apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This is the color of 2 walls in my kitchen! I love it. The painter said usually people reserve this color for a dining room but I like it in the kitchen! It lends warmth and its not so common.

the walls remind me more of chocolate cake than claret but never mind that, i love the chair!

Yes, the claret is a nice rich color, but the white trim brings attention to moulding that is too narrow. why not paint the trim as well it would complement the wood doors.

Mark,

Will the using of a tinted primer help in the multiple coats of the red paint?

I like Claret but the light wood kills it. The wood is almost orange.

It's probably just the photo, but the reflection doesn't help it either. I think that with a deep tone like this, you need low light to really show it off.

I actually think that color looks great with the wood (is it oak?) It has a southwestern kind of feel.

I agree with the comment about paiting the moulding.

Thanks for sharing!

Ooops, that would be "painting."

:-)

The walls remind me of the 5th level of Dante's Inferno.

Yum, claret. I'm planning on using it (as an accent color) in my room, which I'm just getting started on.

I'm also really into that bedcover. And the bed frame, for that matter. I wish I could see more of it.

Hmmm...looks like a comforting place to sit, relax, sleep or whatever comes to mind!! I'm happy to say I've been here in person and the photo just doesn't do it justice. It's a cozy and wonderful setting.

Flat paint would have been a lot nicer finish, I really can't stand semis and eggshells in rooms besides kitchen and bath (unless you have kids or your a cheap landlord that won't paint between leases). FLAT paint rules!

Mark, your posts are one of my favorite AT features, but let's face it, One Picture per post is like one potato chip. We need at least 3 pictures of each room in a color to get the real flavor!

i think flat paint looks better in pictures, but seems a little unfinished in real life. i just painted with pratt & lambert's accolade velvet and I like the way it glows just a little bit in my studio that gets no direct sunlight.

but i don't have that much experience with paint. am i being bourgeois? would it look more sophisticated with flat? (i'm not going to repaint--just asking for future reference. and i don't care at all about practical concerns like washability, but do care about which would make my apartment seem larger, more spacious.)

Ellie,

I'm with you. I personally prefer eggshell because it's easier to clean and because I generally like a tiny bit of sheen.

That said, I did just paint a red accent wall in flat, but because I thought the red itself was probably enough--and it's behind a bookshelf, so it won't get much wear. But there does seem to be an element of people who turn their nose up at anything but flat, which is kind of silly, imo. It depends on the use. My hallway is flat, and I regret it now.

i feel the same way about the flat-finish snobbery, fiona & ellie.

it's partly because i'm a texture person, and the super-dry almost powdery feel of flat painted surfaces bugs me.

i'm an eggshell girl all the way, except maybe for bathrooms and kitchens which imho should go semi.

I had that color in a Brownstone apt......It was magnificent to live with. The two colors for the millwork included a sort of Scroll color, in the tan family, and also a Putty, with the barest hint of green. Complemented the deep eggplant gorgeously.

I agree with aulaire. I want to see more pics!

We've done a deep claret color in the last couple of apartments, and always loved it. Great in the bedroom with lots of clean white shelves to set it off, great on a big wall in our current loft (bedroom/livingroom, but visible from everywhere). Nota bene: Good, deep reds take multiple coats. A tinted primer is a good idea, Jackie.

The claret is alright, but I abhor the color combos in that pic. No sense and actually unsettling to me. To each their own....

butterscotch and flat nail polish from the 80s. yuck

THE AUTHOR RESPONDS

a tinted primer will help some, but still might need three coats afterward.

i'm a flat paint snob too, but these deep reds have an eggshell finish even in flat.

no, my photo doesn't do it justice, the actual color feels more like the shadow here, but it's still incredibly rich. should've played w/ the midlevels in photoshop more.

re color combos: i had another example of this which was extremely contemporary and steely; i wanted to use this room w/ the woods, i dunno, just a different personality.

Jackie,
Absolute Paint Company said yes to tinted primer.

I like the combination of colors.

I don't care for the white trim and light wood with this rich color. I would paint the trim as well. Too much going on there.

I think that the finish choice depends on the condition of your walls. Flat paint is great for hiding things.

Mike and I are about to repaint our bedroom in a very similar color, Farrow & Ball's Brinjal. The best part is that the paint covers so well, even in this dense, red range. Two coats will nearly always do it with F&B.

Along with a tinted primer, using a good paint base will shorten the number of significantly. Although they may have an amazing set of color swatches to choose from, I've found that the Ralph Lauren paints to do a very poor job in this department.

I think the white trim makes the room too busy overall, pick a color close to the tone of the woodif not a touch darker!!( like the tone of the chair)

No a primer will not help. I used a similar RL paint in my dining room. 6 coats later and it still could have used another coat or even 2! I used 3 gallons of paint on a relatively small room! Color match it using a different brand, I think RL paint (for dark colors) sucks.