Martha Stewart’s Color-Drenched Bedroom from 2000 Convinced Me to Embrace Crimson and Rethink Everything I Knew about Bold, Sophisticated Color

The Unexpected Red Theory prevails, but some of us have always had an affinity for the bold hue. Martha Stewart has not always been on board, but an archival image from 2000 posted to the Martha Moments Instagram page shows an experiment with the hue that makes us believe it's worth trying out.

The image features her bedroom in her Bedford home, and it's red-drenched. From the cherry-painted walls to the chinoiserie chest of drawers and armoire, the bright color dominates the space.

The black, white, and gold accents, meanwhile, balanced out the pigmented red, giving the area a sophisticated and elevated feel.

Shop the red decor edit

According to Martha Moments, Martha infamously despised red, with no red flowers permitted in her gardens and rarely wearing the shade.

'In what I believe was the Summer House (the 1770s Colonial on the property once inhabited by the previous owner, Ruth Sharpe) and prior to the renovation and restoration of the buildings on the property, Martha used red as the foundational colour to unite each of the rooms in this house, throwing all caution to the wind in a decorating experiment,' they state in the caption. 'She enlisted the help of Kevin Sharkey, who was then the decorating editor at the magazine, to help her realize her vision.'

With that being said, bright red is right on trend for the fall/winter season, and as such, can and should be experimented with all over the home.

'Candy apple red is fun, bold, and effortlessly stylish,' Michael Rolland, paint expert and managing director at The Paint Shed explains. 'In a satin finish on a feature wall or trims, it adds the perfect pop of autumnal warmth. Whether used across bedrooms, living rooms, or studies, this glossy red appeals to anyone wanting a seasonal splash of colour that feels fashionable all year round.'

Try mixing and matching red accessories and furnishings of a similar tone for a cohesive look; or, go for the Unexpected Red approach and place a red piece, like this Bobbin lamp, in a neutral space.