To paint my sitting room red?

[IamtheDuchessstill]

Just that really. I love strong colours and the room needs to be redecorated. It has a teal chimney breast which I would like to keep - or it could go to make way for the red?

Our previous house had a red dining room when we moved in. I remember going for a viewing on a November morning and the owner had fairy lights and candles; I loved how she had embraced the dark instead of trying to fake 'light and airy.' Sadly, the room also had a thin white stripe going around it, a 'go faster strip' exh called it, so we redecorated, but I have always wanted a red room ever since.

Sitting room gets morning sun, but now the playroom (South facing) is full of sun and this room just a bit dull - I want it red!

Anyone got this, or is it just too much?

You may regret it when you come to paint over it again, as red can be an absolute bastard to cover up with any type of lighter colour.

Our sitting room was painted red for years and I loved it, very cosy in the wintertime and I freshened it up for summer with cream covers on the cushions, cream throws, etc. 'english fire' by either dulux or crown was the paint we used, don't know if that's the name of it now though. We only redecorated after about eight years and that was because we got a stove out in and had to re plaster some of the walls.

Go for it!

I have deep Burgundy on the two end walls in my room with the two long walls stone. The chimney breast is black trees wallpaper. We have a charcoal carpet, a black sofa and dark wood furniture. I love the dramatic look.
If you want red, then go for it

our sitting room is painted red, I love it

My old house had deep terracotta walls, with a terracotta, yellow and blue frieze around the ceiling. Blue blind and yellow tab top curtains. I loved it. Reminded me of Mexico.

Not red, admittedly, but close enough and really made the room vibrant.
I also had a sky blue kitchen.

The next people painted it white throughout and it looked like a negative!

I painted the chimney breast in our living room Dulux Ruby Starlet. It was lovely (gone now because new sofas clashed).

If you love it, go for it. Do you mean straight bright red – scarlet or crimson or whatever – as opposed to wine, terracotta or another reddish colour? Only asking out of interest – paint it whatever colour you want!

I think it's hackneyed and a bit of a myth that dark colours make a room look smaller, TBH. And anyway, what's so wrong with a room being/looking a bit smaller? It'll feel warm and cosy.

I'd keep the teal too; I think that'd be a lovely colour clash.

My flat has floor to ceiling window's and I love red but I thought a whole wall would be too much so I have red curtains and red wall art and pictures with throws and cushions.

We have a red sitting room, although more burgundy than pillar box. We moved to the house 8 years ago and the room is the last one left to decorate ran out of steam a while ago. I thought I would hate it, but I've got used to it now. It is really cosy in the winter but it feels too dark in the summer. I don't particularly think it makes the room look small but we have a very pale dirty carpet.
We are planning to redecorate later this year, but will probably go for a boring neutral. If you are not sure, why not just do one wall or the chimney breast? I personally wouldn't pair it with teal.

We had the chimney breast wall painted in Dulux Redcurrant Glory teamed with Natural Hessian on the other 3 walls, looked fab.

we used to have a pillarbox red feature wall in the old flat with black and white furniture and wooden floors looked ace.

this house has a teal chimney breast and red everything else which i also really like. get it done!

My friend painted her living room red. She claimed she was going for a period look.

Are you Tim Vine, Grief ?

This is the dining room in my old house. Just one red wall.

It depends on the shade of red.

I have a red suite, so went for striped wallpaper on my feature wall (red, cream, brown, beige and pale green) and did the rest of the walls cream, but got cushions to match the wallpaper.

My dining room and kitchen is red and looks fantastic, but I went for a really deep red, rather than bright red. I put lining paper on the walls first, to cover any bumps and lumps and then painted over that using silk paint. No worries then when you come to change colour, as you scrape the paper off.

It didn't make the room look dark or small and was better than the drab cream that the previous owners painted the whole house in.

Definitely do it. If you don't like it, you can paint over it. I had a dark red living room for ages, teamed with big comfy sofas in red and gold throws, candles and lamps in rich colours, bold artwork etc.

Nothing worse than a bland house with all- white walls, rocks in a pile in the fireplace, a vase of twigs and a canvas of an anonymous seascape - which is what I see everywhere now.

If you hate it, you can change it. But give it a go!

When ex h left I had every room in the house painted white. I love it and am going to keep it that way.

White bedroom curtains mean I can put whatever duvet colour I like on my bed. For years I did hyacinth bucket matching duvets and curtains.

Not everyone's taste I know but it felt like I painted him out of my life.

Ours is red and I love it. 2 walls are pillar box red and others are a pale grey. It works really well both in summer and winter.

My house is various shades of cream and a few areas wallpapered. I am a bit sick of the trend for white and cream. I miss the trends for bold bohemian colours. Red can look really cosy.

If you google pics of India Knight's house she has a room that is a hot pink on all the walls and I think it looks good, so I wouldn't necessarily just paint one wall just because it's a bold colour. You can kind of break up the intensity with pictures in white frames or a mirror.

I want to paint in some bright colours now.

V stylish friend had deep red dining room. Beautiful, classic, cosy, elegant.

Depends on the red. Get BIG sheets of paper and paint them with the red you want. Blu tac them to the walls for a good idea of how the colour works in different lights and whether you want it everywhere. I like a red with lots of blue in rather than an orangey red. Anyway, isn't the whole Jocasta Innes thing due a bit of a comeback?

I have a purple living room, (very similar in colour and style to the one posted upthread) dark blue and white bathroom, and a bright red kitchen:D
My neighbour has a bright red living room, with the chimney breast done in a poppy wallpaper - it looks fantastic, and so cosy with little white fairy lights on the mantelpiece.
I'd second YawnyMcYawn and the big sheets of paper if you want to try out colours first. If you get some reasonable lining paper, you can paint sheets the size of the wall, and get a proper look at how different colours work in your room. When you find one you think you like, you can paint a couple more sheets and blu-tack them to the wall to try it out for a few days if you're still nervous about it - or just take the plunge!
Remember, it's only paint, if you hate it, you can always paint over it!

Couple of tips though: repaint the whole room white before you start. You'll need to paint the chimney breast white so the teal doesn't discolour the red, and if the paint on the rest of the room is a few years old (or magnolia) it'll have discoloured very slightly, which can affect the end result. You may want to experiment with different paint finishes, but a matt acrylic emulsion will cover the teal the best, and give the best base - use decent emulsion, not economy, or you'll be on forever!

what colour is existing carpet and furniture that isn't being replaced or will you be changing the whole room? with bold colours you need to stylise more imo what age is your house? Are you going for a modern look or is it a vintage or cottage style house?

We had a beautiful red lounge a few houses ago. Lots of white wood, cream sofa, cream curtains, dark wood floors and a multicolored rug. It's one of my favorite room we have ever done. We haven't had the right space again for a red room, or haven't been in the right place for one. I live in rented at the moment with white walls everywhere and will absolutely be adding colour when we move next time!!