This season we’re going for a wonderfully rich, festive colour. Rouge Carmin is the sort of colour that has big power, the sort of colour that it’s impossible to shy away from, the sort of colour that just screams sultry winter evenings by the fire.
Rouge Carmin (deep deep Red)
I love the deep, textured red of Rouge Carmin because it instantly switches my mood to nostalgia, especially when in that classic, pure dark red, velvet-cinema-curtains tone. Yes, it’s true: the evocation of gold gilt mirrors, thick, detailed tapestries, and sumptuous, palatial libraries come naturally to Rouge Carmin.
Having said that, I don’t think this colour is limited to history. I like to consider all colours in relation to mood and tie in their selection to the intended feel of a space dependent on its use, availability of natural light, and the character of those that inhabit it. If you’re a bit unsure about the place of a colour with such intensity in your home, consider using it selectively in spaces that want to deliver a cosy, warm, and comfortable feel. I love it in tv rooms, studies, libraries, and other quiet-ish spaces that host visitors at set times of the day for a normally limited amount of time. If you’d like to explore a slightly less all encompassing version of Rouge Carmin look to reds with either a pink or orange undertone, which will lift it from decidedly sumptuous to deliberately delicious (okay perhaps a little too much word play going on here..!).
Also consider using this sultry colour in soft furnishings and haberdashery where a full slathering of the walls might mean too much darkness or too cosy an atmosphere (perhaps for those spaces demanding high activity or focus!).
The lovely deep bright red of Ireland’s Birr Castle’s library.
Try Resene Rocket for a similarly clear, pure deep red.
With slightly warmer, orange undertones, this red is fresher and faster than those with a pure red base. Ralph Lauren – Hunting Coat Red
Ralph Lauren Hunting Coat Red
Decorator John Yunis, Architect Pietro Cicognani
That velvet-cinema-curtain-red. Room by Kerry Joyce
Try Resene Red Berry for a sumptuous old world interior.
Ralph Lauren – National Red
Red with a very slight pink undertone for a slightly more delicate edge. Design by Lorenzo Castillo, Sanderson wallpaper.
For a similar colour to the above try Sherwin Williams : Pomegranate (paint color SW 2903)
Or, for a lighter red touch, go for crimson velvet upholstery on statement pieces. Image via Veranda.
At the restaurant Les Enfants Terribles a softer, even pinker red provides a playful mood.
A proper, saturated pink based Rouge Carmin shown here in Farrow & Ball Red. Design by Rain Phillips
For a similar colour try Resene Geronimo.
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