When I was a tween and saw Gigi for the first time, the 1958 musical directed by Vincente Minnelli, I had one and only one take away: I want a red room! I’d never seen anything like it–a room where everything in it was the same color. It blew my mind. The closest I’ve come to recreating one for myself was when I had an upholstered red headboard that I paired with an all-red comforter. Needless to say, from a young age my compass was set to highly saturated color choices. Homes & Gardens, however, seem a little more cautious in bold colors for interior design. This week they brought in a color psychologist to dissect a crimson area carpet in an Instagram post from Lady Gaga:

Lady Gaga is instantly associable with her statement-making fashion choices, but a look inside her home suggests her interior design decisions are (almost) as bold.

The singer-turned-actress shared a look inside her Malibu mansion, once labeled her ‘sanctuary’, but her living room rug exhibits a hue that is far from therapeutic. So, how does this impact her home’s therapeutic energy? And, can we ever decorate with red to create a sanctuary-like space similar to Lady Gaga’s home?

While red has a controversial reputation – some color psychologists suggest that, in the right space, this tone can create positivity – and act as a talking point in the process. This is exactly what Lady Gaga has achieved. Here’s how.

‘The beautiful thing about red is that it raises the heart rate and even excites hunger,’ says color psychologist Michelle Lewis. ‘Of course, designers get nervous using it because it can sometimes be too stimulating’ – but in cloudier or color-less contexts, this color can work perfectly.

‘What if you live in a cloudy climate? Gray is known to cause certain depressions and to mute personalities when exposed to it over time, so imagine how helpful a red kitchen would be,’ she adds.

Admittedly, red isn’t ideal for every space, especially in homes where vibrant hues already reign supreme – however, as Michelle suggests, this color has its place in calmer settings. In Lady Gaga’s case, her room (rug aside) is primarily neutral, featuring white walls and marble accents – allowing her red rug to impress – without overwhelming the room.

‘Red isn’t always the way to go, but it certainly can be the perfect fit in certain situations to bring more energy, excitement, and action-taking to the home,’ Michelle says.

In cases where we’re already working with lots of colors – or still (understandably) nervous about flirting with red, Michelle recommends working with red undertones as a subtler alternative.

‘It also can be a much more flexible situation when we look at the undertones we may use with red,’ she says. ‘For example, will we choose to add a gray tone? A black shade? A white tint? Or keep it the true hue? The choice here can alter the feel dramatically.’

Michelle Lewis is a color psychologist, interior designer, and founder of The Color Cure.

[From Homes & Gardens]

Ok, I don’t mean to knock the writers at Homes & Gardens, but I noticed something so I know our faithful readers will too: the Instagram post they’re framing their article around is from March 2021, and in the caption Gaga thanks her manager for sending her flowers to her room where she’s filming House of Gucci. Um, the film was shot in Italy. This isn’t Gaga’s house! Now, that doesn’t affect any of the interior design commentary, I just find it hilarious after the intro of “how can you have red and call it a sanctuary?!”

Moving right along. This is all a matter of taste, no? I understand the note that the red rug (in whoever’s lovely room) works because it is surrounded by neutrals. I get why that works on a compositional level. I also know that personally I’m a “more is more” kind of girl and have an average of six dominant colors going on at once in any room of my (humble) home. Seriously, I had a vintage chair reupholstered and my bestie looked at it and said, “well she’s certainly not shy!” The important thing is color is emotional, so I say always follow your gut. Trust the instinctual responses you have when you encounter a particular hue. I also recommend the Fortune-Telling Book of Colors for some fun, light dabbling into various cultural, historical, even astrological color associations.