Dh says it makes him feel like he lives with a serial killer!

I work for an organisation strongly associated with the colour red and our kitchens at work have bright red worktops walls and splash backs. I’ll be honest, it’s A LOT. And that’s not in my home.

What brand/colour is the tester @Pippyls67?

I love red walls and think it’d look great as a feature wall with beams and stone.

But if the room’s already quite dark and low-ceilinged, a deep red would make it seem even darker and you might need the lights on more. Maybe better for a snug than a kitchen.

In a previous home, our living room was painted deep red on every wall (below the picture rail) and it looked great with the original wood floor and fireplace. But that was a Victorian house with high ceilings, a big bay window and slightly upper ground level, so there was tons of light.

I also love Natural Hessian but I prefer neutral walls and adding colour with textiles, pictures and accessories. You could add some red to your kitchen with items like red enamel coffee/tea pots, or colanders, things like that. It can look very cheerful in splashes but entire walls can be very overwhelming and oppressive. I do think you both need to agree on the colour or range of colours, I'd be very unhappy if I got home and found DH had painted a wall a bright/deep colour without any discussion.

I am all for painting rooms dark colours but don't think red is practical nor gives the right feeling for a kitchen nor for the style of house you are describing. my living room is covered floor to ceiling in a dark navy velvet wallpaper it's dark but makes it feel cosy and inviting. my loo downstairs is all black door skirting etc with a black print wallpaper. my bathroom upstairs is tiled copper and black. all dark but work. my own kitchen has floor to ceiling pitch black cabinets but walls are painted a gray to make it stand out. it's an easy kitchen to keep clean gets lots of light aswell. heritage colors are fab they don't have to be neutral but need to compliment the house. more importantly both of you live there and must like it. I wouldn't decorate anything my husband wouldn't like

Compromise with mustard - a dark yellow/orange.

@EvelynBeatrice I love Natural Hessian it’s so versatile. Had a little cottage with all rooms painted with it. My suggestion for OP is Farrow and Ball Cord it’s a darkish sort of ochre great in dark rooms. We have just painted a North facing ground floor room that doesn’t get much light into it. I have used it a few times never disappointed with it.

One positive is that if you do end up having to kill him, it probably won’t show much.

F&B Inchyra blue might work too.

I think dark burgundy reds on joinery look really chic. But it has to suit the room.

I don’t think I would do a red feature wall. But if it’s only a feature you could try it and paint it back without too much drama.

Oh my friend did a colour similar to that in her living room, when she put a light on from outside it looked like a brothel 🤣

I would go with a pale duck egg blue or green for a dark house.

I remember walking into my friends house when she was painting her one room red and saying "anyone seen your ex husband lately?" Genuinely looked like we needed to build a new patio (she changed it)

I have a real hatred of red kitchens, they provoke a strong visceral reaction in me. Excessive amounts of red used anywhere in a house I find quite problematic to be honest, even when it's a deep earthy red in a cosy dining room or library of something, it's not a colour I could live with for long.

Bright red actually makes me feel agitated and irritable when it's used in a domestic setting. I hate it.

I don't think the fact he isn't bothered to suggest an alternative colour means he isn't allowed to veto red.

Saying "if you can't come up with an alternative, you don't get to shoot down my idea" is for complicated things that involve a lot of planning or organising. He likely would just be content with any colour other than red (or some other obviously contentious colours like black or neons) so just pick something else you like.

I would go against the grain and suggest you go dark. Sometimes the best way to deal with a dark room is to embrace the darkness, not to fight it. Personally I would not go for bright red, but something like deep burgundy would be nice if you are keen on the red family of colours. Or you can go even bolder and darker as in the photos! Happy painting!

My fellow retired friends have given their 1910s, high ceilinged square lounge a bright red feature wall and it looks amazing.
He and she did agree on it beforehand though.

This is the kind of yellow or orange I mean

Maybe a yellow or duck egg.

I always have a feature wall in every room and especially in my kitchen

We've had bright orange, a plum purple and now turquoise.

I use the Visualizer app by Dulux.

You take a photo of your room and it allows you to change the colour. It tells you which colours contrast or compliment too so I do other walls different.

He gets a whole room as his study and decorates it however he likes... So you're allowed to paint a wall any colour you want.

That's maths that is. He gets 4 walls, you get at least 1.

I painted a room red once, loved for it for a couple of weeks then hated it and had to live with it. I look back on photos and think wtf was I thinking. I’ll never have red in my house again!

You find serial killer red jolly? Are you Satan Klaus?!
I love 'wine red' for a feature red. Not sure if you mean something brighter.

Have you ever spent any prolonged period of time in a red room? (I know this is a bit Jane Eyre) but I have because I knew someone who painted a room red and it was a large room with a lot of light.
It might look jolly if you see it or are passing through but I can tell you if you are spending any prolonged amount of time in a red room it becomes oppressive. It's not nice honestly. It becomes agitating. It's not restful. Even if you like it at first, it really does start to crowd in a feel opressive.

You can do some sort of yellow or even orange. I agree red isn’t a good colour. A friend had a red painted bathroom and was so creepy.

Red is an absolute bitch to paint over, so she's best being sure she 100% wants it!