Red Paint Schemes

Whether carmine, crimson or scarlet, bright red paint can create dramatic spaces all on its own. If you’re feeling brave, up the ante even more with contrasting finishes. Durable Full Gloss enhances the glamour of wooden panelling, as in this elegant front room, but a carefully chosen finish can also create interest on even the plainest of walls – simply paint a wide stripe in the same colour with a different sheen level, as the owners of this hallway have done with chalky Estate Emulsion and red gloss paint.

If you’re looking to our reds to create warm and welcoming spaces, a rich terracotta colour may be just the thing. Red Earth can look almost coral in brighter light and more earthy in low light, making it a lovely choice for rooms that are used at all times of the day, like this teen bedroom. Sharing a similar blend of yellow and red pigments, Book Room Red has a similarly warming feel, but it’s deeper in tone and creates a more traditional effect.

Our rich reds make for inviting rooms whether they’re used from floor to ceiling or in moderation. Eating Room Red is a rich burgundy with a lived-in feel, a perfect partner for equally aged neutrals like Stony Ground and Dead Salmon. For the ultimate deep red colour, try Preference Red. Don’t feel daunted by its rich intensity – used in a low-contrast palette with Sulking Room Pink and Paean Black, it creates a beautiful berry-toned backdrop to a master bedroom.

Orange based reds are some of our most cheerful shades – you can’t help but smile when you walk into a room painted in Blazer, Charlotte’s Locks, or the archived Harissa. Charlotte’s Locks is our truest orange-red tone, particularly effective when used in small doses, and extra exuberant in Full Gloss. Or, for a more subtle red paint, try the charming vermillion shade Blazer.

Red doesn’t have to be used all over to make a statement. For a contemporary look, use flashes of Eating Room Red on architectural features, as the owners of this minimal attic bedroom have done, or create easily changeable elements of interest in a teen’s room with modern blocks of Incarnadine and Drawing Room Blue against a clean white background.

Front doors are the perfect candidate for a lick of red paint – it creates a bold statement in a small space, and it’s sure to make you smile every time you see it. Plus, our recommended finishes for front doors, Full Gloss and Exterior Eggshell, are protected against peeling, cracking and fading for up to six years, so your choice of cherry, burgundy or postbox red will stay looking stunning come rain or shine. Still need convincing? This festive Rectory Red front door ought to do it.