Interior design with red tones

Fascinating world of colours: Red

Vitra chairs by Charles and Ray Eames

Red is perceived as a warm colour and popularly associated with romance, fire, passion, drama and danger. Despite its strong dominance, red can be successfully integrated into the interior design with a little care and planning. Carefully selected home accessories in shades of red and one or two extravagant pieces of furniture can be used sparingly to create an exciting, dynamic and yet cozy atmosphere. As one of the three primary colours, red cannot be mixed from other colours. The spectrum of red tones is diverse and the different shades of red, depending on the blue and yellow content, i.e. depending on the colour temperature, create very different moods. Red pigments are very valuable and were previously reserved for the nobility and other privileged people, thus, shades of red such as purple and vermilion have been associated with extravagance, luxury and power for many centuries.

Strong red for strong accents in the living area

Due to its dominant effect the colour red should be used with care when decorating walls and furniture. The size of the room in particular plays a major role in the choice of wall colour, as red walls visually reduce the space. Large living rooms with high ceilings can be uniquely staged by a red painted wall. If you prefer coloured highlights, but don't want to redesign your walls, you can show courage to colour with sparingly used red home accessories or furniture. Red is often used in the kitchen and dining room because the colour is said to have an appetizing and comforting effect - who is not familiar with the red upholstered seating in classic American Diners? In terms of combination, of course, anything you like is allowed, but there are some tips here too: pink softens the powerful effect of the red and emphasizes above all the cheerful properties of the colour. Red looks particularly cozy and down-to-earth in combination with light woods and white, similarly dramatic and at the same time contemporary in combination with black. Red creates complementary contrasts with the green opposite in the colour wheel for exciting effects. Here, however, it is advisable to use subtle shades, since the contrasts otherwise become too dominant and spread unrest.

Individual colour consulting at smow

You are seeking a special colour concept for your home, would like advice on the choice of colour for a particular project, or you are looking for colour-coordinated curtains for your interior design? Our smow furnishing consultants will be happy to assist. In our smow stores you will not only find high-quality designer furniture in a wide range of colours, but also a wide variety of fabric and material samples as well as wallpapers, curtains and much more. Drop in and let yourself be inspired.