In the Red

I've recently been loving the color red in our cottage. I've tried to integrate it with these fabulous-o red lanterns (from Lowe's!) along our table and against the white "cabinet'ed" kitchen. My husband even took notice, which is a huge deal because he seriously does not notice these things. He knows how obsessed I am with neutrals, so naturally he wondered what had come over me. I cannot exactly explain what it is, but I do know that it instantly adds charm to any room.

Now, I'm not talking painting your walls a stark China Red or dying your hair to match the clown wig you covet at Halloween. I'm referring to little punches of red here and there throughout a room; which seems to stand out more amongst a neutral color scheme.

Perhaps all the white in my life has left me feeling a bit rebellious, or, the fleeting holidays with its candy canes and Santa images has me rather nostalgic. Whatever it is, I am pretty obsessed with red right now. I believe this to be more everlasting than a 'color crush', but I guess only time will tell. However, there is something romantic and warm about the color especially during the winter season. Just think about it. When you look from a window surrounded by falling snow and spot a red sleigh, fire hydrant or maybe even a child in a red snowsuit, there's something highly striking about it.

Since the drama can be achieved with a pillow, blanket, plates - even a lantern, you have the red green light to experiment and find what works for you. So long as you're not going overboard, it can be done beautifully and tastefully. As I type this, I am looking over at my yarn basket and notice red thread weaving its head amidst a sea of neutrals. Why not go ahead and display something such as this? It costs absolutely no money to achieve and you'll be using what you already have... and perhaps you didn't even know it existed until now!

So go ahead... get your red on. Just don't pull out any stop signs in the process.