Your bedroom is your safe space—it should be a reflection of who you are and what you love, which is why you should take your time and decorate it exactly the way you want. That might mean you want to fill it with your favorite color—even if it’s a bold or unexpected one. We’re here to make a case for red bedrooms. Most people want their bedroom to be a calm place, painted in relaxing paint colors and decorated with minimal clutter. But choosing red is a bold decision that shows you have passion and want to start your day feeling energized. If that sounds like you, you’ll love the red bedrooms we’ve gathered below. These designer examples show how to decorate a red bedroom that’s the perfect match for your personality.
In designer Janie Molster’s home, she knew she needed to add something to balance the mostly pink color palette. This red bedroom with its Moroccan-inspired touches brings some edge to the feminine design scheme. The gold accents pair well with the different shades of red in this space, and the tapestry and rug give it a casual, bohemian feeling.
Try a solid red wallcovering, like the vinyl one designer Kati Curtis used in this Massachusetts home makeover, to support your maximalist decorating style. Sure, red paint would work, but a glossy treatment brings extra texture and dimension to the space.
If a solid red bedroom isn’t interesting enough for you, go for a red wallcovering in a playful pattern. This bedroom in designer Mally Skok’s Massachusetts home, which is decked out in her Brimfield print, feels intimate and personalized.
Just because you want a red bedroom doesn’t mean it has to be entirely coated in the bold shade. Designer Phillip Thomas went a bit quirkier in this kid’s room and ended up with a playful blue-and-red color scheme. The pops of red behind the bed, in the Roman shades, and on the accent chair are so eye-catching.
Toying with the idea of a red bedroom but don’t feel ready to fully commit? Start with red furniture, like the settee in this room designed by Barrie Benson. It’s like the “talking stage” in a relationship: You can choose pieces in the color you want to try out (in this case, red), and take your time deciding if you want to live with it. If not, it’s easy to can swap it out.
We get it: Bright red furniture might still feel like too much of a commitment. In that case, choose something even less permanent, like bedding, to see how much you really like the color. In this blue and red bedroom, Bailey McCarthy chose cherry red blankets to tie into the colorful window shade and chandelier.
Walking into an open house and seeing a vivid red carpet might make some of us recoil, but designer Miles Redd proves it can also be the foundation of a super-charming space. It’s all about balance—in this case, balancing the bright red with a softer blue on the walls and in the textiles. “We wanted a bright, cheery room that said little boy,” Redd says.
In the same room as above, Redd further connected the red design choices to the blue walls by incorporating a red border or outline throughout the entire room on the walls. “The red outline lends graphic edge,” he explains, almost like the contrasting piping on a piece of upholstered furniture.
Though this boy’s room in designer and film location scout Eliza Dyson’s New York City apartment doesn’t have red walls or even red bedding, it’s filled with details that make red the dominant color. The red wall art, rug, and curtains ground the space, making all the other little red details in it stand out and helping to unify it.
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Keep It Muted
Francesco Lagnese
In this bedroom by William Cullum and Thomas Jayne, muted shades of red create a warm, mellow vibe. From the rug to the curtain behind the headboard to splashes of red in the pillows, this bohemian bedroom feels inviting and looks entirely unique.
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Paint an Accent Wall
Trevor Tondro
Designer Garrow Kedigian is no stranger to vivid colors within the home, so including a bright red accent wall behind his bed in his Parisian pied-à-terre is not a shocking design decision. In this very yellow room, the pop of red peeking out behind the built-in shelves adds beautiful dimension to the space.
Install a red mural or hire a local artist to paint one on your bedroom walls for a unique touch. Also designed by Garrow Kedigian, this bedroom “was a rigid, white box, so we chose this fun, custom wall mural from Hovia to make it feel more organic,” Kedigian says.
Red is already an energetic color for a bedroom in, so lean into the playful vibe and go with a fun floral pattern for your bedding. There’s a lot going on in this red bedroom designed by Jessica Turf, from the cherry-hued ceiling and the hand-applied apple wall appliqués to the Marimekko bedding and black-and-white rug, yet it all works so well together.
Antiques collector Ariene Bethea wanted a dark, moody bedroom which is why she went with a deep blue wall color. To balance the cool tones, she brought in a warm red headboard and sofa for the end of the bed. It definitely gives the space a maximalist vibe.
Bring red onto the walls with large pieces of art. As designer Anthony Baratta explains, “The bold art was the starting point for the palette. I’ll never get tired of red.” He included red carpet, a red bedspread, and other cherry pieces in the rest of the room that you can check out at the home tour below.