apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

How 'bout a sexy red lampshade?

...or recovering the futon couch?

If you're at all nervous about painting a wall, don't paint it red. I'm using Benjamin Moore Exotic Red, and my walls took five coats of paint and two of red primer. I never look forward to touchups.

my suggestion is to buy a couple of large (or one huge) artist's canvases and paint them red, if you really want some red. it's quick, easy, relatively cheap -- and it doesn't necessarily look DIYish if hung well. also, then, if red doesn't do it for you, you can easily try another color.

Mary's idea of recovering those futon couches is good, because it can take farther from the blue.

Meanwhile, I think that if you like red, you should just bite the bullet and paint red. Yes, it will take a lot of paint, but it's worth it.

A couple of things to think about, though. Red is an exciting color, in a very literal way. I painted an apartment red once because the person not only liked red, but also because she knew that it would help elevate her blood pressure, which had a tendency to be too low. If yours tends to be too high, you might choose just one wall.

If you do paint just one wall, it will possibly make the project seem more manageable. But if you do that, consider possibly painting both sides of that wall, so it sort of looks as if the wall were formed out of slabs of one solid red substance. It's a good idea for any situation in which you're going to put more than one color in a room, instead of just painting within the confines of a room. It seems to expand the space by leading your eye around the corner to the next space.

Regarding priming, there are some latex primers which adhere very well, so you could consider them, instead of the oil-based ones. And if you're wanting to get away from the shiny texture of a semi-gloss, maybe you don't want that red Chinese lacquer feeling on your walls. If you prefer something that might seem more like, say, velvet, think about finding three reds that are VERY close to each other. Benjamin Moore has something called simply "Red" and a "Million Dollar Red" (which is only SLIGHTLY more orange)and another one that I can't think of the name of (only SLIGHTLY more purple), which I used for someone who basically just loves red, but actually has several different ones of it going on everywhere.

I painted 2 coats of "Red", which is the most neutral onto the wall, just for coverage. Then, I sponged the other red (the slightly more purple one) over that. Then I sponged "Million Dollar Red" (the slightly more orange one). THEN ... on top of all that, I sponged the first "Red" BACK on top of all that. The result appeared to be just a nice, rich solid red that did NOT look like some kind of cheap laminate or something. This could be done in Benjamin Moore's Regal Matte, which is their scrubbable flat, which is a delicious matte paint. Or, if you'd rather wipe than scrub, and don't mind a HINT of a sheen, use their Pearl finish, which is sort of an eggshell finish.

Unless the coffee table is a family antique... I think it looks great to paint one piece of furniture that seems traditional in a very shiny enamel red. It could work well with the red lamp idea.

That would be instead of painting the wall, both would be a little over the top, right?

Curtis's red-red-red idea sounds great... He might be refering to exotic red, since I was deciding between it and million dollar red, which is just a touch pinkier [the next lighter color on that card is "rose parade", which is more clearly magenta]. I used semi-gloss, since I wanted it to look mod and shiny. It does look like nail polish, so beware.

I think you have good bones here and would focus on the accessories, rather than painting the wall red. (I suspect that if go with the red wall, you are not going to like it w the blue futon). The 6th ave flea market has great red chinese boxes - they have tall handles and I can see one as an accent in the corner. There are many inexpensive accent rugs out there now (Home Depot for a start) that could bring in the red you want. Or how about painting the little end table red? Also, I think if the the lampshade was more contemporary (maybe a barrel style?) it would add more punch. There are also lots of cheap red vases/bowls available if you want to put the color on the coffee table. Finally, if you really really want more red, then I would suggest deep-sixing the blue futon cover and getting a red one. Good Luck!

I just painted one wall in my living room with Olympic semigloss in a shade of knocked back orangy red and it positively glows. Goes well with orangy red Indian pillows and wooden screens. Two coats around the edges and *one* coat in the middle with a quality roller. I realise my walls are smooth and yours are textured. Maybe an HVLP spray gun?

I notice you like black and pearl Chinese screens. I lean more toward black Japanese screens, but red certainly goes well with black in any event. From what I've read, orangy red is easier to work with than bluish red and gives much more satisfying results. And I've also seen a shade similar to old Chinese lacquer recommended. With the screens and wall hangings, I would suspect you'd do better with a deeper truer red rather than a magenta or an orange.

I plan on doing a wall in the bedroom in a much brighter red behind the bed with the other walls possibly an ivory or light orange, with dark cherry furniture. Red walls tend to bring out the reds in reddish woods and other items.

The rule, if you believe in them, is to either use various reds of the same tone but different shades, or different tones of the same shade. In other words, don't mix light orangy pink with dark purply red.

That was eggshell rather than semigloss. I almost did the same thing in the store!

Whew..I have a lot to respond to.....

First, thank you Maxwell and everyone else for some really good suggestions. I'll have to take you up on a lot of them and hopefully give this room the feeling it deserves!

Second, I'd like to apologize for the awful, washed out pictures...the sun was just too bright and it effectively helped to confuse everyone of the futon cover color and some of the decor looks black. The cover is actually grey- - - from Ikea (I'm sure most of you have seen that cover there), and the screen next to the futon has a red background.

You all made me think about a chair that I plan to put in there- it's waiting to be reupholstered right now, and we were thinking of doing it in a grey, but now you all have me thinking red (deep red like the pillow). I wonder what it would look like....


Here's a better picture (close up) of just the sitting area- you can see the colors better in the futon and the screen, as well as the table.
http //img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/Bebilushus/Buttons/Decor_Table.jpg (put a colon after the http to view..I can't because of spam blocker)

Which brings me to my next point. I LOVE the idea of painting the table, but I just cannot bring myself to paint it because sg is right- it's a family antique. I'm not sure if anyone has ever seen this kind of table.....

I might take patrick (too) up on that sexy red lampshade though...I do have a lamp (with a red lampshade) in another room that really isn't being used...both lamps would look fine if I switched their shades. Great idea.

More pillows- - - check. Will do. I love pillows anyway.

More color in a table cloth- perhaps a large table runner? The table pictured above had a bunch of food on it (when I took the picture) so you can't really see the table at all....

Curtis- your technique sounds really interesting- do you have any pictures of the finished product?
With the pearl sheen too? Sounds like a lot of work but I bet the finished product is well worth it.

Steve F.- thanks for the color advice.
What do you think about this red? Is it sort of orangey-red/brick red you were talking about?- http //www.upn.com/shows/top_model4/images/loft/photos/4/1.jpg / http //www.upn.com/shows/top_model4/images/loft/photos/4/2.jpg (again, but colon after http)
Maybe not that exact color, but it's shade seems to make the richer reds pop (for me that would be the screen, valance, various decor) and the wood (my table?) stand out nicely. I would have to get rid of the grey futon cover though.

Thanks again everyone.

If that cover is really gray instead of bluish as in the pics, I think you will have an easier time getting where you want to get, since as MGR mentioned, adding red to a blue environment ain't easy. Unless you are very very patriotic.

And I used to be a tinted primer skeptic... "How much could THAT help? I'll just start with the color." Well, ohmigod tinted primer makes a HUGE difference in ease and coverage. Color me converted.

Steve -

could you tell us the name of that "knocked back orangy red"? it' sounds devine!

Just a suggestion - I wouldn't flank the utility door and grates with paintings as it emphaszes the door rather than the paintings, which I believe is your intent. I would suggest nothing on that wall or a painting or screen large enough to cover the entire door. Of course, the problem is the light switch. You may, however, be able to move that switch or hand the art in such a way as to make it reachable e.g. hanging the piece far enough from the wall to allow room for one's hand.

that switch is actually the furnace switch!(I know, wierd)
It's well above my head (that's not saying much though- as I'm only about 5'4-ish) and the unit door is really not as noticeable as it looks in the dark picture- especially because the walls are textured and semi-glossed.

I was thinking about covering it too, but unfortunately the air comes in through the bottom vents and out through the top vent, so I don't really want to block the flow.

Thanks for the suggestion though! (good eyes for spotting the switch too...)

Hi,
I have just been reading your site and need some help!!!
I have a long white hallway that has blue carpet with small white flowers on it. The carpet is fairly new but the problem is..it leads down the hall inot the kitchen, and the dining and the living room. Its a small flat I live in with the hallway as the main enatrance and then goes upstairs to the hallway again. help!! Bothe the living room and the dinning room have a brillant red carpet. I have no idea why the two colors of carpet but I need help on how to make the blue carpet flow with the solid red carpet in the other room. Should I paint the wall Brilliant White or antique white.. Should I just add blue or red curtains with splashes of blue in the rooms with red carpet??
ooooh pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!!! help me!!
I am considering going with just white walls, blue throw rugs and red white and blue in the kichen.. the rooms are all within a few feet of each other..
thanks alot|!
Tonya