The European design scene is known internationally as the most refined. Parisian and Milanese designers tend to favor luxe surfaces and organic shapes, while British experts are embracing texture like never before. And across the continent, in countries as far-reaching as Norway and Ukraine, there is one accent color designers are agreeing on that looks expensive and makes rooms more elegant. Spoiler alert: it's red.
Red has been making design news this past year with the rise of the color trend of the Unexpected Red Theory doing the rounds on TikTok. It holds that a flash of red, when used in a room that you might not expect it (because the palette is more neutral, or dark-toned, perhaps) can totally energize a room.
'I don't think you can just insert a red accent pillow and be done with it: that's too contrived,' says the Minneapolis-based designer Anne McDonald of Anne McDonald Design. 'What works for me in that theory is that it asks you to look at your room and decide if it gives you a current of excitement or not. And if it doesn't, it may well be that you're missing an unexpected tone, which could easily be a red.' And European designers are in total agreement.
'Red is the one color that will always elevate a space,' says the British designer Angus Buchanan of Buchanan Studio. He used it to great effect on his iconic Studio Chair and Sofa (pictured above) and its dashing red and white stripes. 'You'll love red for a long time,' he adds. 'It has never been out of fashion, and it has very long-lasting appeal.'
The French designer Manola Ballerio of the Monaco-based studio Sabrina Montecarlo agrees that red is the right color for right now. 'It looks more expensive,' she says. 'When you use it as an accent, it looks like you've added some personality.'
'Red sticks in your mind – it's a real power color,' agrees British designer Lara Bates, founder of the international studio Lara Et Al .
How designers are using red to elevate any room
The Norwegian color expert Dagny Thurmann-Moe of Koi Color Studio sees red as part of a wider palette that feels exactly right for now. She thinks that 'sunset colors' like blush, yellow, orange, terracotta, and, yes, hints of red provide the elevated warmth we all crave now.
'This palette is not particularly difficult to play around with,' she says. 'Yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks are all neighbors on the color wheel so you can’t really miss when you marry them together. Just seek out differing tones - you want the elements in a room to feel like a family rather than twins. So, for example, you’d use a slightly different yellow on the drapes than on the doorframe, and a fiery red next to, say, a softer pink.'
Ukrainian designer Nastia Mirzoyan of the Kyiv-based studio Mirzoyan Studio tends to favor decorating with neutrals on the walls, but uses red as an unexpected accent. 'Color is used strategically to create focal points and add energy to the space,' she says. 'For example, a red side table brings life to otherwise neutral rooms. We use these colors sparingly to maintain balance while adding visual interest.'
'I would steer clear of red furniture, but I love it as an accent in things like artwork, flowers or pillows,' says Manola Ballerio. 'It's so impactful as a little moment in an otherwise monochromatic scheme.' She designed this bedroom above, a haven of Alpine woods and whites, enlivened by red details.
The British color expert Joa Studholme, Color Curator for Farrow and Ball, likes to use red in smaller areas and go big on it. 'Earthy reds are very good in little spaces like powder rooms,' she says. 'And they go particularly well with browns as long as they have a red base, which I'd perhaps use on the trim.'
'With red, it's all about getting the shade of it right,' says London designer Lara Bates. 'You want that deep earthy red that makes it easier to work with and live with.'
Dagny's favored sunset colors tend to have orange notes in them, while oxblood is a big color trend at the moment, a darker version of red that has brown tones in it. You'll find that European designers are favoring those dusky notes over pops of crimson, like this library, above, which is painted in Red Earth by Farrow and Ball.
Add a touch of unexpected red to any room with this metal table lamp from H&M. Lacquered in a glossy red with a mid-century modern-shaped shade that will spread warm diffused light in a space that so often prioritizes task lights.
The mix of warm neutrals with the red in this blanket tone down the bold shade and give it more of a cozy, rustic feel.
A pop of red and a delicious fresh scent of tomato leaf. This is a lovely fragrance to have in the kitchen and a simple way to add this on-trend shade to your kitchen countertops.
And that, ultimately, is why European designers love decorating with red – it's easy to use in almost any space, an instant mood booster that is both as elegant as it welcomingly energizing.
