Can Red & Gray Work Together?

Color Scheme Basics

• The color wheel offers a useful tool for learning about color combinations. Red is a primary color, along with yellow and blue. Secondary colors, orange, green and violet come from mixing two of the primary colors. Gray, along with black white, cream, beige and brown, are neutral colors. Because these colors don't belong to the other color groups, you can use them with any other color. The shade of red on the color wheel is true red. Adding blue or yellow to red creates different shades. A poppy red includes yellow and the darkest shades of red contain blue.

Gray and Red Walls

• Gray walls may save money over time, because neutrals work with a range of color schemes. Whether you choose a pale gray, a medium gray or a deep charcoal gray, your walls become a quiet backdrop that sets off art and accessories without clashing. Red walls create a warm effect, giving the room vigorous energy. Red choices include true red with orange tones that have more yellow than blue and blue reds such as scarlet. Matching shades of red can present a challenge, so it's important to get a color sample and check furniture and accessories before you paint.

Gray and Red Bedroom

• For a bedroom, combining gray and red in the bedding gives you an inexpensive option for trying out the gray and red color combination. Blue-gray sheets with scarlet work well because of the blue tones in both colors. Pale gray, dove-gray and charcoal go well with true red and orange-reds. Steel gray and deep reds, such as blood-red and fire engine red pair well due to their degree of saturation. Saturation refers to the depth of color. Matching or contrasting saturation tends to create an appealing effect. For example, combine light gray sheets with a dark red comforter.

Gray and Red Window Treatments

• Steel gray drapes with red sheers underneath provide a versatile window treatment. The sheers create privacy and allow light into the room, giving a flame-red glow during daylight. Dark gray drapes improve energy efficiency by increasing insulation -- and set off the red sheers when they're open. Dark red drapes with gray sheers allow a smoky light effect, which gives less color distortion than light filtered through red sheers. If you display art or photography in the light of your bedroom windows, gray sheers will have a more subtle effect on colors. Other options include red and gray print curtains, red drapes with a gray valance, gray drapes with a red swag or alternating red and gray panels.