Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid Of Decorating With The Color Red

When painting our homes, Southerners often stick to what we know. Whites and greiges have yet to do us wrong and we’ll continue to love them gracing our walls. But in some cases, a deep and moody hue can be just as pleasing, and lately, we’ve even opened our minds and our homes to some brighter, more cheerful tones. As adventurous as we may be getting with our paint, there are still some colors homeowners tend to avoid. Beautiful blues, greens, purples, and even pinks can come right on in. Yellow and red, however, may inspire some hesitancy from homeowners.

“They can definitely be controversial colors,” says interior designer Laura Hodges. “Red and yellow seem to be the colors that a lot of people specifically pinpoint not wanting to have in their home.”

Hodges, however, isn't afraid of red paint. When tasked with decorating Southern Living’s 2023 Idea House,she leaned into the polarizing hue—largely because it mirrors the natural beauty outside the home's front door.

“The entire palette for the Idea House was conceived to be based on the landscape. It’s a really beautiful 60-acre property in the countryside [outside] of Nashville, and we wanted to bring in a lot of the colors that you'd see as the seasons change,” Hodges explains. "Specifically into the fall, you'll see the foliage changing and so that dark burgundy is supposed to be reflective of the changing leaves.”

Though the red tones stun on autumn's trees, their color could still be a risky choice inside. For the best results, Hodges decided to use a more sophisticated shade of the color. rather than a bright red, for a timeless and elegant look that's not overpowering like some brighter reds could be. Because the shade is rooted in nature, red paint ended up being the right decision, and the powder room proved to be the perfect spot to experiment with this exciting hue.

“Powder rooms are a fun place to really indulge in a deep, rich color,” says Hodges, who chose Sherwin-Williams’ Rookwood Red (SW 2802) for the space. “You're spending a short amount of time there, so we can take more of a risk and have something that might feel a little bit more bold.”

The red walls in the powder room were such a hit that they also inspired several other pops of red throughout the house, including vintage dining chairs that were reupholstered in a deep red recycled fabric from Kravet.

If you’re considering shattering your own perceptions of using red in the home, for paint especially, then Hodges recommends being intentional in selecting which shade to use. A dark, rich version of the color is the way to go, she says. The “muddier” tone she uses inthe Idea House is more subtle than a firetruck red, for example, and will look differently throughout the day as natural light shifts.