Another day, another viral TikTok trend that gives rise to new ideas to transform and elevate our homes. The ‘Unexpected Red Theory’ states that simply adding red to any space makes it look better.
According to TikTok users, adding a shade of red whether it is big or small to a room where it doesn’t typically match will transform the space in one fell swoop. One user even says she is “petitioning for red to be a neutral colour because it just looks good with everything”.
After a quick scan through the House & Garden SA archives, we’ve found this theory to not be too far fetched as many of our favourite interior designers have touched on this theory, even if they didn’t do it with this theory in mind. From scatter cushions to lamp shades and short curtains, there is a place for a wash of red in any room in the house.
How to Use the Unexpected Red Theory
In a TikTok with almost 1 million views, interior designer Taylor Migliazzo Simon originally coined the Unexpected Red Theory, pointing to colours not usually paired with red like purple and teal green as well as soft antiques.
This romantic pink couch by Poetry for example clearly blushes more with the addition of red scatter cushions. Also, the addition of red pairs with the warmth of a wooden table, which together amplify the brightness of the blue stool.
While the Unexpected Red Theory is a hot topic surrounding home decor, this also extends to art in the home. This artwork by Jordan Sweke makes this otherwise neutral living room come alive in this Cape Town home. The artwork fast becomes the focal point of the room whose brightness almost reflects the light that may enter through the skylight.
In her TikTok, Simon says “these things have no business being red but it automatically looks better”. Pointing to an Victorian era portrait that had its frame painted red, anything seemingly antiquitous can be refreshed with the help of red. Perhaps this newfound love for red feeds into the growing adoption of kitch interiors among Gen Z as well as the move away from minimalism towards the adoption of the bold prints and colours of dopamine decor. The unexpected red colour of this dining room’s heater is a true testament to this namesake theory making it a surprise element that you wouldn’t typically see in red.
In a kitchen where the colour palette favours shades of slate and grey, the tiny addition of these tiny retro red lights by Hem, above the island add just the right amount of colour. The room is an otherwise rather modern minimalist space, but these red lamp shades punctuate the centre of the kitchen.
