Red Re:design

The other day I was watching a home makeover show, as I so often do. When the owners proudly walked the TV host through their very red kitchen she cried out in horror "RED" to which the home owners immediately responded. "Red is in". The host countered mockingly " in 2000 !" Dejected! Humiliated! I'm talking about my feelings not theirs. I felt as if I had been stabbed through the heart. How could red be out? I LOVE RED as you well know. To add salt to my injury, Ron my husband who is usually supportive, called out from the comfort of his computer chair, "RED is out!!!" Fighting back the tears I regrouped my thoughts. Red is out???? Well there is no doubt in my mind that the manner in which the homeowners had used red in their kitchen was definitely out, not only in 2009 but way back in 2000 as well. All of the walls were swathed in red and an insignificant white chair rail wound its way around the perimeter of the kitchen where no cabinets stood. The homeowners most likely chose red because it was 'in' without taking into consideration the style and colour of their cabinets. By today and yesterday's standards the kitchen was a design disaster. I felt equally ill viewing that kitchen as I did hearing the words 'RED' is out. I felt sick because my beloved red, out of place in that environs, had lost her lustre .

Choosing a colour because it is 'in' is like buying a pair of trendy shoes whether they fit or not. A shoe addict, I've done that. Believe me it doesn't work. I'm not one to buck trends. I strive to create living spaces that are current. But, I also believe that if a colour is out and it is a colour you love you can make it work. So whether or not red is in or out, she will always be in my life. As I wrote in my last blog...red is medicinal and like all medicine an overdose can be deadly. The kitchen in the makeover show was bathed- no- it was drowning in red.

Read on to learn how red affects the human body and psyche so that when you choose to use it in your colour scheme you will feel the warmth and pleasure that red can elicit. The information I am sharing with you is found in the "Resource Manual' (Chapter 5 pages 27 and 28) upon which the Certified Staging Professional Course is based.

"RED is the colour of warmth and sensuality. It is said to stimulate the heart and the circulation system, fortifying the body and building up red blood cells. It can be an anti-depressant. It stimulates the brain and grabs attention. "

While wearing my stager hat I shy away from using red on walls. My goal is to neutralize and create mass appeal. As a stager I throw in pops of red to warm up neutral spaces. Talking about 'pops of colour', yesterday I came upon a great site for redophiles like myself. It is a site devoted to posting all manner of red furnishings. Check it out. www.popofred.com. It will link you to sites that highlight other colours as well.

While wearing my designer hat, I use red more liberally if my client has an affinity for my favourite colour. You can see how I dole out doses of red in the spaces I design by viewing my website. www.ravereviewhomestaging.com

Now that you have a feel for Red Re:design, let's continue Red Roming. Along the way some trendy finds of varying colours may do battle with red to grab your attention.