Is there such a thing as "too much red"

By Plantlust

I'm tackling the diningroom in my 1926 home. I've found the perfect blood red for one wall(Poppy from Benjamin Moore), the other 3 walls will be a buttercream yellow (Antiquity. Ace, I believe). This wall extends up the stairs into the addition and is the major wall in the hallway upstairs. I've been told that the wall would be "too much red" upstairs. The wall faces south, which has a bank of 4 decent sized windows in the dormer. Before I make a major mistake, I'd like some words of wisdom please. Edited to add: 2nd attempt at dragging also didn't work. When I try, only techy language is transferred. Hmmm, maybe I should try IE?

Did you like this article?

November 27, 2006

6 comments | 304 views |

Plantlust's blog (1 post)

Subscribe to this blog
Member since: 11/27/06
About: Acreage deprived SW of Chicago. Currently working on a 1926 French Cape Cod (for lack...

Comments

» All comments

jasimar

December 05, 2006

One piece of absolutely vital advice... Tinted Primer. Seriously. Red can take up to 5 coats of blood sweat and tears and still turn out like utter poo. The primer helps keep away streakiness and maintains the integrity of the color. A must for the effort.

Otherwise, go for it. I don't think there's such a thing as too much red.

vincechan

December 05, 2006

What color is the original wall? The only reason I ask is because painting a wall red from, say, white is a complete pain in the ass.

If it's only 1 wall, it shouldn't be too bad, but don't be surprised if you find yourself needing to apply multiple coats.

As far as whether or not the color is too much, that's something that I am ill-suited to help you with.

Plantlust

November 28, 2006

Benmoore I'm using Netscape. I managed to upload the photos. All 4 are nicely in my profile somehow but I couldn't drag them over to the post. I will try again.

bruno

November 28, 2006

LINK: Ask The Decorator's Choosing to Balance

AsktheDecorator

November 28, 2006

No there is not such a thing as too much red. The key to using any color is balance. If the only place you incorporate red in the dining room, stairway and hall is on the wall, then the red might be a bit overwhelming. But if you use red as accents in the dining room such as flowers, drapes, table cloths, etc. then the red will seem like it flows through the room instead of standing out akwardly. On the red wall be sure to include acents of the buttercream. One beatuful way to do that is to paint a decorative design on the red wall with the buttercream yellow paint. It will not only make the wall look very interesting, but also tie the four walls together. You coudl also use artwork and other things to tie the wall together. To see a much more detailed response about balancing color you can visit my blog and read my post called # Choosing to Balance. http://askthedecorator.com/2006/11/15/3-choosing-to-balance/