Wednesday, March 9, 2011

A Room Without Lipstick

The April 2011 issue of Style at Home arrived at my house last week.  Style at Home magazine is a Canadian publication and April is the 'Spring Colour' edition:  'Colour you can live with'. The colour issues of magazines are always a favorite of mine!

This month, designer and T.V. personality, Tommy Smythe (Sarah Richardson's fabulous 'design sidekick'), talks about his new sofa.  It's covered in beautiful, luxurious red silk velvet.  He calls it his statement sofa.  I have been a fan of Tommy and Sarah's work for a long time.

Tommy Smythe's red sofa: Style at Home, April 2011


One of the most interesting parts of this interview with Tommy is what he says about the colour red:


"A room without red is like a woman without lipstick.......unfinished!"


That's quite a quote!  I have been mulling over Tommy's words for a few days now, and wondering whether I agree or not.  I've talked about my love of red before.


My newly recovered red plaid kitchen chairs.

Red, and it's sister, coral, look amazing in so many different styles.


Sarah Richardson's farmhouse .

It can be bold and graphic when paired with black and white.


My master bedroom.

Or, red can be homey and relaxed in a farmhouse setting when used in quilts or paired with faded yellow and soft blues.


Sarah Richardson's farmhouse main bedroom.

I  love adding something red into my decor, but a few of my rooms don't have anything red in them; and I like that!  For example, I think if I used red in my family room - which is mostly green and white (for now)- it might look as though we celebrate Christmas all year long!

Likewise, if I threw something red into my beautiful, serene master bathroom -in shades of white, cream and blue- wouldn't the red stick out like a sore thumb?  Or maybe that's the point!

I like the idea of having a 'signature colour'.  As much as I look for justification for my frequent choice of red in my home, there are cases where I'm not sure red works.


And of course you can't forget the old saying: "You can put lipstick on a pig..."


Nice bedding...  not sure about the curtains!
(Image source unknown)




What do you think?


Is a room without red unfinished?