Colour Focus: Regal Red

By Ana Zuravliova

Trend Specialist at Blinds Direct

Sat 7 Nov 2020

Last updated Tue 19 Jul 2022

Red is a colour that’s been important to millions throughout the ages. From prehistoric cave paintings in Spain, to bridal dresses across Asia and papal shoes, to the soles of Christian Louboutin heels, red is a prince among colours and can make a powerful statement in your home.

Red October, November and December

With Christmas on the horizon, Red will be playing on our minds and now is the time to introduce some of this colour into your home. Whether its Santa’s outfit, Rudolf’s nose or baubles on the tree, red is the real star of this season.

As always, however, it’s important to pause and mull over your options before diving in. The human eye is naturally drawn to red and as a result it takes a little more planning than other colours.

Use different tones of red

Some argue that the tone through out a room must be uniform. We respectfully disagree. With red in particular, if all the items in a space were exactly the same hue, the overall effect would become repetitive and overstimulating.

Therefore, it is wise to pick differing shades. If you have a vermillion Venetian blind for example, try to pair it with a crimson lampshade or scarlet cushions. The objective is to let red items enhance your space, it wants to be a pleasant surprise, like a strawberry, not intimidating like a boxing glove.

Red works well alongside a range of differing colours – especially neutral colours including off whites, creams and soft greys. Darker reds can also pair well with soft dusky pinks, deep teals and even black.

Contemplate the overall theme of a room before considering complementing colours. If you’re aiming for a contemporary twist on an eighties theme, consider mixing scarlet with blue greys, very pale greys and black.

If you’re wanting a more traditional space taking inspiration from the great homes of England, consider pairing deep wine red with contrasting spots of olive and if you’re particularly daring, mint.

Use red with patterns

Block red items can certainly grab attention but don’t forget, you can use red as part of a pattern to create a more subtle statement.

Whether the pattern is a rich tartan, delicate floral or groovy geometric; red is equally fantastic as a spot colour.

Below are but a handful of examples of how we’ve incorporated red into some of our popular patterned Roman blinds. If Roman blinds aren’t quite your thing don’t worry, we have a great selection of both patterned and plain reds available across our ranges of blinds, curtains, lampshades and cushions.

Colours to go with red

Red is a very versatile colour with different shades working well with myriad different colours. In this section we’ll be covering some combinations that may seem obvious and some that may surprise you.

Most shades of red pair well as part of the classic colour combinations. Greys, light orange, pale (but still warm) yellows and beige will help to enhance the warming nature of this colour. Combining mono-coloured items from this list will work nicely but don’t forget you can look at patterns which combine multiple tones to bring a fun yet cosy feel to your space. 

Middling tones of red however open up some further style options. Reds similar to tomato will work especially well with sands, creams and grey but also cyan, eucalyptus and mint green. There is that strange phrase “red and green should never be seen” but we think that’s a stuffy old way of looking at things. The right red with the right green can add an extremely elegant statement to your home.

If you’re not 100% sure on which tones will work, again look at patterns that include these striking colours. At Blinds Direct we offer upto eight free samples so you can see your chosen fabric in the flesh before you buy.

Shop our red coloured products:

Bring the vibrant energy of red into your home with made to measure blinds, curtains, cushions and lamp shades from Blinds Direct. Got a question? Get in touch with our team – we’re always happy to help.