At last season’s home furnishings markets we were thrilled to spot a few daring product designers giving a brave shout out to the color red.  Red conjures up strong visuals and strong opinions. Think love, lipstick, Bloody Marys,  Nancy Reagan’s wardrobe, and red geraniums (you may not want them in your garden but it’s a happy Spring day when your nursery is stocked with them).  While we have clients who love red and others who worry that it may not be restful, for me it’s the happiest of colors. I have had a red room in every place I have lived beginning with the childhood bedroom my Mother let me design (red and white ruffled gingham curtains and red shag carpet…yikes!).  Important to note that for some, a little red goes a long way. If a red lacquer dining room is too adventuresome for your taste (albeit very flattering in candlelight), try smaller pops of red in accessories as in the pillows below:

We love World’s Away’s coffee table introduction last Fall:

A vintage version in similar materials from 1st Dibs:

An antique “throne” settee is revved up with a red cabana stripe.

Nantucket Red on a guestroom floor at The Ship’s Inn:

A red vanity and graphic wallpaper in a small bathroom:

Wearing red and channeling Bill Blass’s quote, “Red is the ultimate cure for sadness”.