All things are coming up red this week as we prepare for the love fest that is known as St. Valentine’s Day.
Millions look forward to this day of romance with heightened expectations and millions equally dread this over-priced trussed up holiday, Whether or not you are in love the feelings surrounding Valentine’s Day are mixed - I just love the colour!
Red is a powerful and dominant force, long associated with royalty. It is a progressive, militant colour that never fails to make a strong impact or draw out a definitive emotional response.
From where I sit I see red accents throughout my home and if you are a frequent reader you probably know about my recent purchase of a red leather couch.
It is a colour that few people would commit so completely to and the investment in this colour furniture even made the furniture sales lady question my judgment.
But it is love for me, my vehicle and many of my accessories are the vein pumping red which is a colour that I am extremely fond of.
When I consider my world you could say I’m deeply in love with the colour red. Taking inventory it seems like this colour has permeated many parts of my life and my home decor and it is without apology that I return to this colour over and over in my decorating ideas.
It may be the psychology of the colour that demands that I always take notice.
Red is intoxicating and generates many positive feelings whether it is being consumed (strawberries, apples) or being applied to a wall or fabric.
The use of red in a home can be shocking as in a full feature wall or even carpet (welcome back, 70s) or it can be punchy and used in accessories.
The trick with using this attention grabbing colour is that it needs to be the center of attention!
Red will demand all eyes in the room be on it at all times and you should know to be very careful when introducing another strong colour lest they battle.
I have successfully brought in a lovely burnt orange and they seem to be getting along fairly well, but the diva red still screams and twirls and vies for everyone’s attention at all times.
I think red is the bully of the design world, very few are able to share space with this voluptuous vixen.
It will force attention to your house or your person and is a fun experiment to try.
Last week I whimsically painted my nails red and for days the comments came flying!
The nail polish was deemed ‘saucy’ and ‘scandalous’ and ‘festive’ by many coworkers and clients, it was a fun colour to carry with me for a few days and it perfectly matched my jeweled iPhone case! Yes folks, I am a designer in all ways.
If you have been leery of inviting this narcissistic colour into your home, suggest that your loved one gift you with dozens of delicious red roses this Valentine’s Day or go out and buy them for yourself as a midwinter pick me up.
Set them in a place of prominence and enjoy their vibrancy for as long as they will last, it may inspire you to rev up your interior with more red accents.
Kim Wyse is an interior designer with Carpet Colour Centre in Red Deer.