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

[Pippyls67]

I want to paint my kitchen red. Tried a tester pot and Dh says it looks like I’ve committed mass murder and not cleaned up after me. I think it’s jolly. Very old house, quite dark though with low ceilings and exposed beams, stone walls etc. Maybe it could he construed as ‘spooky’. Depends on your take on it I guess. I really want a deep rich colour feature wall. What colour would you go? Should I stick to my guns (excuse the pun) and stay with the red? Edited to say yes to first couple of replies- you’re right, I must consider him too. He’s not prepared to suggest a colour tho as he got free reign on his own study. Just comments unhelpfully. He’s very old tho so he says he’s fully entitled to be curmudgeonly from time to time. So up to me. Maybe on reflection this is why I want a jolly colour. Or Oh my God, stream of consciousness thinking now, am I trying to bait him for mild entertainment???? No - I’m old too - but I’m not that cantankerous. Ahh the fun of being a pair of retirees.

For us, it wasn't a matter of fear of colour. We used lots of bright, bold paint when we first moved in to our home, including dark red, yellow-orange, and medium-dark blue. It was fine while we liked it, but eventually you get tired of so much of the same colour (or at least we did). And it's all well and good to say it's only paint, but the fact is that painting is a pain, so once it's on the walls, we tend to leave it that way for a long while. Maybe I'm just lazy, or maybe there are better ways to spend my time and money.

I'm much happier now with our neutral walls and don't think I'll ever be tempted to go bold again. I love colour, but I prefer to use it in places where it's less of a headache to replace. An accent wall might be less fuss to change, admittedly, but still more than I can be bothered with!

Besides, preferring lighter, neutral walls doesn't mean one is afraid of dark or bright colour. It's often simply a difference in taste.

I don't think neutral walls suggest afraid of colour if there is plenty of colour everywhere else. Personally I don't like dark colours on walls because it can look heavy & depressing unless the room is absolutely huge but that's just a choice. Thankfully neither does DH.

I can think of nothing worse than a dark kitchen in an old property with beamed ceilings and stone walls.

Why not choose something lighter?

@comff Ohh, that first picture reminds me of a housing co-op flatshare where someone had painted the double-height breeze block living area with different primary colours on each wall. In gloss paint. It was like living inside lego bricks!

(I transferred to the flat across the hall as soon as I could :)

I agree. I LOVE colour. It just looks shite in my house unfortunately.

I’m all for the red kitchen with the stone etc @Pippyls67 dark rooms are myntb8ng though. I have just ordered this from frenchic to turn my dark blue lounge deep red.

https://frenchicpaint.co.uk/products/riad-red-wall-paint?variant=39780693213271&om=5904&utm_source=awin&utm_medium=affiiliateID&utm_campaign=Affiliates&sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=176013&awc=20977_1736355734_2ca0601e0c517951bdc34a787a83dd36

I have dark green almost black in my office. Dark blue in hallway and stairs…

I think a rich but muted red could be fantastic in a characterful kitchen. Red was traditionally a dining-room colour, but since so many of us now have meals in the kitchen, why not?

How about something like Graham & Brown “Barolo”
www.grahambrown.com/uk/product/barolo-paint/119926-master/finish=interior+eggshell&cansize=1+litre/

…or Graham & Brown “Roger Red”?
https://www.grahambrown.com/uk/product/roger-red-paint/112607-master/finish=interior+eggshell&cansize=1+litre/

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

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.

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

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!

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 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.

Maybe a yellow or duck egg.

This is the kind of yellow or orange I mean

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.

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!

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

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 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.

F&B Inchyra blue might work too.