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| Red-based palettes
can add punch to even the most earth-toned room replete with greens, tans and
browns, says designer Jayne Pelosi of Renaissance
Interior Design. “Consider adding toss pillows, a chenille throw and
pillar candles in a warm brick red or cinnabar. If your room's palette tends
to be cool and is currently adorned in light to medium blues, choose cooler pinky
versions of red, such as watermelon or geranium. Deep navy and teal, on the other
hand, require deep brick red, burgundy or blue red to balance their intensity,”
she says. What's fun about red is that the potential combos are endless. How
to Go Wild With Color >> |
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| Designer
Kenneth Brown packs a scarlet punch in a mostly brown dining room with red chairs
and accents. |
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| These
complementary colors are classics (and not just for Christmas). |
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| Artesian
dishes by Zrike illustrate how color-wheel neighbors red and pink can beautifully
coexist. |
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| With
Bohemian clothing and India-inspired accessories all the rage, red in shades
from claret to fuchsia is being paired to great effect with gold and even orange. |
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| This
combo is lighthearted and refreshing. |
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| According to color guru Dewey
Sadka, there is an old saying that goes like this: “Every room needs
a little red.” And it couldn't be more true today, says the author of The
Dewey Color System: Choose Your Colors, Change Your Life. “Using a
festive red shade electrifies. It evokes an action, whether it is an immediate
halt before a commanding stop sign or an 'I love you' from a sweetheart's Valentine
box,” he says. Red is the color of expression. So what do you want to express
in your home? Well do you like cranberry or coral? Ruby or rouge? Check out Sadka's
quiz to find out how your favorite shade of red can make a statement in your
home. Take
quiz >> |
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| Red will wake up a room, says designer and color pro
Rosemary Sadez Friedmann,“It should be used
as an accent in accessories, as part of a pattern in upholstery or in one impressive
chair or bench,” she says. Red is a good color to have in a nursery because
it stimulates and aids the development of neural connections in an infant's brain.
Or try it in the dining room, where the rich color supposedly stimulates the
appetite. |
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| “This year we're moving from earthy brown-reds
to a brighter, cleaner red. The red is Asian-influenced (especially from China)
and is a great accent color. First-time users who safely ventured into red by
using earthy reds are livening things up with bolder, brighter and cleaner red.” -color
consultant Aimee
Desrosiers, California Paints. More
Trendy Colors >> |
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| How did red become the hue for the rich and powerful? (Think kings and cardinals.) Back in the old days before chemical dyes, creating red was a painstaking and expensive process that required either extracting it from the roots of madder or squashing it out of little bugs called kermes. Only very rich or revered folks could get their hands on any red. Now, of course, red is an equal-opportunity color. Anybody can buy the ubiquitous red power tie right off the rack. |
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