Why ‘unexpected red’ is trending in interiors – and how to do it right
Red is having a moment. First it was red socks, as worn by fashionistas to add punch to an outfit; and now the trend for red accents is crossing over into the home, too.
Unexpected Red Theory, as it is named on TikTok (where else?), is explained by American TikToker Taylor Simon as follows: “Add anything that is red, big or small, to a room where it doesn’t match at all, and [the room] automatically looks better.” But could interior design really be this easy?
“That is absolute rubbish,” laughs interior designer Sophie Robinson. “You can’t just add red to any room – it’s just not that simple. It can look jarring.”
Like any trend on the merry-go-round of interiors and fashion, styles come and go, and not all of them will suit everybody. Liz Taylor may have worn cherry-red lipstick with panache, but crimson lips will not suit every skin shade, and nor will red “automatically” work with every room palette.
But it is proving an extremely popular tone as we slip further into 2024, with Valentine’s Day looming. Interior designers are reporting that they are increasingly using it in their design schemes, and cookware brand Le Creuset recently launched a new range in deep red, citing a rise in searches on Google for “red kitchen” ideas (demand for which was three times higher than that for beige kitchens last month). But how to use it well?
“Red should never be the main character in a room; more like the zany best friend,” says interior designer Sarah Peake. “It punches well above its weight and should be used sparingly, as an accent within a scheme. I like to use a deep red in a downstairs loo; in my own, I’ve paired it with a kaleidoscopic marbled wallpaper.”
Interior designer Kate Guinness agrees: “In its brighter forms, red is an energising colour, full of warmth and life, which typically gives spaces dominated by a more muted colour palette a little zing.”
As Sophie Robinson puts it, “You must understand red; it really meets your eye, it comes for you. There is a reason postboxes are red – they jump out on the street. Red can be aggressive and impactful, so you must decide, is that what you want?”
Her advice is to choose carefully which red you want to use in your home, and where you use it, because it will pop out: “Don’t go painting your radiator or TV media unit red; it will instantly demand everyone’s attention.” The key, she says, is to look at the undertones of the other colours in the room. Soft pinky-reds suit a palette of jewel tones; burgundy and maroon reds are perfect with warm browns and cool greys; and crimson is entirely at home with bold black-and-white. “It’s not that red will go with some colours and not others,” says Guinness, “it’s all about using colours of the right tone together.”
Interior designer and hotelier Kit Kemp, a professional entirely capable of handling red, uses it often in her work. “It’s a striking shade which catches the eye as a bold accent,” she says.
“When using red as a lead colour, perhaps as a wallpaper, look to continue it as accents in fabrics and lampshades to help weave it across the room, pulling the scheme together.
“If you want to introduce red in smaller doses, combine it with a muted palette, such as a textured grey fabric wall,” she continues. “This works as a juxtaposition with the vibrancy of red, providing balance and allowing the boldness of red to sing without it overwhelming.”
Another approach is to pick one element of a room and give it the unexpected red treatment.
“My favourite,” says Joa Studholme, the colour curator at paint company Farrow & Ball, “is to paint a door and its frame in an exuberant red, for an extra decorative twist. This is particularly effective on doors to utilitarian areas such as pantries and boot rooms.”
Helen Parker, the creative director at kitchen company deVOL, practises a similar strategy, by painting the insides of cupboards. “I feel a glimmer of deep, rich red adds life to a dark corner to make it more interesting and unexpected,” she explains. “Bringing red into small elements of a room makes it feel alive and considered, but not contrived. The careful use of this colour can instantly pep up a finished room in a very satisfying way.”
Putting red stripes on the ceiling or the floor is the advice of interior designer Gavin Houghton. “I’ve always loved red stripes,” he says. “I think it stems from the fun of a circus tent. It always brings a smile, and because stripes don’t take themselves too seriously, they mix well with other patterns.”
Jolene Ellis, of design firm Clarence & Graves, is keen to stress that red is not, in fact, a trend, but a “timeless classic”, and she is more generous with her use of it. “We are much faster and looser with red, as it collides with everything so well, especially blacks, greens and blues,” she says. “We tend to embrace moodier, muddier, more romantic reds. Like a Chanel red lipstick, it goes with any outfit and adds a little glamour and play.”
For the amateur designer, however, red is a colour that should be handled with care; as, perhaps, should design advice from TikTok.