Peach.  This room was peach.  It’s the front room, the first room you see when you walk in the house, the sitting room, the parlor, the most dramatic room in the house, with a deep black fireplace and a brightly colored stained glass window.  And it was peach.

Well, we had to fix that.  I don’t like to put down other people’s design choices, because I know, clearly, my ideas aren’t for everyone, but the peach, yeah, it was definitely not for me.

I want this room to be dramatic and interesting.  This isn’t a room where we’ll spend a lot of time, so I don’t think it needs to be a soothing, relaxing color.  I also want the wall color to help tell a story about the furniture in there, most of which belonged to my great grandfather.  I added a daybed from West Elm, as well, so I can pile it with pillows and read in front of the three big windows overlooking the street.  This is why I named this room the Reading Room.

So out went the peach and in came the red.  Oh yes.  It’s the reddest red.  It’s Sherwin Williams “Real Red.  They were not kidding around with the name.

I think it’s perfect complement to the dramatic black fireplace.  Where the fireplace almost blended into the background before, the fireplace now pops and becomes a real focal point of the room, as it should be.

I love how all of the colors have worked so perfectly together throughout the entire house.  The same four colors show up over and over again: greeny-blues, reds, pinks and yellows — with a splash of ivory and black to calm the eye.