The color red is red hot! With its passion-evoking nature, we think it deserves a place in every Midwest home. Here's how you can use a lot or a little to liven up your space.

Home Editor, Carol Schalla

Love it a lot!

Red is about as intense a color as you can get. It's the color of blood, our life force. And it's at the "heart" of the strongest of all emotions: love! If you want to add pure passion to a room, nothing is better than red.

In the midwest, we've always loved it: the color that grabs attention in any interior! Red's intensity pushes the color toward our eye, making our rooms feel warmly embracing, or even sensationally, torridly exciting.

This red-painted guest room, created by Chicago interior designer Alessandra Branca, demonstrates red's romantic properties. Deep-red walls hug the room, creating a snug, yet unforgettable, haven. Its interaction with the glow of the wall lamps creates a complexion-enhancing ambience. Using a lot of red in a room, Alessandra says, is "dramatic, yet very flattering to people and furnishings."

If you're brave enough to wrap yourself entirely in red, you can temper its intensity with lighter touches, like the white moldings, carpeting and matted floral prints shown in the picture. Or you can lighten the saturation of the red tone.

Red has many personalities. Want down-to-earth? Tomato red with brown is a deep, but soft, nature-inspired combination. Want energetic? Go with a primary palette. Or, do you desire a playful, lighthearted scheme? Red's subdued cousin rosy pink, mixed with pistachio green, isn't for kids anymore.

Photograph: Jenifer Jordan Field editors: Sally Mauer and Hilary Rose

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