If you’re looking to remodel your family room, the first thing you decide on might be the color. White is never wrong, and creams and beiges are a safe choice. You might get a little creative and go with a pastel blue or a minty green. But if you’re like me, at some point you’re going to stop yourself short and say, “Hey, what about red?”
Well, what about it? Before you say, “Nah, that’ll never work,” stop for a minute and think about what the color red can do. About red’s psychology. Red is a color of strength. Of drama. Of confidence. Of joy and happiness. It can be positive and playful, but it’s also a regal color, a color of kings and queens.
Reds arouse feelings of energy. Of passion and even of intimacy. It’s a dramatic color that can promote interaction and conversation. People in your red family room might feel liberated and enlivened without even understanding the reason why.
Red doesn’t have just one personality. Think of the dark formal reds in extravagant dining rooms, libraries, and hallways. The kind that goes with ornate high-backed chairs and expensive antique sofas.
Then there are the pastels, tending to pink and peach and lavender, that promote a relaxed and gentle sensation. There are dusty reds and brickish reds that engender the coziness of hearth and home. And of course, there are the bright and assertive reds of fire engines and cherries that scream of life, drama, and energy. Don’t forget corals, reds with an orange tint, rusty browns and reds the color of dark peppers.
Some are easygoing, some are cheerful, some energizing and some motivating. Others are staid and formal, and still, others are impish and playful. Red can pretty much do it all.
While there’s nothing like four red walls to bring pop to a small room, you don’t have to paint your entire family room in red to realize the advantages of the color. You can use red just for the trim or for the doors. Most red shades do nicely with whites and creams, but many are just waiting for the opportunity to play with an unexpected complementary color. Grays, grayish and dusty blues, and yellows are just a few of the less obvious choices.
For me, and maybe for you as well, the family room takes on a different personality from the rest of the house. I think of it as my getaway room, where I like to go and pretend I’m somewhere else entirely, such as on vacation at the ocean or looking out over a southwestern desert. In this room, we might interject a note of playfulness that we’d be reluctant to deploy elsewhere.
For instance, you might have an accent wall, that is, just one of your four walls painted red. How about a horizontal red stripe around the room, perhaps with slightly different colors above and below. How about painting the upper half of your walls with one of the many red shades. It can be an assertive red or instead of one of the more subtle interpretations of the color.
Don’t forget the opportunity red walls give you to update your decor. It’s natural to think of colors such as white, black and gray as the ideal complements, but maybe you should be just a little more brazen. How about some red decor? It’s amazing how a glass vase or statuette of a lighter or darker red color can add luster to a red background. In a southwestern or tropical room, just about any color carries on an interesting conversation with red.
When you hold a red paintbrush in your hand you wield a powerful yet intricate tool. Let’s look at some of the red paint choices and explore the multitude of ideas for putting them to work.
Related: Red Paint Options Guest Bedroom | Red Paint Options Primary Bathroom | Red Paint Options Kids Bedroom | Red Paint Options Dining Room | Red Paint Options Primary Bedroom | Red Paint Options Living Room | Green Paint Options Family Room | Blue Paint Options Family Room | White Paint Options Family Room | Beige Paint Options Family Room | Gray Paint Options Family Room
Dinner Party
Source: Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore AF-300. This color’s name implies the dining room and brings to mind elegant dinners with high-backed chairs and nattily dressed servers. It works in the family room as well, especially one with a formal and refined feel, one that emphasizes shelves full of books and satisfying conversation. It promotes a closed and cozy feeling. If you want a room with a casual feel and where natural light is allowed to play, opt for a brighter or lighter shade.
Cherry Cola
Source: Behr
Behr S130-7. This is about as brown as a color can get and still be called red. A rich and refined tone, yet it plays surprisingly well with white, creams and beiges. Less formal than Dinner Party, and more welcome in a room with large windows. Makes a great trim color as well.
Raisin Torte
Source: Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore 2083-10. Another blackened formal red, this time made more approachable with a tinge of violet. This color exudes confidence yet allows for just the right undertone of drama. On the serious side of playful or the playful side of serious. Use this for the room that supports sophisticated adult interaction but isn’t afraid to let down its hair.
Caliente
Source: Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore AF-290. The name may mean “hot,” but this is heat with refinement. It’s a darker red but one that comes with a roomful of life and energy. Pair it with white to play to its refined side, or fill the room with sunny decor for a southwestern look.
Deep Rose
Source: Benjamin Moore
Benjamin More 2004-10. A touch lighter than Caliente, but with much of the same peppery energy. Brings warmth to an enclosed room or deepens the intensity of a well-lighted one.
Bricktone Red
Source: Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore 2005-30. Your family room may not have a fireplace, but this dusty bricklike color will fill you with warmth and coziness on a chilly day. As the weather warms, the earthy elegance continues to provide an engaging room for all seasons. It invites you to experiment with patterns and textures in your furnishing, rugs, and decor.
Million Dollar Red
Source: Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore 2003-10. A balance between the formal dark reds that highlight a gracious drawing room and the bright, sassy reds that boldly step up and speak out. Eye-catching in its own right, this shade plays stunningly well with colors from all over the palette. Full, rich, and dense: if you embrace reds, this one is as confident as you are.
Heartthrob
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams SW6866. Not quite dark enough to be formal, but maybe the right pick for a family room that invites relaxation yet doesn’t give way on propriety. If you’ve always loved reds this contains the unabashed playful candy feel you fell for a way back when. A sensational backdrop for game nights and children playing on the floor.
Positive Red
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams SW6871. Like Heartthrob, a red to fall in love with. Brilliant yet rich and not in the least snooty. Equally at home in a roomful of toys or an adult showcase of varied decor. Is it full or is it bright? No need to decide; there’s a bit of both.
Real Red
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams SW6868. This turns the brightness up just a notch from Positive Red, yet still maintains enough smoothness to create a roomful of comfort. Surprisingly effective with creams with red as either the dominant or secondary shade. Vary the ratios; use more red for more energy.
Red Pepper
Source: Behr
Behr PPU2-02. More brown and not quite as forward as the brilliant reds we’ve been looking at. The muffled red of smoked paprika and chilies. Make this the backdrop for a recipe of bright furnishings. Red Pepper asserts itself if it needs to but is more than willing to take a back seat to other dramatic colors in the room.
Audubon Russet
Source: Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore HC-51. A color where the red is subtle. As a glance, you might call this a brown, but you’d be missing an important aspect of the color. If you don’t want your family room to scream “red” but still crave the unique warmth that color brings, you may have found your answer. If you strategically place a few items of red decor you’ll almost see that wall wink at you as if it has a secret you’re just now getting to share.
Morocco Red
Source: Behr
Behr PPU2-17. This is a dusty red that speaks of the desert, not in an arid way, but in a way that emphasizes warmth. But you don’t need a southwestern room to make this color tell its story. Surround it with any kind of casual or even modern arrangement and watch it show off its adaptability.
Mars Red
Source: Behr
Behr PPU2-11. Sophisticated, but in a different way from the formal dark reds. A bit dusty and at the same time a bit lush. It judiciously doles out its redness rather than lays it out there all at once. A creamy color that’s light enough to showcase dark furniture rather than compete with it.
Pink Ginger
Source: Behr
Behr PPU2-08. Now we work our way toward reds with a bit of pastel. Pink Ginger is a light dusty color, the sort that emerges late in the season as grass browns and leaves start to turn. While it exudes coziness and warmth, that’s not all it can do. This color is soft and relaxing at any time of year.
Exotic Red
Source: Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore 2086-10. This is a red that trends to the orange end of the red spectrum yet carries black overtones that make you look twice. At a glance, it might look like the kind of forward color that only knows one way to play, but it can support rustic or a modern style a readily as a casual one.
Pimento
Source: Behr
Behr P180-6. With a fruitier touch of orange than Exotic Red, this color heats a room up yet maintains its composure. Doesn’t it feel like those glorious late days of summer? It really pops when paired with white and gray, and its cheery hue brings extra life to a modern family room.
Terra Cotta Tile
Source: Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore 2090-30. Here’s a darker version of the orange and brown’s side of red’s personality. It looks like an artisan’s color and can be the basis of a family room that features interesting hand-crafted decor. It brings warmth to space but can be made to lend rather than impose its character.
Flamingo Feather
Source: Behr
Behr M180-3. The pink side of red is the soft side, and Flamingo Feather has a little pink and a little peach but doesn’t quite belong to either. It’s a tropical color at home in a room with an exotic or a coastal theme. If you want the sort of family room where you can make believe you’re on vacation, this color is an excellent place to start.
Tropical Hibiscus
Source: Behr
Behr M130-6. Red extends its personality into so many color groups, and lavender is another one of them. Tropical Hibiscus brings a surprising touch of the unexpected to a room of traditional brown furniture, but you can also set it free and let it shine by matching it up with dusty blues. It’s relaxing yet entertaining, and it’s a color anyone would love to dream in.
Haute Pink
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams SW6570. Does “Haute” mean “high” or “hot?” Whatever language you speak, Haute Pink is a little of each. When pink gets this dark it creates a variation on red that’s so luscious you’ll feel like you could lick it off the walls. Like so many of these candy shades, it can backdrop a traditional room as well as set the tone for a playful one.
Cyclamen
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams SW6571. Another candyland color. Red meets lavender meets pink, and none of them come away unhappy. That’s because none of the three gets to take over or is required to step aside. You’ll never go wrong pairing this with whites and creams, but if you want to experiment with matching this playful color go right ahead.
Dragon Fruit
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams SW6855. At the top of the list in colors that look like they’re good enough to eat. If this doesn’t remind you of a childhood popsicle I don’t know what will. Sure, it’s a bold choice, and, sure, it’s not for everybody, but if you only live once don’t you at some point want to surround yourself with a look like this?
Oleander
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams SW6603. This choice takes us back to the pastels. It’s pinkish, pleasant and soothing but never boring. It will help you relax but won’t put you to sleep. It’s subtle enough to support an otherwise ordinary room, but maybe it’s just waiting for some gray or blue decor to come out and play with.
Angel Kiss
Source: Behr
Behr P160-1. A list of red paints wouldn’t be complete without one unabashed pink. One way to use Angel Kiss is as a soft choice for a casual family room. But it’s also a tropical color and would love to be surrounded by those striking items of colorful decor that remind you of your vacation at the seashore.
