The Best in Rich Red and Pale Pink Paint Colours for Walls

Bold red and pale pink paint colours are coming for your rooms, decorating junkies. But here’s the good news: there’s no need to be afraid.

Nightmares of hot pink Barbie campervans are a thing of the past. Flashbacks to muddy maroon feature walls of the early 2000s are also not happening. Because in today’s post, I’m going to showcase some stunning ways to rock warm tones at home. And these all look spectacular, I assure you.

The funny thing is, we take a long time to embrace colour change Down Under. Remember back in 2015 when Pantone named Marsala as colour of the year? I remember thinking… aint nobody in Australian ready to rock a room the colour of red wine. It only took us five years of seeing endless magazine spreads in muddy red tones for us to finally embrace this tone. But better late than never, right?

While we may have come around to the concept of red and pink in our homes, how many of us are actually painting the colours on our walls, though? You know, committing to it unapologetically. Probably not a lot.

That’s all set to change as we scroll through today’s glorious images from the Dulux 2020 colour forecast. These divine rooms have been styled by superstar Bree Leech and photographed by the legendary Lisa Cohen. And I’m convinced they’ll have you rushing out to buy some bold red or pale pink paint colours for your walls this weekend. My fingers are crossed, anyway.

“What makes these pale pink tones so glorious is how well they sit against traditional elements like archways and double-hung windows; a perfect colour for elevating older homes”.

Let’s Start with the Pale Pink Paint Colours

The glorious images above showcase how pale pink paint can almost be a neutral. It’s not loud or in-your-face, but rather soothing. It’s the opposite of what many of us perceive pink to be. Paired with red-toned furniture, white trims, blond timbers and black accents, it feels both relaxing and indulgent.

Funny it feels that way actually, because this pink-and-red trend from the Dulux colour forecast is called Indulge. It’s all about luxury and decadence, and some of it even feels a little retro and art deco. Andrea Lucena-Orr, Colour and Communications Manager for Dulux, elaborates on what makes this vibe so divine.

“This palette is not for the faint-hearted – it’s dramatic and exciting and is guaranteed to add wow factor to a master bedroom, dining room or living room,” she explains. “Pink, a key colour of the last few years, makes an appearance, but in a more neutral tone that’s closer to tan, alongside a warm, dusty rose”.

What makes these pink tones so glorious is how well they sit against traditional elements like archways and double-hung windows. This makes it a perfect colour to splash on popcorn walls in older homes. But of course, don’t let your modern space remain white; there’s always scope to add some drama through colour.

The trick to getting pale pink paint colours to work in a space is to style with a monochromatic approach in mind. What I mean by that is, explore the entire tonal range of pink. The hero image at the top of this post does it wonderfully. Bree has used every pink in the book and the space soars.

Pinks Featured Above

• Hero image bedroom wall in Dulux Subtle Violet
• Bedroom with pink chair above in Dulux Unbleached Calico
• Space directly above is painted with Dulux Camellia

“The new way to do approach reds is to go all out! No more one wall in a space taking centre stage. Commit to wrapping the entire room in a moody red and see how much drama it brings to the space”.

Now Let’s Dig into the Rich Red Tones

If pale pink paint colours aren’t doing it for you, why not give bold red tones a go? The sense of drama they create in a space is unparalleled. You just don’t get that sense of intoxication from muddy blues and greens.

When it comes to pulling off a tone like burgundy, scarlet, ruby or crimson, the new way to do it is this: go all out! No more one wall in a space taking centre stage. Commit to wrapping the entire room in a moody red and see how much drama it brings to the space.

“Once you’ve lived with colour, you will never want to return to a blank canvas,” Andrew says. “Paint is fast, fun, and affordable. Best of all, you can easily switch things up if you want to try something new and there’s nothing more satisfying than the end result”.

After you’ve committed to a deep red and splashed it on all the walls in your space, next comes how to style around it. My advice here is to embrace the dark feel, rather than trying to bring it loads of white to balance it out. Of course, your ceiling will be white, but then explore other tones in the red spectrum to make the choice feel intentional.

Style with furniture and decor in colours like tan, camel, prune, dusty pink and then throw in some aged brass to really ramp up the sense of sophistication.

Reds Featured Above

• Apricot coloured-room above is painted in Dulux Yolande
• Room with staircase painted in Dulux Russet Tan
• Space above and below painted in Dulux Henna Red

Are you Loving Bold Red and Pale Pink Paints?

How are we feeling about splashing our walls with bold red or pale pink paint colours? Are you daring enough to give them a go? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Let me know if you plan on painting anytime soon. Would be amazing to see the result.