Red walls or no red walls

It's a purely personal decision, but for me it depends on the space. Red walls can work in some places and with some furniture, but not with others. But regardless, if you get tired of it in a few years...repaint.

Don't paint anything red -- ericho and SteveF will just try to repaint it black.

It's already dated. Why not look through a few magazines like Metropolitan Home, Interiors, Architectural Digest--whatever is still being published--for inspiration.

Red is also the most difficult color to get good coverage with and often takes 4 coats (I've heard of someone who needed 5). And painting over red isn't easy, either. Whatever color you choose, use a tinted primer to start.

I love red and have painted many things red at various points in my life.

All-red rooms can be overwhelming. Can you try an accent wall? Another alternative is to just use a lot of red accents -- pillows, candles, drapes, etc. -- and leave the walls alone.

As others have said, red usually requires a minimum of 2-3 coats (even with a tinted primer), and I've actually had to use five coats when working with subpar paint. Buy good paint! (Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore are my recommendations.)

And painting over red is truly a headache -- you'll need two coats of primer, at least, and probably two more coats of whatever color you choosen. It's not good for walls to have so many layers of paint and primer, as eventually they'll start to pit and show imperfections. To make the walls look nice again, you'll need to strip, sand, etc. -- a time-consuming, labor-intensive, and potentially costly process.

So, in short:
1) Know that red is a bigger commitment than just about any other color, except maybe black.
2) Think about whether you really want to do this.
3) If so, start with an accent wall and go from there.

I've done it and am thrilled with the results. Then again, red has been my favorite color since birth, and I never ever get sick of looking at it. (If given a choice, I will pick red everything.)

KW: I'm getting mightily sick of the BM brick-red walls in our DR. My partner loves it though. The rest of the place is painted Creme Fraiche (a very light yellow). What would you suggest?

we did 1 wall red and the facing wall orangish -- the perpendicular walls are a light cream. white trims on the wood
looks very nice
like it better than all red walls
this way you can mix yellows golds, reds and whites for the decor in the room

i see a red door and i want it painted black.

i think red looks amazing... i always love it when i see it.
go for it!!!

You can enhance the bordello effect by adding flocked red wallpaper and heavy red velvet floor-to-ceiling drapes and ropes.

I would suggest doing a red wallpaper instead, but a chair rail and either white wainscoting or light paint or wallpaper underneath.

Something like this: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://deron.meranda.us/photos/office/wainscoting-1280x1035.jpg&imgrefurl=http://deron.meranda.us/photos/office/&usg=__foX4_9CEW8ZmMKYhbV9rzYV42r0=&h=1035&w=1280&sz=71&hl=en&start=62&sig2=ufh_gv2UwXSyJetI90dnZg&um=1&tbnid=cE6i_jWbjr1olM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dred%2Bwalls%2Bwhite%2Bwainscot%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D42%26um%3D1&ei=7LpwSpqaJ4KzmQeF_q3vCg

do only one wall in the whole apartment red. choose the wall and the red carefully. it should not be your biggest wall and the red should not be a bright red. More like a blood red.

I'm not a designer and have never had a red wall, but I'm with KW. No red unless you're goth (or those weird people on Housewives of NYC who butchered their Brooklyn TH!)

If, you're looking for bold/dramatic, how about one focus wall with some sort of pattern/design. Is your style modernish? If so, this could work, and you could add red in a more subtle way (white wall w/ red detail).

blood red on all four walls, but softened up with lots and lots and lots of gold leaf.

And drabs. I mean THIS kind of drab, of course: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/drab

or, how about dramatic red window treatments, pillows, etc?

Really, I shouldn't offer advice here. With the exception of our daughter's room which is currently undergoing a bright greenish-gold transformation, I'm the queen of muted neutrals.

Good luck and have fun with it!

thanks for the advice. i like uwsmom's idea of using red in a pattern on a neutral background. i have all neutral walls in shades of beige right now so i really need a change.

BargainHunter - current issue of Southern Living has a patterned bedroom on page 80....it's what made me think of it. Good luck.

I did red in a dining room in an old Tudor I own. The room has bright white crown and chair rails and the gets lots of light. It really really pops and I love it but did tire of it pretty quickly. That said, I don't think this is a very big decision, just paint it and if you don't like it or get sick of it, paint it again.

For me personally I want my living room to be cozy and relaxing so red wouldn't fit the bill. However, I'm planning to paint my entrance hallway or kitchen/dining area red as it supposedly makes guests lively and brings out interesting conversations over dinner/wine.

"current issue of Southern Living"

uwsmom, are you a southerner? Great southerners read Southern Living!

HA! Maybe in a previous life. I'm an italian that grew up near Buffalo, NY. Not sure you can be anymore un-southern!

RED - yum yum, I love it. Very cozy & English sitting room or library. The neutrals with the red curtains sounds lovely, as well, & what about a fab area rug to get in more interest.

hol4, i'd never think to paint a room red, but a condo we purchased years ago in Seattle came with a red kitchen, and it was absolutely delightful.

Red in a small room will make the room appear smaller. 13X15 is not that large of a room. So unless you are going for a cozier look, I would say no. One wall, however, might be just the trick.

Firstly, I find it hard to believe you're living in a 1050SF apartment with a 15x13 living room.

"Red is also the most difficult color to get good coverage with and often takes 4 coats (I've heard of someone who needed 5). And painting over red isn't easy, either. Whatever color you choose, use a tinted primer to start."

It's also the hardest one to get to actually look on you walls like you think from the color charts. it is not very forgiving to less than perfectly flat walls. If you ever want to paint over it... good luck. it shows brush strokes very easily. It took about 2 or 3 month to paint my hallway/vestibule and my painted said "if anything ever happens and you need it touched up.... don't call me".

"blood red on all four walls, but softened up with lots and lots and lots of gold leaf."

what kind of idiot would do that?

Like this, but with drabs: http://www.tellthetruthtravel.com/images/Budapest/Opera%20int.jpg

30yrs --- my living room and dining room are combined with the far end a Pullman kitchen (the entire wall is a kitchen). I have sliding doors that hide it when I'm not using it. Not sure if that helps in providing advice but there you have it. I don't have to paint the "kitchen" wall the same color since it can be hidden.

I do think I'll tire of the red eventually and I'm hoping to buy a larger place when it makes sense so it's probably not worth painting a color that may turn off buyers when I'm ready to sell. Thanks for the input everyone!!!

Red walls will affect your mood. Many years ago I worked for a small publisher with a keen design sense, and he had the walls of our office painted red.

The effect was sort of energizing, I have to say. After working in that space for some months I came across an article about the emotional effects of differently colored rooms, and it said something like red walls create intensity, and are good for high-energy situations.

So if you plan to use the room as a work space, red would be good. But if the room will have a calmer purpose, or you plan to use it for reading or study, maybe rethink your color scheme.

Absolutely correct, Graffiti.

It's for that reason why you should never paint a bedroom red. Or yellow. Yellow walls can actually cause colic in babies.

And red diapers can cause communism in babies.

Maybe try a coral color instead on an accent wall. It's really quite nice if you find the right shade and will brighten the room up with a punch of color. I have a coral color wall with red undertones in my living room and I get tons of complements on it. My landlord even told me that he'll probably keep it that color when I leave since it adds dimension to the space.

Go for it! just painted our bathroom AF 290 Caliente, a Benjamin Moore slightly bluish red (more of a traditional "library red" and less tomato-soup-colored than it looks on the Benjamin Moore web site; but reds are tricky, so make sure to swatch it) and can't get over how much we love it.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

Red is the color of passion, fire, and, love.

If you are up to the challenge...

Grey is the color of office filing cabinets.

Our home office is red and I love it. It wasn't as much work as everyone says. It only took 1 coat and then touch ups. It helps that the furniture is extremely neutral (it's an office, so that's not hard) because it can go in many different ethnic directions with one wrong piece. So, say no to paper lanterns (actually, say no to paper lanterns anyway).

Let me tell you, painting a bathroom navy blue was an absolute nightmare compared to the red office; it looks great now (its a small room with a giant window, and everything else is white with a few black and white photos on the walls), but I probably wouldn't do it again.

Painting a home office red is one thing. Painting a LIVING ROOM red is quite another. We spend the vast majority of our waking hours in our living rooms. The home office -- where you're supposed to be "energized" in the first place -- can be taken in small doses.

As you peruse apartments for sale on here, there is a reason you will be hard pressed to find any with the main rooms painted red or other bold colors. Those that have such rooms are often large apartments with multiple public rooms (see Park Ave mansion-like apartments with 8+ rooms). Those with very bold colors that are smaller I'd venture to bet have remained on the market a long time. It is just not appealing to most people because it is not an aesthetic most people favor.

Even if something poses what most would consider a 'taste-level' issue, it matters little if you like it. Just realize you are off on a limb and are choosing something may may uniquely appeal to you.

Red is fabulous, just make sure it's got a touch of blue in it, not yellow. Red with yellow will be fire-engine red, or tomato red. That's a hard color to live with, but a reddish-brown is great. Our kitchen is red, Benjamin Moore Confederate Red, white ceiling, cabinets and flooring. LOVE it. It's bold without being flashy or garish. Look in some decorating magazines, you're brave to even consider it, but if it's the right red, you'll love it!

Good point, Michael.

Red tending toward orange is more of a "fiesta" or "tomato soup" red, which is so alive it'll drive you crazy after awhile.

Red tending toward blue, however, gives you that nice deep Christmas or Valentine's Day red, which is much "calmer".

NYCMatt how was your post different or additive to the post of Michael427?

Sweetbird, I don't understand the point of your question.