Color Obsession: Why Red Rocks

Photo from CB2

I think it was the uber-stylish Margaret Russell, editor of Elle Décor, who once said that every room looks better with some red in it.

And she's right. Red adds drama, glamor, sexiness, and sophistication to any space. This bold, hot hue is especially welcome during the winter months, when the world outside our doors is cold, bleak, and color-drained. Plus, as you can see from the photos above and below, red is equally at home in a modern or traditional setting.

Photo from House Beautiful

From cerise to garnet to vermilion, the color pairs exceptionally well with a variety of other hues -- from basic black and white to warm camels and taupes to cool silvers and grays to neutral sages and sky blues to poppy yellows and aquas to rich, royal blues and greens. Because red is such a stimulating and potentially overpowering shade, though, remember that a little bit goes a long way.

A look at current accessories, textiles, and furnishing that will help you bring a touch of red's signature verve your own abode:

Diamond Pillow, $99 from Room+Board; Jonathan Adler Apple Pillow, $95; Thomas Paul Dervish Pillow, $96 from Velocity; Raspberry Mu and Zig Zag Pillows, from Madeline Weinrib; Leather Pouf, $75 at Authentic Morocco; Judy Ross Spray Pillow, $190, and Japanese Floral Pillow, $90, from Weego Home

Tube Top Table Lamp, $99 at Room+Board; Murano Glass Chandelier, $2,900 at Design Within Reach; Stout Pot Table Lamp, $177 at Bellacor; Kulla Lamp, $50 at IKEA

Katrin Fabric, $6 a yard at IKEA; Acorn Filigree Fabric, $14 a yard from Lewis & Sharon Textiles; Marimekko Lumimarja Fabric, $38 a yard at Kiitos

notNeutral Letters Napkin Set, $28 at Design Public; Vine Ripe Tablecloth, $30 to $50; Hemp Tea Towel, $24 at French General

Red Mohair Throw, $98 from Graham & Green; Reversible Bamboo/Cotton Throw, $39 from West Elm; Red Squared Blanket, $325 from Sweetfeltgoods

Hable Construction Ruby Mum Stretched Canvas, $45; Round Scalloped Tray, $32 at Decorative Things; Floral Square Salad Plates, $26 for four, and Lacquer Nesting Boxes, $20 for three, from West Elm; IKEA Stockholm Vase, $35

Party Girl Wallpaper, $150 per roll at Flavor Paper; Flower Field Wall Stickers, $60 from Ferm Living; Orla Kiely Stem Wallpaper, $88 a roll at Anthropologie; Florence Broadhurst Circles & Squares Wallpaper and Moulin Rouge Wallpaper, each $448 a roll at Woodson & Rummerfield

Mandala Rug, from Madeline Weinrib; Diamond Indoor/Outdoor Rug, $34 to $495 from Dash & Albert; Angela Adams Kenga Rug, $70 to $1,550 at Design Public; Hedda Rug, $249 at IKEA; Coqo Floral Rug, $78 to $898 at Anthropologie

Hippie Dining Chair, $119 from CB2; Emile Chair, $198 at Anthropologie; Philippe Starck Victoria Ghost Chair, $279 at Unica Home; Truss Cafe Chair, $279 at Design Public; Midcentury Sofa, $480 from Urban Outfitters

Ukiyo Table, $598 at Anthropologie; Chunky Console Table and Curved Leg Coffee Table, both $299 at West Elm; Offi Magazine Table, $149 at 2Modern

Philippe Starck La Boheme 3 Stool, $182 at Hive Modern; Spool Stool, $270 from House Eclectic; Fiberglass Coffee Table, $200 from White on White

Kartell Componibili Modular Units, $105 to $145 at Hive Modern; Linnarp Bookcase, $349 at IKEA; Olauf Cabinet, $698 at Anthropologie

Floral Bed Cover, $450 at French General; Suzani Quilt, $120 from Urban Outfitters; Gova Curtain, $50, and Chinoiserie Bed, $1,898 to $1,998, both from Anthropologie

P.S. Red not revving your engine? Check out my posts on Yellow, Black, Lime, and Turquoise.

Color Obsession: For the Love of Lime

Lately, I just can't get enough of the lighter, poppier shades of green. From lime to citron to chartreuse to olivine to pistachio to pear to apple green to wasabi, I am absolutely eating them up.

The good news is that, despite the inherent boldness of the hue, bright green is actually quite versatile: It's fresh and youthful when paired with yellow, pink, blue, or white, but takes on a more sophisticated, autumnal mood mixed with browns, reds, and deep oranges.

Apparently, I'm not the only one lusting after lime -- the shade seems to be popping up everywhere these days. A look at some lime loveliness:

Jungle Vase, $30, and Buddha Head, $15, from CB2; Victoria Hagan Vase, $30, at Target; Lacquer Vase, $62, from Lotus Bleu; Jonathan Adler Lantern Pot, $44

Mayfair Lamp, $374, Citrine Pendant, $490, and Flamingo Lamp, $490, by Shine; Twiggy Lamp from Moth Design; LUM Basketweave Lamp, $1,000

Anthropologie Botah and Granny Smith lampshades, both $58

Cerci Dinnerware, $5 each, at Pier 1; Hibis Plates, $13 each, at EQ3; IKEA City Dinnerware, $2; Haiku Platter, $10, and Verde Platter, $13, both from CB2

Double Happiness Teapot, $24, at Anthropologie; Stelton Vacuum Jug, $80, at Abitare; Tray, $22, from Decorative Things; Fruit Bowl, $20, at Mxyplyzyk

Unison Larch Pillow, $52, at Design Public; Lemon Green Embroidered Floor Cushion by En Gry & Sif; Hable Construction Viridian Palm Pillow, $140; Jonathan Adler Bargello Scallop Pillow, $110; CB2 Sparrow Pillow, $25; Jonathan Adler Big Sur Lime Pillow, $98

Amy Butler Lime Tree Peony Fabric, $10 per yard, from Purl Soho; Marimekko Paaryna Fabric, $36 per panel; Roundabout Fabric, $12 per yard, and Swirl Fabric, $11 per yard, both from Lewis & Sharon Textile Co.; IKEA Katrin Fabric, $6 per yard; Everett Fabric, $25 per yard, from Lewis & Sharon

IKEA Kaktus Quilt Cover, $15 to $30; Tussuto Throw, $40, at CB2; Leaf Line Curtain, $108 to $148, from Anthropologie

Romo Kimura Lime Wallpaper, available at Walnut Wallpaper; Florence Broadhurst Tropical Paradise Wallpaper, $398 per roll, Phanthom Lime Wallpaper, 109 per roll, and Boheme Green Geometric Wallpaper, $119 per roll, all available at Wandrlust; Ribbon Candy Wallpaper, $150 to 250 per roll, from Flavor Paper

Madeline Weinrib Mandala Tibetan Rug; Not Neutral Seasons Rug, $240 to $480; Judy Ross Green & Cream Clover Runner, $875, at 2Modern

Lucy Totem Stool, $275, from ModernDose; Lime Cube, $200, from Mxyplyzyk; IKEA Fritiof Stool, $6

Lotus Bleu Slipper Chair, $1,450; Urban Outfitters High Roller Chair, $200; Eames Rocker, $399, at Room + Board; Philippe Starck Mademoiselle Chair, $784, at HiveModern; Jonathan Adler Chippendale Chair, $495; Highback Armchair, $3,700 for a pair, at Pieces; Libel Lounge Chair, $1,416, at HiveModern

Pix Table, $100, at Design Within Reach; Parsons Console Table, $425, from ModernDose; Doca Autunno Flatpack Coffee Table, $65, at A+R Store; Ligne Roset Lunatique Table

Green and White Chest of Drawers, $3,995 for two, at Pieces; Shine Cary Buffet, $1,990, at Cottage & Bungalow

(Photo at top by Paul Costello for Domino magazine.)

Color Obsession: Painted Houses Update

My painted houses post has been getting great response, and several readers emailed links as well as their own shots of colorful streets. So I've updated the post with new pix from Nova Scotia, Mexico, another London shot, and one from South Africa.

If you have a minute, pay the painted houses post another visit here.

Thanks so much, everyone!

(Photo above, of Washington, D.C., by New York Muhtari -- thanks, NYM!)

Color Obsession: Painted Houses

Thanks to Meghan in Charleston, South Carolina, I totally stand corrected on the issue of colorful houses on these shores (see the post below). Turns out that we Americans are, too, bold with color when it comes to the exteriors of our homes.

A link that Meghan posted to a pic of the painted houses on Charleston's Rainbow Row (above, taken by flickr member william.ward) led to a flickr search for other colorful rowhouse streets. Before I knew what had hit me, hours had passed and I was completely down the rabbit hole. (Living in the Bay Area, my first thought, of course, was of the "Painted Ladies" along Alamo Square in San Francisco -- but that image is so cliched that I won't bore you with it here.)

Some color inspiration from around the U.S., and the world:

Haight Street, San Francisco (by Agent of Darkness)

Daly City, California's "little boxes of ticky tacky" (by Thomas Hawk)

Washington, D.C. (by Ronnie R)

Baltimore, Maryland (by Zombie37)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (by Komal Soin)

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico (by MairimG)

Guanajuato, Mexico (by Wyoming Quinn -- thanks Wyoming!)

La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina (by Caleb Bennett)

Valparaiso, Chile (by d.composed)

Halifax, Nova Scotia (by Holsz, via bird and beef -- thanks, bird and beef!)

St. John's, Newfoundland -- which, by the way, is my husband's ancestral home: All hail Newfoundland! (by Rexton)

Reykjavik, Iceland (by clatiek)

Cobh, Ireland (by erinpolgreen24)

An unnamed Irish village (by Desert Vu)

Llandeilo, Wales (by The Welsh Knight)

Portobello Road, London (by Interrobang)

Notting Hill, London (by me)

Nyhavn, Copenhagen (by courriel_vert)

Burano, Italy (by Roberto Herrett)

Tenerife, Canary Islands (by supersl84)

South Africa (from the book Shack Chic: Art and Innovation in South African Shack-lands, by Craig Fraser -- thanks for the tip, Nancy!)

Is there a street of exuberantly colorful houses in your neck of the woods? If so, and if you can track down an image of it online, please post the link in the comments box. Thanks!