My sister teases me endlessly about my love of “color”. Colors like, white, black, grey or tan. (Which are TOTALLY colors – don’t get me started.) While I might not dress or decorate with a rainbow of colors, deep down, my favorite color is Red.

This could be genetic. My Momma is from Nebraska.

GO BIG RED!!! GBR!!! (Sidenote: I really love that the ‘new’ Herbie Husker has a bit of a gut and wears Dad jeans – can relate. He’s basically a lovingly wrought caricature of my Grandpa Butch. Also, I have a professional studio portrait of me age 3 wearing exactly what Lil’ Red is rocking, but funnily enough, I couldn’t find it for this post…)

Anyway, genetics aside, I love red because it’s just so damn beautiful. It’s powerful, it’s elemental. It can shine or compliment. The right red can make every skin tone glow. It can be angry or joyful. It’s truly versatile.

So I wanted to round up some of my favorite inspirations and ideas for color, interiors, and weddings that use the bold color Red.

Red Paint Color Inspiration

Red is SUCH a classic. It’s traditional for barns, and dining rooms, and in the south and east, for front doors. But I also love it in little surprising hits of color, like roofs, cabinets, and large pieces of furniture. Or you know, your entire house.

01 – TOP LEFT: SOUTHERN LIVING MAG
02 – TOP RIGHT: HORCHOW
03 – CENTER LEFT: PAPPAS MIRON
04 – CENTER RIGHT: LIFE IN A LITTLE RED FARMHOUSE
05 – BOTTOM LEFT: FOLEY & COX
06 – BOTTOM RIGHT: CLAUDIO SCHWARZ

Here are some of my favorite red paint colors. The color names are pretty indicative of the emotion you’re gonna get from each one – each one tells a story. Good job, color marketers…

01 – TOP LEFT: BACKDROP – LIPSTICK ON THE MIRROR
02 – TOP RIGHT: FARROW & BALL – INCARNADINE
03 – CENTER LEFT: BENJAMIN MOORE – MILLION DOLLAR RED
04 – CENTER RIGHT: BEHR AT HOME DEPOT – 100 MPH
05 – BOTTOM LEFT: SHERWIN-WILLIAMS – POINSETTIA
06 – BOTTOM RIGHT: SHERWIN-WILLIAMS – STOP

Red Interior Decor Inspiration

To my sister I say, before I had a house filled with soft neutrals, I owned a red couch. And it was awesome. So to everything, there is a season.

01 – TOP LEFT: DOMINO (THIS WHOLE HOUSE IS SO GREAT)
02 – TOP RIGHT: RED PAPAYA BLOG
03 – CENTER LEFT: HOMES & GARDENS 2013, PHOTO BY EMMA LEWIS
04 – CENTER RIGHT: ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, DESIGN BY RP MILLER FOR TOM KUNDIG
05 – BOTTOM LEFT: SANTA MARGARITA RANCH – SMR LODGE
06 – BOTTOM RIGHT: URRUTIA DESIGN USING SCALAMANDRE ZEBRA WALLPAPER (SEE BELOW FOR SOURCE)

Here are some ways to add a pop of red to your home. Add just a little bit (red dining chairs) or go all the way (wallpaper, baby!).

01 – TOP LEFT: GRADY DINING CHAIR – ALLMODERN
02 – TOP RIGHT: SALAMIS RUG BY SAFAVIEH – TARGET
03 – CENTER LEFT: CARLISLE SLIPCOVERS IN TWILL, SIERRA RED – POTTERY BARN
04 – CENTER RIGHT: SHEETS, DUVET COVER, QUILT SET – ALL BY LANDS END
05 – BOTTOM LEFT: WATER BLANKET BY PENDELTON, BENEFITTING THE AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND
06 – BOTTOM RIGHT: PEEL AND STICK WALLPAPER IN CORAL ZEBRA BY SCALAMANDRE AT THE INSIDE

Red Christmas Wedding Ideas

Little else about the Christian holiday of Christmas is better than settling into a marathon of Hallmark Christmas movies – many of which involve weddings! It’s really quite romantic, and would make a really memorable event to be sure!

01 – TOP LEFT: PLACE CARDS BY SAM ALLEN
02 – TOP RIGHT: EVA POLESCHINSKI DRESS PHOTOGRAPHED BY MIRIAM & MANUEL PHOTOGRAPHY VIA WEDDING CHICKS
03 – CENTER LEFT: INVITATION SUITE BY LIONHEART PRINTS WITH PHOTOGRAPHY BY HANNA HUDSON PHOTOGRAPHY VIA MARTHA STEWART WEDDINGS
04 – CENTER RIGHT: PHOTO BY JOPHOTO
05 – BOTTOM LEFT: CAKE BY ONCE UPON A CAKE CO. FOR CALLIE HOBBS PHOTOGRAPHY INSPIRATION SHOOT
06 – BOTTOM RIGHT: RED BATTEAU NECK GOWNS BY DAINTY BRIDALS

If a bride showed me the set of images above as her inspiration, these are the products I’d lead her to:

01 – TOP LEFT: RED NAPKIN WITH GOLD CALLIGRAPHY PLACE CARD
02 – TOP RIGHT: RED LACE GOWN AND PEARL GREY SUIT WITH RED TIE
03 – CENTER LEFT: CUSTOMIZED INVITATION AND RSVP CARD WITH KRAFT ENVELOPES, PLAID ENVELOPE LINERS, AND HOLIDAY STAMPS
04 – CENTER RIGHT: REDWOOD AND CYPRESS GARLAND, RED ROSES AND RED BERRIES
05 – BOTTOM LEFT: LEFT, CENTER, AND RIGHT RED GOWNS, ALL FROM RENT THE RUNWAY
06 – RUSTIC CAKE STAND AND FAUX BERRY AND PINECONE DECORATIVE FLORAL PICKS

On that very festive note, Happy Holidays! May you have whatever color you find most inspiring in your life, and may you celebrate your own holiday with those you hold dear!