruce / Stephen Kent Johnson via The Design Files

via Apartment Therapy

VTWonen/ Elle Decoration Sweden / Planète Déco / Rachel Chudley

Design Boom / The Spruce / Shelterness / Boca Do Lobo

You can go in small, medium, or large doses. It can be an accent or very dominate. And the tints and tones vary drastically, so experiment with berry tones, wine tones, orange-reds, even pale reds, rusts, and blue-reds. See what makes you have a positive emotional reaction. I was surprised that deep red tones made me feel very warm and relaxed, the opposite of how I imagined red would affect me.

Here are also some decor tips. You can add red…

On one wall
As a lamp or accent
A few throw pillows
As a cover on your bed
On the ceiling
On a door or molding
As a toaster or small appliance in the kitchen
As part of a pattern with many other colors
With various tints and tones of red and violet - berry tones
In wallpaper
Curtains
Rug or tiles
Flowers on the table
Ceramics and glassware
A red vase

So yes, my sweethearts… How do you imagine using red in your home? In big ways? Small ways? In between ways? Tell me!