Red

See it in context

No reviewed photograph is linked to this exact shade yet. A photograph would only ever approximate this HEX value — lighting, camera processing and display calibration all affect the colours a photo shows. In the meantime, these related pages give real context for where this colour family shows up.

Used in outfit palettes

Red appears in the following curated Fashion outfit palettes.

Used in historical palettes

Red appears in the following curated historical/cultural palettes.

Uses & contexts

Using red in a real space

Worked out from this colour’s own measurements — its lightness, saturation and undertone — rather than written for it. That is why the guidance differs from one colour to the next even when the two look similar.

What role it can play

This is a small-scale colour. At chroma 105 it holds attention easily, which is a strength on a cushion or a door and a liability across four walls.

• Walls and large surfaces

  difficult

  At chroma 105 this is far above the level walls and large surfaces usually carry comfortably. It can be done deliberately, but it will be the room rather than part of it.

• Secondary surfaces

  difficult

  At chroma 105 this is far above the level secondary surfaces usually carry comfortably. It can be done deliberately, but it will be the room rather than part of it.

• Furniture

  difficult

  At chroma 105 this is far above the level furniture usually carry comfortably. It can be done deliberately, but it will be the room rather than part of it.

• Rugs, curtains and bedding

  difficult

  At chroma 105 this is far above the level rugs, curtains and bedding usually carry comfortably. It can be done deliberately, but it will be the room rather than part of it.

• Trim and joinery

  workable

  Chroma 105 is above the usual comfort level for trim and joinery, so expect it to take charge. That is a legitimate choice in a room that wants a subject. Trim is a small area but a long edge, so it reads more than its square metreage suggests.

• Accents and small objects

  strong

  Chroma 105 is exactly what an accent is for. The saturation that makes this difficult across a wall is the reason it works on a cushion, a door or a single chair.

How it behaves under different lightresilient

Under warm bulbs

Warm light reinforces this colour's own bias, so it will read warmer and more saturated in the evening than it does at noon. At this chroma that can tip from rich into strident.

Under cool bulbs

Cool sources drain warm colours: expect this to lose some of its warmth and read greyer.

In daylight

A mid-tone reads most consistently across the day, which is why so much upholstery sits in this band.

In a dim room

Enough lightness and chroma to stay recognisable in a dim room, though it will lose some saturation.

Compared with the sample card

Expect a modest step darker than the chart, which is normal and is why sampling a large area matters.

What colour temperature actually means · Why two bulbs at the same rating can differ

With wood

• Oak

  needs care

  Shares Oak's warm bias, but at chroma 105 against a material that already carries colour of its own, the two compete rather than combine. It works when this colour is confined to a small area and fails when both are large. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Walnut

  works well

  Shares Walnut's warm bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. There is also 25 points of lightness between them, which keeps the two readable as separate elements. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Pine

  needs care

  Shares Pine's warm bias, but at chroma 105 against a material that already carries colour of its own, the two compete rather than combine. It works when this colour is confined to a small area and fails when both are large. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Plywood

  needs care

  Shares Plywood's warm bias, but at chroma 105 against a material that already carries colour of its own, the two compete rather than combine. It works when this colour is confined to a small area and fails when both are large. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Light wood (ash, birch, beech)

  works well

  Shares Light wood (ash, birch, beech)'s warm bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. There is also 32 points of lightness between them, which keeps the two readable as separate elements. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Dark wood

  works well

  Shares Dark wood's warm bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. There is also 31 points of lightness between them, which keeps the two readable as separate elements. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

• Reddish wood (mahogany, cherry, teak)

  works well

  Shares Reddish wood (mahogany, cherry, teak)'s warm bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. There is also 25 points of lightness between them, which keeps the two readable as separate elements. The amount of timber matters as much as the tone: one piece is an accent, a floor plus joinery is the room's dominant colour.

With metal fittings

• Brass

  needs care

  Shares Brass's warm bias, but at chroma 105 against a material that already carries colour of its own, the two compete rather than combine. It works when this colour is confined to a small area and fails when both are large. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

• Gold-tone

  needs care

  Shares Gold-tone's warm bias, but at chroma 105 against a material that already carries colour of its own, the two compete rather than combine. It works when this colour is confined to a small area and fails when both are large. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

• Chrome

  works well

  Shares Chrome's warm bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. There is also 27 points of lightness between them, which keeps the two readable as separate elements. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

• Stainless steel

  works well

  Shares Stainless steel's warm bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. There is also 23 points of lightness between them, which keeps the two readable as separate elements. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

• Black metal

  works well

  Shares Black metal's warm bias, so the two agree about the temperature of the room. There is also 46 points of lightness between them, which keeps the two readable as separate elements. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

• Copper

  needs care

  Shares Copper's warm bias, but at chroma 105 against a material that already carries colour of its own, the two compete rather than combine. It works when this colour is confined to a small area and fails when both are large. Metal carries more attention than its area suggests, so repetition matters more than the exact finish.

Where it can go wrong

• May overwhelm at any size above an accent. At chroma 105 this holds attention involuntarily, so a room containing much of it will be about this colour whether or not that was intended. It also makes every other colour in the room look more muted by comparison.

Lighter, darker & directional variants

Calculated directional adjustments. Some directions converge on the same result from this starting colour — shown as one merged card with an explanation, not repeated duplicates. Generated shades link to a curated profile only when one is close enough.

In nature