Red: The Ultimate Cure for Sadness

Interior Design: Mark Hampton, Photo: Annie Schlechter

American fashion designer Bill Blass said, "Red is the ultimate cure for sadness." The hue is the perfect antidote to our COVID fatigue and as a celebratory color for Valentine's Day. For interiors, red is a bold choice. The late design legend Mark Hampton (father of Alexa) fearlessly painted and glazed the walls of an entry foyer sang-de-boeuf to show off a Park Avenue apartment's cream-colored neo-Georgian architectural detailing. It was one of Hampton's favorite colors and acted as a backdrop for the client's art collection and period antiques.

Interior Design: Antonio Martins Interior Design, Photo: Drew Kelly

For the 2013 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, designer Antonio Martins used the fiery hue as an accent for his neutral-colored Atelier. The monk-like workroom with burlap covered walls and steel floors featured 18th-century French prints depicting different trades and a collection of antique wooden carpenter planers. A built-in rotating set of Chinese red lacquered drawers provided a place to display metal tools. Martins added a regal touch with pottery horses from the Han Dynasty.

Interior Design: Ken Fulk, Photo: Oberto Gili

In the U.S. Ambassador to Austria's updated residence, designer Ken Fulk selected the strawberry color for the music room from a Homage to the Square painting by German artist Josef Albers. San Francisco muralist Deborah Phillips painted the gold lyrical motif; the inspiration came from the embassy's location and Vienna artist Gustave Klimt. Secessionist-era furniture from Dorotheum auction house and the ambassador's modern art collection completed the room.