Colors that go with Red for an accent wall
Red · #C0392B
Red (#C0392B) — a clear, warm red — pairs best with terracotta & clay, deep charcoal, teal, and slate & blue. On an accent wall, pair it with terracotta & clay, drawn from 8 historically-grounded combinations below.
An accent wall is where you go stronger than the rest of the room — one decisive partner carries it, so favour depth over a full spread.
About red
Red is a clear, warm red — a saturated, warm colour that reads as mid-toned. As a warm tone it looks most resolved next to cool and neutral partners that temper its warmth, and it needs both lighter and deeper shades nearby for the value contrast the eye reads as finished. That balance is what makes it feel bold in an accent wall.
- HEX
- #C0392B
- RGB
- 192, 57, 43
- HSL
- 6°, 63%, 46%
- CMYK
- 0, 70, 78, 25
Accessibility: put light text on red for AA legibility (contrast 5.2:1 against off-white).
Why red pairs with terracotta & clay, deep charcoal, teal, and slate & blue
Across the 8 historical combinations below, red sits most often beside terracotta & clay, deep charcoal, teal, and slate & blue. That tracks with colour theory: a warm, mid-toned tone like this one wants cool and neutral partners that temper its warmth so the scheme feels intentional rather than flat, and both lighter and deeper partners supply the light-to-dark range the eye needs. An accent wall is where you go stronger than the rest of the room — one decisive partner carries it, so favour depth over a full spread.
- terracotta & clay
- deep charcoal
- teal
- slate & blue
Using red in an accent wall
On an accent wall, pair it with terracotta & clay and deep charcoal. Because red is mid-toned, it can cover larger surfaces, with slate & blue added for depth.
8 combinations with red, from the 1933 Dictionary
Coral Red & Scarlet +2
Plate 332 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Coral Red, Scarlet, Deep Slate Olive, Dusky Green.
#cb2f43 #f58e84 #253122 #004f46
Brick Red & Apricot Orange +2
Plate 328 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Brick Red, Apricot Orange, Vandyke Brown, Light Porcelain Green.
#a84222 #f68c50 #4b3317 #00908a
Carmine Red & Orange Yellow +2
Plate 338 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine Red, Orange Yellow, Dusky Green, Grayish Lavender - B.
#a62c37 #fcb315 #004f46 #c0a9b3
Eosine Pink & Burnt Sienna +2
Plate 242 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Burnt Sienna, Diamine Green, Black.
#ae5224 #f37f94 #1a7444 #111314
Burnt Sienna & Orange Yellow +2
Plate 286 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Burnt Sienna, Orange Yellow, Peacock Blue, Violet Blue.
#ae5224 #fcb315 #00939b #40456a
Burnt Sienna & Yellow Orange +2
Plate 297 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Burnt Sienna, Yellow Orange, Olive Green, Violet Blue.
#ae5224 #f99d1b #6b7140 #40456a
Burnt Sienna & Yellow Orange +2
Plate 312 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Burnt Sienna, Yellow Orange, Artemesia Green, Helvetia Blue.
#ae5224 #f99d1b #709390 #005b8d
Burnt Sienna & Ivory Buff +2
Plate 343 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Burnt Sienna, Ivory Buff, Deep Grayish Olive, Vandar Poel's Blue.
#ae5224 #ebd3a2 #635a3a #064f6e
Red in other settings
Other colors
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