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    Eight offbeat red-and-green home interiors that prove opposites attract

    Interior designers are finding interesting ways to pair red and green – a combination more typically associated with Christmas – to create quirky colour-block interiors. This lookbook brings together recent examples of how it can be done.

    Set on opposite sides of the colour wheel, red and green are inherently compatible, each helping to offset the other.
    Combining two such bright colours in a residential interior can sound daunting, even without their festive affiliation. But a slew of recent projects show that they can have a place in modern interiors.
    Below, we’ve collated eight home interiors that prove this colour combination isn’t just for Santa, combining subdued green tones with warmer hues ranging from pink to crimson.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring clerestory windows, exposed ceiling beams and kitchen skylights.

    Photo by Yannis DrakoulidisTrikoupi Apartment, Greece, by Point Supreme Architects
    Colourful built-in furniture pieces define different areas inside this Athens apartment in the wake of a renovation by local studio Point Supreme Architects, which saw many of the home’s partition walls removed to make the interior feel more sunny and spacious.
    Among them is a stained plywood storage wall that runs along one side of the apartment, providing a dramatic contrast with the oxblood-coloured kitchen cabinets and the glossy Ferrari-red island.
    Find out more about Trikoupi Apartment ›
    Photo by José HeviaCasa Milc, Spain, by Lucas y Hernandez Gil
    Spanish studio Lucas y Hernandez Gil aimed to bring personality back to this 19th-century Madrid apartment, which had been renovated one too many times, with the addition of playful shapes and “warm and friendly” colours.
    Painted a pale sage green from floor to ceiling, the kitchen features a crimson dining table from the studio’s own furniture brand Kresta Design that was brought in to mirror the gently curved walls.
    “The kitchen is designed as a play of opposites between materials and shapes,” co-founder Cristina Domínguez Lucas told Dezeen.
    Find out more about Casa Milc ›
    Photo by Joe FletcherRedwood House, USA, by Studio Terpeluk
    Unexpected colour combinations help balance out the timber-heavy interiors of this Albert Lanier-designed house in San Francisco’s Noe Valley, renovated by local firm Studio Terpeluk.
    A baby pink kitchen and minty green storage unit shine against the Douglas fir flooring and red cedar walls, alongside classic furniture pieces including a red-lacquered version of Carl Hansen’s Wishbone Chair.
    “Color was a recurring theme in the exquisite and eclectic art collection of the owners,” studio founder Brett Terpeluk said. “This went perfectly hand in hand with my interest in mid-century Italian design and its bold use of color.”
    Find out more about Redwood House ›
    Photo by José HeviaRelámpago House, Spain, by H3O
    Zigzagging partitions nod to the history of this lightning-struck home, renovated by Spanish studio H3O and painted in pastel primary colours inspired by the “radical, fun and optimistic spirit” of 1970s pop art.
    Even the floors are finished in a pale green resin, providing a counterpoint to the coral pink and butter yellow of the walls.
    Find out more about Relámpago House ›

    Berlin apartment, Germany, by Gisbert Pöppler
    Berlin studio Gisbert Pöppler has renovated an apartment that occupies a glass pavilion on the roof of a 1930s residential building in the city’s Mitte neighbourhood.
    Custom furnishings and fixtures – including mint-coloured cabinetry and cherry red-lacquered wood panelling – were added to help the home fit its owner like a “tailor-made suit”.
    Find out more about this Berlin apartment ›
    Photo by Félix Dol MaillotUnivers Uchronia, France, by Uchronia
    French studio Uchronia, crowned emerging interior designer of the year at the 2023 Dezeen Awards, is known for its fearless use of colour. And the home of founder Julien Sebban is no exception.
    The Parisian apartment was designed as a homage to the 1970s, with reddish-brown walnut burl surfaces, wavy wainscoting and patterned green tiles that match the poured resin floor.
    Find out more about Univers Uchronia ›
    Photo by French + TyeGraphic House, UK, by Office S&M
    This Edwardian terrace home belongs to a couple of graphic designers, whose love for art deco forms and adventurous colours informed the interior scheme by architecture studio Office S&M.
    “In this project, colours and shapes have been used to help define key moments throughout the house and tell a story about the building’s function and history,” Office S&M co-founder Catrina Stewart told Dezeen.
    Find out more about Graphic House ›
    Photo by Taran WilkhuForest Gate House, UK, by PL Studio
    This London townhouse belonging to a couple and their chihuahua puppy brims with shades of green and blue, while details in various pinkish hues bring a sense of overall “warmth and joy” to the palette.
    “We wanted to create a home that reflected our clients’ personalities and joyful spirit, a home filled with positive energy,” design firm PL Studio told Dezeen.
    “They were not afraid of mixing different shades and colour combinations, so we went for bright, bold and fearless.”
    Find out more about Forest Gate House ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring clerestory windows, exposed ceiling beams and kitchen skylights.

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    Ten rooms that make clever use of the “unexpected red theory”

    An interior design trend born out of a viral TikTok video, championing the addition of red “in places where it has no business”, is the focus of our latest lookbook.

    The “unexpected red theory” was coined by Brooklyn-based interior designer Taylor Migliazzo Simon in a video that has had over 900,000 views on TikTok.
    Simon describes it as “adding anything that’s red, big or small, to a room where it doesn’t match at all” with the result that “it automatically looks better”.
    The theory suggests that red is as versatile as a neutral colour because it can work in almost any palette of colours and materials, either as an accent or complementary tone.
    Here, we look at 10 home and hotel interiors that show how it’s done, either in the form of architectural fittings and finishes like a balustrade or floor surface or in the form of statement furniture.

    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with indoor slides, colourful renovations and innovative New York City lofts.
    Photo is by Douglas FriedmanHotel Saint Vincent, USA, by Lambert McGuire Design
    Red is paired with shades of grey and purple in the bedrooms of this hotel in New Orleans, designed by Lambert McGuire Design, which occupies a former 19th-century infant asylum.
    The colour can be found on a range of elements, across furniture and textiles, with key pieces including the red velvet bed upholstery. The overall effect heightens the sinister atmosphere conjured by the building’s history.
    Find out more about Hotel Saint Vincent ›
    Photo is by Jim StephensonWalled Garden, UK, by Nimtim Architects
    A warm palette of natural materials characterises the interior of this London house extension designed by Nimtim Architects, with the exception of a statement dining table.
    This table features four oversized columnar legs with a glossy red finish, providing a visual focal point for the room.
    Find out more about Walled Garden ›

    W Budapest, Hungary, by Bowler James Brindley and Bánáti + Hartvig
    The W Hotel in Budapest is housed inside a grand neo-Renaissance palace, so interiors studios Bowler James Brindley and Bánáti + Hartvig chose most of the details based on the existing architecture.
    This led them to combine cool shades of blue, turquoise and green with golden details. But they also added a series of curved red sofas and tables, which result in a more playful feel.
    Find out more about W Budapest ›

    House for Beth, USA, by Salmela Architect
    With a series of timber-framed windows, the view takes centre stage in the living room of this rural Wisconsin home designed by Salmela Architect.
    The room is otherwise very simple in its decor, but red-painted dining chairs prevent it from feeling too minimal.
    Find out more about House for Beth ›
    Photo is by Henry WoideThe Secret Garden Flat, UK, by Nic Howett Architect
    Red floors and walls both feature in this renovated London home designed by Nic Howett Architect.
    The colour provides a warm counterpoint to the dark blue flooring and curtains that also punctuate the exposed wood interior.
    Find out more about The Secret Garden Flat ›
    Photo is by Yannis DrakoulidisTrikoupi Apartment, Greece, by Point Supreme Architects
    Red and green should never be seen together, or so the saying goes. Point Supreme Architects challenged that rule with this apartment interior in Athens.
    Standing in front of a stained green plywood storage wall, a kitchen island topped with red Corian becomes the room’s standout feature.
    Find out more about Trikoupi Apartment ›

    Maryland House, UK, by Remi Connolly-Taylor
    London-based designer Remi Connolly-Taylor showed how red and gold can be paired in this design for her own London house and studio.
    A folded, perforated staircase in red powder-coated steel provides a counterpoint to the golden kitchen cabinets, making a statement in the otherwise minimal, white interior.
    Find out more about Maryland House ›

    Cowley Manor Experimental, UK, by Dorothée Meilichzon
    Designed by Dorothée Meilichzon of French interiors studio Chzon, this hotel in the Cotswolds shows one way of applying the unexpected red theory to a bathroom.
    Building on a subtle Alice in Wonderland theme, some of the pink-walled guest bathrooms feature glossy red lacquered bathtubs.
    Find out more about Cowley Manor Experimental ›

    Redwood House, USA, by Studio Terpeluk
    This bathroom, located in a Noe Valley home designed by Studio Terpeluk, shows how to apply the unexpected red theory with just one small piece of furniture.
    A mid-century-style stool adds a vibrant accent to the muted pink tone of the walls.
    Find out more about Redwood House ›

    Casa Pousos, Portugal, by Bak Gordon Arquitectos
    A courtyard divides the two concrete buildings that form this Lisbon home designed by Bak Gordon Arquitectos.
    The space might have felt stark if it were not for the addition of two bright red lounge chairs.
    Find out more about Casa Pousos ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with indoor slides, colourful renovations and innovative New York City lofts.

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    Eight cherry red interiors that make colour their primary focus

    For our latest lookbook, we’ve picked eight interiors that are blanketed in shades of red that include an office in Belgium, a bar toilet in London and a mansion in Mexico.

    The colour red is most commonly associated with activity, passion, sexuality, love and joy. In this lookbook Dezeen has highlighted ways in which interior designers and architects have used the colour in different interior settings.
    Red terracotta tiles cover the interior of a home in Barcelona and red-tinted glass creates a glowy magma-like hue within the interior of a home located at the base of a volcano.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring terraces and balconies, marble-lined bathrooms and cave-like interiors.
    Photo by Knut BryBarn House, Norway, by Jon Danielsen Aarhus 

    Oslo based-architect Jon Danielsen Aarhus designed a gabled shed that sits on the grounds of a retired couple’s home in Lillehammer, Norway, which is used for painting, sculpting, craft and as additional living space.
    The entrance hall of the gabled shed was covered entirely in red, including its window frames. The colour was chosen specifically to contrast against the structure’s raw timber exterior.
    Find out more about Barn House ›
    Photo by Hannelore VeelaertAEtelier office, Belgium, by Studio Anton Hendrik Denys
    In Belgium, Studio Anton Hendrik Denys and Steen Architecten transformed an industrial office building and added colourful graphics and bold hues to define areas across the interior.
    The kitchen-cum-bar of the office was blanketed in an orangey-red hue, including its floor, walls, ceiling, fixtures and furnishings, which signifies and zones areas of the interior without the need for partition walls.
    Find out more about AEtelier office ›
    Photo by Tim Van de VeldeSocial House, Brussels, by WAW Architects
    A vibrant red covers cabinet doors, drawers, floors, walls and the ceiling of a shared staff kitchen at a social services centre in Brussels, which was designed by WAW Architects.
    The centre is located within a former orphanage and was converted into offices by the architecture studio. Bright hues were used throughout the interior to colour code the office space with red extending from a kitchen to an adjoining corridor.
    Find out more about Social House ›
    Photo is by Felix SpellerSOMA, UK, by Cake Architecture and Max Radford
    Located within a basement in London’s Soho, speakeasy-style bar SOMA was designed by Cake Architecture and Max Radford.
    The restroom of the underground bar was painted bright red and paired with wooden fixtures and trimmings that were used to surround doorframes and recessed shelving in each of the cubicles.
    Find out more about SOMA ›
    Photo is by José HeviaHouse in Sant Antoni de Vilamjor, Spain, by Arquitectura-G
    Red was used as a running theme across this family home on the outskirts of Barcelona. It was designed by local studio Arquitectura-G and sits directly on top of a pre-existing garage.
    Red features both inside and outdoors with many materials used across the exterior similarly used to decorate the interior, such as red bricks, red corrugated panelling and clay tiles.
    Find out more about House in Sant Antoni de Vilamjor ›
    Photo is by Genevieve LutkinCollective/Collectible, Mexico, by Masa
    Rich tones of red blanket the walls and floors of this abandoned mansion in the Lomas neighbourhood of Mexico City, which was used as the setting for an exhibition by gallerist Masa.
    The 1970s home was decorated with furniture designed by 16 Mexico City-based designers and architects, including Esrawe, EWE Studio and Frida Escobedo. The interior features a grand staircase that was topped with a red runner.
    Find out more about Collective/Collectible ›
    Photo is by Joe FletcherLookout House, US, by Faulkner Architects
    Although this room has no physical red elements Lookout House was fitted with red-tinted glass that provides the interior with a glowing red hue when light penetrates through the home.
    The home is located in Truckee, California at the foot of Lookout Mountain volcano. It was designed by Faulkner Architects who wanted to mimic the colour of cooling magma within the home.
    Find out more about Lookout House ›

    Fox Head Inc, US, by Clive Wilkinson Architects
    A bright red interior was selected as a focal feature for the offices of a motocross apparel company in California. The headquarters was designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects which transformed a 7,600-square-metre warehouse into a flexible workplace.
    A conference room at the headquarters was enclosed with red-tinted glass and fitted with a deep red carpet. A large white table and matching chairs, which have a bright red upholstered seat, were placed at the centre of the space.
    Find out more about Fox Head Inc office ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring terraces and balconies, marble-lined bathrooms and cave-like interiors.

    Read more: More