Interior designers are finding interesting ways to pair red and green – a combination more typically associated with Christmas – to create quirky colour-block interiors. This lookbook brings together recent examples of how it can be done.
Set on opposite sides of the colour wheel, red and green are inherently compatible, each helping to offset the other.
Combining two such bright colours in a residential interior can sound daunting, even without their festive affiliation. But a slew of recent projects show that they can have a place in modern interiors.
Below, we've collated eight home interiors that prove this colour combination isn't just for Santa, combining subdued green tones with warmer hues ranging from pink to crimson.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring clerestory windows, exposed ceiling beams and kitchen skylights.
Trikoupi Apartment, Greece, by Point Supreme Architects
Colourful built-in furniture pieces define different areas inside this Athens apartment in the wake of a renovation by local studio Point Supreme Architects, which saw many of the home's partition walls removed to make the interior feel more sunny and spacious.
Among them is a stained plywood storage wall that runs along one side of the apartment, providing a dramatic contrast with the oxblood-coloured kitchen cabinets and the glossy Ferrari-red island.
Find out more about Trikoupi Apartment ›
Casa Milc, Spain, by Lucas y Hernandez Gil
Spanish studio Lucas y Hernandez Gil aimed to bring personality back to this 19th-century Madrid apartment, which had been renovated one too many times, with the addition of playful shapes and "warm and friendly" colours.
Painted a pale sage green from floor to ceiling, the kitchen features a crimson dining table from the studio's own furniture brand Kresta Design that was brought in to mirror the gently curved walls.
"The kitchen is designed as a play of opposites between materials and shapes," co-founder Cristina Domínguez Lucas told Dezeen.
Find out more about Casa Milc ›
Redwood House, USA, by Studio Terpeluk
Unexpected colour combinations help balance out the timber-heavy interiors of this Albert Lanier-designed house in San Francisco's Noe Valley, renovated by local firm Studio Terpeluk.
A baby pink kitchen and minty green storage unit shine against the Douglas fir flooring and red cedar walls, alongside classic furniture pieces including a red-lacquered version of Carl Hansen's Wishbone Chair.
"Color was a recurring theme in the exquisite and eclectic art collection of the owners," studio founder Brett Terpeluk said. "This went perfectly hand in hand with my interest in mid-century Italian design and its bold use of color."
Find out more about Redwood House ›
Relámpago House, Spain, by H3O
Zigzagging partitions nod to the history of this lightning-struck home, renovated by Spanish studio H3O and painted in pastel primary colours inspired by the "radical, fun and optimistic spirit" of 1970s pop art.
Even the floors are finished in a pale green resin, providing a counterpoint to the coral pink and butter yellow of the walls.
Find out more about Relámpago House ›
Berlin apartment, Germany, by Gisbert Pöppler
Berlin studio Gisbert Pöppler has renovated an apartment that occupies a glass pavilion on the roof of a 1930s residential building in the city's Mitte neighbourhood.
Custom furnishings and fixtures – including mint-coloured cabinetry and cherry red-lacquered wood panelling – were added to help the home fit its owner like a "tailor-made suit".
Find out more about this Berlin apartment ›
Univers Uchronia, France, by Uchronia
French studio Uchronia, crowned emerging interior designer of the year at the 2023 Dezeen Awards, is known for its fearless use of colour. And the home of founder Julien Sebban is no exception.
The Parisian apartment was designed as a homage to the 1970s, with reddish-brown walnut burl surfaces, wavy wainscoting and patterned green tiles that match the poured resin floor.
Find out more about Univers Uchronia ›
Graphic House, UK, by Office S&M
This Edwardian terrace home belongs to a couple of graphic designers, whose love for art deco forms and adventurous colours informed the interior scheme by architecture studio Office S&M.
"In this project, colours and shapes have been used to help define key moments throughout the house and tell a story about the building's function and history," Office S&M co-founder Catrina Stewart told Dezeen.
Find out more about Graphic House ›
Forest Gate House, UK, by PL Studio
This London townhouse belonging to a couple and their chihuahua puppy brims with shades of green and blue, while details in various pinkish hues bring a sense of overall "warmth and joy" to the palette.
"We wanted to create a home that reflected our clients' personalities and joyful spirit, a home filled with positive energy," design firm PL Studio told Dezeen.
"They were not afraid of mixing different shades and colour combinations, so we went for bright, bold and fearless."
Find out more about Forest Gate House ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring clerestory windows, exposed ceiling beams and kitchen skylights.