If you’re searching for a classic and distinctive colour scheme for your home, consider incorporating a red aesthetic using picture frames in shades of red. Gone are the days when trends ask us to splash such a powerful colour across every wall or piece of large furniture, but if red is a colour that makes you happy, work it in small doses. Dopamine decor permits us to use red how it suits us. We can rip up outdated rule books, and yes, red does go with pink, green, blue, yellow and whatever colour we choose! Artist Leah Nikolaou displays her colour floral artwork in red picture frames and chooses prints in shades of red.
The Power Of A Red Aesthetic
The red aesthetic is a captivating and powerful visual style that harnesses the intense emotions and striking connotations associated with red. Whether in art or design, red can evoke passion, energy, and excitement, making it a popular choice for creating impactful and visually stunning homes. With more time than ever spent working and living in our homes, what would your red threshold be for decorating? Leah discusses colour distribution within a interior colour scheme in her post How To Make A Vintage Colour Palette.
50 Shades Of Red
Pantone tells us that there are about 50 shades of red, which paint retailers like Farrow & Ball, Little Greene & Frenchic adopt into their colour ranges. However, reds don’t solely sit within parameters that describe deep passions. They also appear widely classified into shades describing and defining heritage and earthiness.
Heritage Red Shades
Rectory Red
Picture Gallery Red
Dawlish
Theatre Red
Rich Passionate Red Shades
Flamenco Red
Atomic Red
Heat
Earthy Red Shades
Clay Pot
Riad Red
Tuscan Red
Red Aesthetic Frames
Hand-painted picture frames are a beautiful way to embrace the red aesthetic. Artist Leah Nikolaou adopted the trend and made her bobbin frames inspired by Seventeen Century bobbin furniture makers. Just as linen tones pair back the dominance of red, so do the more earthy tones of red. So Leah chose an earthy hue called Riad Red by Frenchic Paint that complimented the delicate natural qualities of the pressed flower prints she decided to frame. To learn how to make bobbin frames, check out the post How To Make Bobbin Frames or order your own through her Etsy shop Contempfleury.
Red Aesthetic Flowers
There are many common flowers renowned for their red aesthetic. The most popular probably being roses and poppies with their vibrant red petals. In Leah’s pressed flower print, the red poppy, she aimed to capture the sophisticated, alluring depths of the colour in an accurate likeness. Her challenge was to capture and preserve the colour and iconic details of the poppy in its ‘best’ pressed flower state. The result is exquisitely celebrated in the below giclee print, with the textured watercolour appearance adding further to the depth and realism of the poppy.
Red & Pink
While many people think red and pink clash, the two colours pictured together are rarely out of magazines and profiles of leading influencers on Instagram: and this isn’t all Barbie cute intense shades; it is pinks shades from clay, plaster, blush, peach blossom to salmon, teamed with reds. This led Leah to think about styling different colour frames alongside red frames.
Buying Red Frames
As Leah mentioned above, frames can be purchased and up-cycled with a lick of paint. Leah would always go for a hard actual wood frame instead of a frame with a wood veneer finish. That’s because they will age better and be a long-term investment rather than a fleeting red-tinged moment of whimsy. Etsy is a great place to hunt, whether for second-hand or new. With an increasing number of artists selling their hand-painted decorative masterpieces, you might uncover something unique.
Sources Of Interior Inspiration
Interior Influencers Instagram
Tess a decorative artist in Sussex shares her hand-painted wallpapers and murals @TessNewallStudio. Her use of red in her floral hand painting, lampshades, mirror and wallpapers are exquisite.
Sean an interior designer near Bath shares his home, as well as the beautiful projects he works on with interior clients @SeanSymington. A man who doesn’t shy away from colour yet embraces it with bucket loads of elegance and panache!
Sebastian, a creative consultant in Stockholm shares his colourful home at @Mosebacke. The way he drips red off the edges of lampshades, stripes it with white and blocks it on furniture against other primary shades is inspiring!
Further Reading Contempfleury – Interiors
Flower Art – Collecting & Finding The Essence Of A Great Portfolio
Modern Pressed Flower Art For A Unique Flower Gallery
Beautiful Owl Wall Art For A Floral Nursery
How To Make Professional Bobbin Frames
Red Paint Retailers
Farrow & Ball claim that their red paint shades ‘run the gamut from moody burgundy to soft terracotta, intense bright red to almost orange.’
Little Greene say their red paints can be used for any style home, ‘from the Victorian colour of bronze red paint to the stand out atomic-red.’
The Frenchic self priming red paints make them a clever option for up-cycling frames.
Conclusion
A red aesthetic is achievable without being too bold and powerful. Choose red shades more earthy or described as heritage and limit them to smaller accessories such as frames, lampshades, mirrors and cushions. These can add a pop of colour to neutral colour schemes and complement other primary colours and hues.
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Contempfleury
Contempfleury is an art studio run by Leah Nikolaou from her home and garden in Somerset. She works extensively with pressed flowers to create her one-of-a-kind artworks, pressed flower prints and pressed flower embroidery kits. The red aesthetic is just one of the colours she embraces in her home and design.
