Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Red · colors from 2 paintings
Red room color schemes work best when the red has partners. These two reds and four companions share a canvas in museum paintings, so the pairings come from the painters.
Quick answer
Use the pale gold #E4D397 on walls, the rose red #B36756 on main furniture, and the deep red #99140B as a bold accent beside the dark brown #42392D.
A deep warm red with an LRV of 7, suited to a door, a lacquer piece or a single accent wall. It comes from Antonio Vivarini's Saint Jerome, 1440s.
From Saint Jerome, Antonio Vivarini
A mid-tone warm red with an LRV of 20, good for walls in a dining room or a velvet sofa. It comes from John Philip Simpson's The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge), 1827.
From The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge), John Philip Simpson
A light warm yellow with an LRV of 65, suited to walls beside the reds. It comes from Antonio Vivarini's Saint Jerome, 1440s.
From Saint Jerome, Antonio Vivarini
A very dark warm brown with an LRV of 4, good for floors, tables and a door. It comes from John Philip Simpson's The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge), 1827.
From The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge), John Philip Simpson
A mid-tone warm ochre with an LRV of 27, suited to brass tones, a cushion or a lampshade. It comes from Antonio Vivarini's Saint Jerome, 1440s.
From Saint Jerome, Antonio Vivarini
A deep warm red-brown with an LRV of 10, good for textiles, a rug or built-in shelves. It comes from John Philip Simpson's The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge), 1827.
From The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge), John Philip Simpson
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
| Color | Neutral daylight | North light | South light | Evening lamps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lively Straw Gold | ||||
| Nankeen Ochre |
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is Saint Jerome.
Decide how much red you want. The rose red #B36756 has an LRV of 20 and is the more livable choice for a whole room, since it reads as a muted terracotta rose. The deep red #99140B has an LRV of 7 and is much stronger, so it belongs on one wall, a door or a small piece.
Then choose the companions. Both reds appear with warm yellows and dark browns in the paintings. The pale gold #E4D397 gives the light that red needs, and the dark brown #42392D gives it weight.
A simple red room has three layers: a red or gold wall, a mid-tone red in the furniture and a dark brown in the wood. The ochre #B48535 and the red brown #824D40 fill in between. If the room is small, use the red on one wall and keep the others in the pale gold.
For the ceiling and trim, use the pale gold #E4D397 or a lighter cream version of it. With an LRV of 65, it reflects light back into a red room and keeps the red from feeling heavy. A bright white can look harsh against warm reds.
For flooring, the suggested wood tone is the deep red #99140B, but you can read that as a mahogany or cherry tone. Dark oak or walnut in the brown range of #42392D also works. A pale floor makes a red room feel fresher, but it increases the contrast, so add a rug in the red brown #824D40 to bridge the two.
For textiles, choose the ochre #B48535 in a cushion or a curtain trim. It is the only color that lifts the reds without competing with them. Brass or gold-toned lighting repeats the same note.
Red changes strongly with light. In a north-facing room the rose red #B36756 can look duller and slightly brown, so keep the trim warm and use warm bulbs to bring its color back.
In a south-facing room, the same red looks brighter and more orange. The deep red #99140B may look closer to a true red in direct sun. Check it on a sunny morning, because strong light can make it more intense than you expect.
Under warm evening bulbs, red rooms become glowing and enclosed. This is why red works well in dining rooms and studies. The red brown #824D40 and the dark brown darken further, and the pale gold turns more golden. If the evening effect is too heavy, use more lamps at a low height and one source of light on the pale walls.
Reds are among the hardest colors to judge from a chip. Paint a sample at least two feet square with two coats, because red paint often needs more coverage than other colors.
Tape it on two walls and compare it with your floor and fabrics. Look at it in the morning and in the evening, and check that it does not turn pink, orange or brown in your light. If it does, compare the next closest match from the list.
The paints listed with each color were measured as close or near-identical, though the deepest red lists only a close match. Use them as a starting point and trust your own sample. A primer in a gray tint can reduce the number of coats, and a matte or eggshell finish will hide wall flaws better than a gloss.
Pale gold, ochre and dark brown, as in these paintings. They give red the light and weight it needs.
The rose red #B36756 with the pale gold #E4D397 is a balanced pair, and the dark brown #42392D works for wood and doors.
The deep red #99140B has an LRV of 7, so it is dark. The rose red #B36756, with an LRV of 20, is easier for a whole room.
Use the rose red on the walls with the red brown #824D40 in textiles and the ochre #B48535 in lighting. The warm glow suits evening use.
Yes. Put the deep red #99140B on a single wall and keep the others in the pale gold #E4D397. This keeps the room bright.
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, public domain (CC0). Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
