101 Ideas: Good ways to use red

A continuing compendium of tips and tricks from Home & Garden Television:

Red is the color of passion, but if you're too passionate about the color you may be seeing red (literally) in your home. "Red can go everywhere from cheery and happy to angry and aggressive," says designer Don Raney of Civility Design (www.civilitydesign.com) in Chicago. "That's what you've got to keep in mind when using red in a room. When is too much too much and when is it not enough."

Raney and design partner Jaymes Richardson frequently use red as an accent color in their interior designs, in everything from lighting and candles to pillows and walls. "When you have accents of red it draws attention to other things you might not even notice in the room," Richardson says. "The whole idea is to entice, intrigue (and) invite without clubbing you over the head and dragging you in."

If you have a favorite red shirt or often accessorize with a red bracelet, try adding a single piece of red artwork to your space. When it comes to red, less is often more:

-- Most of us don't wear red from head-to-toe on a daily basis, so why do this to your walls? Consider how you wear red and translate your wardrobe to your room.

-- Painting your front door a high-gloss red can add eye-catching curb appeal and personality to the entrance of a home.

-- It takes only a small amount of saturated color to bring energy to an otherwise neutral palette.

-- Because red is such a hot color, painting your entire kitchen red is a surefire way to turn up the heat. But that's where restraint comes in.

Courtesy of Caren Baginski on HGTV.com