I’ve recently been seeing beautiful rooms in magazines and blogs and notice that I’m being drawn to something: mellow and subdued color. No, I’m not saying colorless or cool tones, but rather rooms with consistent symmetry of color. I’ve considered making some changes in my own living room…
BUT, I’ve got an elephant or two…a red couch and a red chair. They’re relatively new; about two/three years old and they were EXPENSIVE.
So, here’s my question…can red be a neutral? How do I go about making my room a little more elegant and refined without ditching my nice couches?
PS – Yes, I know I need to do something with the art situation…I just haven’t decided what, yet. I’d love to take advantage of my vaulted ceilings and do something large scale. Any thoughts?
Easy! Slipcovers for the couches and maybe raise the drapes up if your ceiling is taller?
I had an old cottage style magazine with my favorite spread ever from a family who loved red and used it everywhere in their home. One of the highlighted quotes from the article was “red is a neutral. Name one color red doesn’t go with!”
I love red. I love your room. I’d leave it. If you must do away with it, make or buy a slipcover. But I’ll be sad
I love your red couch! I think accessories can go a long way to changing up the feel of a room. Maybe more monochromatic pillows rather than a print or texture? Also, if you want to keep the wall collage – consider putting up the same color of frame – (I spray painted all mine the same for a more stream-line look)
I think your existing furniture (ottoman, chair and side tables) already exude an ‘elegant’ feel so your off to a great start!
When I first saw your question, I thought you’d been taking crazy pills. Then I reconsidered. Red could be a neutral depending on the supporting cast. I’m picturing warm, decadent browns, either on the wall or as drapery. Maybe some creams here and there to lighten things up. Purples or greens in the right shade might also make good accents. This might be crazy but would you ever paint your ceiling something other than white? That could add to the elegant vibe you’re going for. While I’m all about picture collages, a big piece of art would make a great statement in that space. Let us know what you decide to do!
Hi JJ…I think different shades of gray in the room would be perfect. Gray on the walls would be especially nice. The couch would be your punch of color. All black frames on your art would look good. Even better I think you should do a painting yourself on a BIG canvas for over the sofa. Use the colors in the room. It wouldn’t have to be elaborate, just something fun. Look for some fabric that has red, black and cream in the pattern and make new covers for your pillows. Then also 2 silvery gray solid pillows. Maybe a zebra print throw or a zebra print area rug would be a cool whimsical touch. The lamps would still work and silver accessories would give the room a high class kick.
Have fun with it!
I am with mj……before i read her comment, I was thinking gray and silver to charm it up…….different shades of gray to silver….and a few blacks thrown in. I can just see it looking fabulous!
Suzanne
I’m picturing a lot of creams, camels and and texture. Lush fabrics for throws and pillows and windows, candles…