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.

Old heritage colours were often dark and or very bright. How about yellow? Of giving him a forced choice - these are the 3 I like, pick the one you like/hate the least.

I associate red paint with old hospital corridors .

I'm not massively into decor but I'd not be happy if my husband wanted to paint our kitchen red.

It's his home as much as it is yours and if you can't agree on a colour for a communal space then neither of you can have it.

Agree. Red is probably the most veto-able colour - you can't force it on someone who lives there!

@Pippyls67 - that's my red wall!

Why does he need to clean up after you?

I'm fairly sure it's Eating Room Red - but it may be Preference Red - both F&B

Ha, maybe you should have reminded him coffee comes in more than one shade 😆

is there anywhere for red highlights - a cupboard/dresser/blinds etc? A deep red can look amazing in small amounts, contrasting with lots of other colours. I love this ochre colour - bold but warm and looks good in homes of all ages and styles.

A dark colour in a dark room isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it needs to be the ‘right’ colour. If you go for white in a small dark room, you can end up with walls that look grey in some lights.

Red is known to stimulate the appetite so great for a kitchen. If you love it and are the one that spends most time in there, go for it.
Maybe bing some fairy lights on your beams to give it a boost on dark days and it'll be lovely.

I have a red sitting room. People were horrified when I told them what I was thinking but they love it and 7 years later now I'm thinking of a change are all trying to discourage me from redecorating!

Paint it red! I have a red kitchen with black tiles and I love it (I’d have never chosen it myself - the house came with it and it’s great)

I think a large, airy, high-ceiling room is needed to take a bold red.
It would suck the energy out of me in a small busy room.

Commit the murder therefore his opinion no longer matters and paint the walls to hide the evidence 🤔 then go colour match a wine to match the walls

No, you need to embrace the dark and have rich colours. Pale colours in a dark house look bleak. I know this from bitter experience.

"Deep" cream 🤔?

That's an oxymoron, surely.

My old house was a Victorian three storey and I had a red living room and it was lovely. One red feature wall with a red wallpaper with white flowers through it to break it up and rich red curtains. I loved it.

Team dh here!!

Team DH

Ooooh very nice. It looks rather splendid. Thank you.

@Pippyls67 - that's a lovely comment! Thank you - I'm glad you like it.

It is a tricky colour to paint with, needs a lot of coats, but I am really pleased with the colour. A whole room in it might be a bit much, I've done the one wall and round the corner to include the alcove to the chimney breast (I like to finish on an outer edge if possible for colour changes, rather than at the inside corner where you see the line).

It’s Dulux Pepper Red Edith. I thought Peppers = food = kitchens. Not necessarily tho I guess. It’s just a name after all.

I like yellow kitchens myself. Certainly not red.

Can't you do a feature wall in red and the rest in a lighter complementary tone (or even cream)? Just red might seem very oppressive. You could then throw in some red accents too, with utensils or kitchen gadgets. I'd also test a bit of wall first. We've recently had our kitchen done - marble counter tops and up part of the walls, light pistachio units, the floor is dark-ish grey stone laminate. I thought I wanted a pop of colour on the back wall. I tried a load; yellows, oranges; a softer yellow; an olive green. Nothing looked right though. In the end we went for a mid-tone grey (which I thought would be too cold) but it pulled everything together brilliantly. So what I thought I wanted just wasn't right and didn't work. As it's only paint, and can be covered over, I'd get sample pots and whack quite a sizeable amount on the wall to see how you feel with the reality of so much red.

If you get the right shade of red and accessorize with similar colour,soft lighting etc it would give a nice and cozy feeling.
Also olive green would have the same effect.I suppose it's down to preference really.