The palette of red was long dominated by terracotta, earthy and brick reds, leaning to orange rather than purple, but now moves to a brighter, cooler, more saturated range of red colours. Red in that bold and graphic form is always a statement. Especially when it’s not just an accent but the main colour of the piece of furniture or a larger area of the interiors.
The all-red installations at Milan Design Week are stunning examples of the come back of red. They illustrate well how red transforms a space. Due to its enormous presence red leaves no room for something else.
Studio Davidpompa from Mexico presents in Alcova and bathes the room in red through furniture in a warm, coral and clear hue.
Similar, the Diesel installation in Via della Spiga – an all red inferno of colour, intense and full of passion. Even the wood grains are tinted in red. That’s an effect that we start to see in other colours, too.
For this year the range of reds includes Scarlet (bright with an orange tinge), and many variants of Crimson red (rich, deep red colour, inclining to purple). Did Pantone Viva Magenta colour of the year 2023 inspire these schemes? Potentially yes.
The neighbouring hues of orange and purple also have a role to play. Red lends itself well to colour layering where different shades of red get mixed, ranging as far as Burgundy and Vermilion red.
Why red and why now? Surely for its optimism and courage. Two things we need more than ever in these times.