The truth about that Unexpected Red Theory

Other colours are available...

By now, everyone has commented on the idea that adding a drop of red to any room will improve it, even in places that it wouldn’t seem to make sense. There have been countless shopping posts on what to buy, where to buy it and how to incorporate it. Every magazine, Instagrammer, and a fair few Substackers have unpacked this idea and examined it from every angle.

And now it’s my turn to weigh in. Because the truth is that it doesn’t have to be red. Other colours are available. I first wrote about this on my blog five years ago (which is about 50 social media years) in relation to the image below: “The unexpected addition of the blue table and chair in the corner is wonderful and I think that should be a rule in all rooms: work out the scheme – the tonal colours and the overall feel – and then add something totally unexpected in another colour or style to disrupt it all.”