Red Paint Shades
Make a Gorgeous Wall Color

Red paint shades are the drama queen of paint color palettes, always ready to impress. Learn how to tame this flamboyant color and use it for painting and decorating your home...

You cannot help but react to rooms painted and decorated with vibrant shades of red.

People who use the color red in their homes are often strong characters, with a zest for life and a need for excitement.

Powerful but versatile, red paint shades can work both in traditional (red barn paint color) and contemporary (tomato red) environments. They are especially great for northern climates, where their natural heat detracts from a lack of bright daylight.

Bold and Daring Red Paint Shades

Cherry red, tomato red, red currant, scarlet and poppy red are real scene stealers - they cannot be ignored!

But these pulsating and arousing shades can also be tiring and too stimulating when used in large amounts.

Don't paint rooms that are in constant use a fire-engine red. The only exception is rooms with large windows, lots of furniture against the walls, oversized wall art, etc. - because in rooms like these, you will see only a fraction of the wall space and color.

Otherwise, save this dramatic hue for an accent wall, colored furniture and accessories - with its brilliance, it will provide all the drama you need!

Remember that just a little bit of red can go a long way. So start small, see how you like it and how much red you can take - you can always add more color if needed.

Keep in mind that a saturated, candy apple red color like this needs to be tempered and surrounded with plenty of neutrals. Touches of yellow, fresh green and purple make great complementing accents in red color schemes.

And if you combine a bright red color with white, off-white, cream and black, you will get a traditional Oriental pallete.

Classic Red Paint Shades

Barn red paint color, wine red, burgundy, red mahogany and black cherry - these shades are considered classic. They are rich and luxurious, but less dominating and easier to live with.

Considering painting a room red? Use one of these earthy, muddy paint shades. Much more complex and toned down than primary reds, these hues look almost neutral and understated - as far as reds go. They still get attention and turn heads, but without screaming at you.

Dark red color is very popular in dining rooms, where it looks very elegant and dramatic. But red walls in a bedroom can also be really mesmerizing, and will help create an intimate and romantic atmosphere - especially in low lights.

These historic paint colors pair well with different shades of blue, greens, browns and neutrals. Because they often tend to look dark, yellow also works great as a balancing color - it creates an illusion of sunlight and brightens up the scheme.

Remember that white woodwork will make red look more intense. If you want a subtler effect, avoid harsh contrasts by keeping your wall color and woodwork at similar tonal values (consider staining your woodwork, or paint it with a color mimicking natural wood shades).

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