Red hot chic — How to decorate with red

Yoliswa Dube
RED is undeniably one of the most eye-catching colours you’ll find. It’s vivid, passionate and eye-catching, which makes it perfect for many interiors. It’s bold and captivating which makes decorating with it a bit tricky. You need to know how to use it to not overdo it — being in an interior with too much of it would make you feel irritated. On the other hand not using enough of it won’t give your home enough of that energetic and stylish vibe.

Red works perfectly with neutral colours. A fool-proof way to create a stunning interior is to base on neutrals, such as warm browns, beiges, and grays and add some red accents. Even just one piece can make the entire space pop as red is a truly unique colour. You can use it as a one statement piece, for example, a sofa in the living room or a big piece of art in the bedroom.

Red looks also truly stylish when complemented only by white and the best place to decorate with these two colours is your bathroom. You can opt for an entire statement wall decorated with glossy red mosaic tiles. The rest can stay all white or you can give into red a bit more and opt for a red crystal chandelier. It’s an idea that is simple to bring to life and also budget-friendly. Of course, if you want, you can merge red with white in other rooms too, but it won’t be as simple to do as it is in the bathroom. People are naturally drawn to red so contrasting it with such light colour as white gives it even more power.

Red is also one of the most interesting colours that you can choose for the doors. If you have a house, red will help you accentuate the entrance as it will naturally draw attention to your entrance door. If you like this idea but your hallway features a decor which doesn’t go well with red, you can paint each side of the door with a different hue. Red doors are perfect for using as a statement piece inside the house too.

Red is known as the colour of love and it makes it the perfect choice for the bedroom. If you’re afraid of going for red all the way — for example having your walls painted with this colour, you can consider opting for red accessories. Sometimes even just red bedding can make all the difference.

Experimenting with red is a tricky and fun game worth playing. If you want to go crazy with it, you can pick a smaller space in your house for example, a powder room and paint all the walls red. You’ll get a cosy and energetic effect. But if you’re feeling like you have an appetite for more, try it in a bigger room, just maybe not your home office as red can make you agitated and give you troubles with concentrating on your work. — Sunday Life Writer/decorlove.com