Crimson and Rouge: Red Needs to Be Grounded

A space using low-saturation red colors. The red here is not the bright red of Chinese knots and spring couplets, but two deeper reds: 'Jiang' (crimson) – a deep red with a lot of brown and black, like aged lacquerware; and 'Rouge' – a grayish, dark rose red. Their usage is extremely minimal: 'Jiang' appears on the upholstery of a single chair and a lacquer box; 'Rouge' appears on a throw pillow and a detail of a painting. The total area does not exceed one-tenth of the image. Everything else is off-white, dark wood, and dark gray. Because of the low saturation and minimal use, this red appears subtle and aged, not gaudy. Avoid: using high-saturation true red and vermilion, expanding the area of red, adding gold decorations to pair with red, using red on large surfaces like walls.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一個使用低彩度紅色的空間。這裡的紅不是中國結與春聯的那種正紅,而是兩種更沉的紅:絳色——帶著大量褐與黑的深紅,像陳年的漆器;以及胭脂——帶灰的暗玫瑰紅。它們的用量極少:絳色出現在一張單椅的軟包與一只漆盒上;胭脂出現在一個抱枕與一幅畫的局部。總面積不超過畫面的一成。其餘全部是米白、深木與黛色。因為彩度低且用量少,這個紅顯得含蓄而有年代感,不會俗豔。避免:使用高彩度的正紅與朱紅、讓紅色的面積擴大、加入金色的裝飾與紅色搭配、把紅色用在牆面等大面積上。