PLACES & SPACES | ROOMS & GARDENS | WORLD OF CABANA
Cabana explores the enduring presence of red and green in interiors, curating a seasonal selection from our editorial archives. From the deep green library of a Spanish artist in Antwerp, to an English Viscount’s ruby-red dining room and a Dutch art dealer's festive blend of both, you are sure to find inspiration in the timeless rooms, and palettes, that follow.
BY EMMA BECQUE | ROOMS & GARDENS | 11 DECEMBER 2024
The Irish Country House: A noble mansion in County Sligo where the owners have fully embraced the ambient power of red and green, juxtaposing bold shades of both to warm up this traditional, grand hallway. Image by Luke White @ Rizzoli.
Annaghmore, County Sligo. Photographed for The Irish Country House: A New Vision. Published by Rizzoli. Image by Luke White. Tour the house here.
The Enduring Palette of David Hicks
David Hicks, the celebrated decorator and tastemaker, believed that "the best rooms have something to say about the people who live in them". This philosophy is vividly illustrated in David Hicks in Colour , where red and green emerge as defining elements of his oeuvre. Crimson-bound books and vibrant carpets brought drama to interiors, while his gardens favoured verdant greens, whose floral displays inspired his distinctive palettes. Rejecting muted tones for deeper hues, Hicks created spaces that balanced boldness and restraint, reflecting his singular vision.
The Britwell Salome dining room, 1964: a symphony of claret, scarlet, and maroon.
Marguerite Littman’s 1966 bedroom blooms with Hicks’s green and white design.
Baronscourt’s great staircase, 1978: David Hicks’s bold scarlet walls, painted in the Duke’s absence, proved a daring triumph over hesitation.
Rex Whistler’s 1937 canvas panels, painted for Edwina Mountbatten, journeyed from Park Lane to Britwell, finally gracing The Grove’s dining room in 1980.
David’s Albany chambers, 1979: scarlet damask curtains from Britwell reborn.
The guest bathroom at Easton Grey, Wiltshire, 1966.
Christopher Gibbs’ Tangier house: El Foolk
El Foolk: Christopher's home in Tangier © Ngoc Minh Ngo, Cabana N6
British antique dealer Christopher Gibbs became the custodian of El Foolk in Tangier, taking over the property from Marguerite McBey, an artist and Philadelphian heiress who had transformed it into a charming farmhouse. Couturier Stephan Janson describes the space as an endless feast for the eyes, with every fabric, painting, and object carrying its own story. In the sitting room the home’s layered textures, from hanging fabrics to curated watercolors and china, reflect Gibbs’ celebrated eye for detail and dedication to preserving the home's artistic spirit.
A Moorish Green Entertaining Space in Algeria
A dining room in Algeria, captured in Cabana N8 © Tim Beddow
This gloriously green entertaining space inside an Algerian villa owned by Aurélie Picard was described by photographer Tim Beddow as, “like entering a surreal oasis". Inside, the rooms and contents were nothing less than extraordinary. "Rich brocades hang in tatters, plaster has peeled, and chairs are broken," Beddow wrote in Cabana N8.
"Beyond is a Moorish tiled anteroom with a French chandelier next to a dark green space, most probably the dining room. The head of a Barbary stag—Africa’s only indigenous deer—hangs on one wall.”
A Viscount's Ruby-Red Dining Room
The heart of Woodlands House in Shropshire: the ruby-red dining room, wrapped in Cole & Son striped wallpaper © Taylor Hall O'Brien
The heart of Woodlands House in Shropshire is the ruby-red dining room, wrapped in Cole & Son striped wallpaper. The grand-yet-cozy space features family treasures retrieved when the owners went hunting for their Bridgeman-stamped heirlooms - from Weston-worthy silver to a 19th century cut-glass candelabra. A 20th century mahogany table is often dressed for elaborate dinners, where George III-style satin birch chairs and a spotlighted Sir John Ferneley painting form a striking tableau.
A Deep Green 1913 Antwerp Villa
© Isabel Bronts
© Isabel Bronts
© Isabel Bronts
Above, in Isabel Miquel Arqués' Antwerp villa, a dark forest green takes centre stage, binding the home's past and present in a symphony of rich hues. A deep library green saturates her husband's office, its bespoke cabinetry and 19th century chandelier conjuring an atmosphere of grandeur inside the former school building.
Crimson above, Emerald below in Gouda
The library, Gouda captured in Cabana N16 © Mark Luscombe-Whyte
Steeped in Dutch history, the library room in Mark Broch and Geert Post's house in Gouda, Netherlands, is an intimate green and red space, ideal for cozy days in winter. Green shelves are lined in a corner with early books encased in leather and vellum. The bookcase, housing a collection of decorative arts, is a nod to 18th century craftsmanship, enhancing the room’s scholarly ambiance. The atmospheric charm of the space is further amplified by its historical authenticity. Above, the ceiling is painted red, amplifying the grandeur of the original beams.
Red and Green in Belgium
The earthy-red drawing room at Aimelie de Belder's estate © Miguel Flores-Vianna.
Amelie de Belder's beautiful estate in Antwerp may adhere to the best of Belgian minimalism, but the art historian's love of color shines through in her sea-green dining room (below) and drawing room (above), painted a rich shade of earthy red painted by Eddy Dankers. Amelie's distinct eye was shaped from a young age by her parents' creative sensibilities: her mother, Barbara de Belder, is Axel Vervoordt's creative director, while her father, Daniel de Belder, crafts poetic furnishings using reclaimed wood from their inherited arboretum.
Amelie de Belder's custom-fitted green dining room © Miguel Flores-Vianna.
Scarlet Library by Heidi Caillier
A cozy scarlet library in the Hudson Valley, designed by Heidi Caillier © Haris Kenjar.
A delightful departure from an otherwise neutral-toned home in New York's Lower Hudson Valley is the library in the basement, which is drenched in scarlet gloss paint, a clever trick to counteract the low ceilings. “It was the first red room that I've ever done,” says designer Heidi Caillier, who admits she had to go through dozens of colors to find the right shade, Toro Rosso by Portola Paints.
Studio Peregalli's Crimson Bedroom
A bedroom in milan is bathed in crimson red forming part of Cabana N15’s portfolio on Milanese design © Guido Taroni
A bedroom bathed in red formed part of a portfolio of Milanese places and spaces highlighted by Debroah Needleman in Cabana N15. Pictured, is a project by Studio Peregalli. Needleman writes: “Milan’s heart is domestic. Its greatness is hidden behind doors that conceal intimate realms steeped in the warmth of history. Here are homes that are at once familial, personal and comfortable, and among the most refined in the world. There can be a lot in a wonderful Milanese room—of pattern, texture, art, objects—but, somehow there is never too much.”
The Green Velvet Shell Bed at Houghton Hall
The Shell Bed at Houghton Hall is draped in green velvet © Ashley Hicks
Houghton Hall, built in the 1720s by Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, is a masterpiece of Palladian architecture. The William Kent interiors, are renowned for their grandeur and attention to detail, exemplified by the spectacular shell bed with green velvet hangings. The resident Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley carefully balance Houghton's rich history with contemporary exhibitions, ensuring the estate remains a dynamic cultural and historical treasure.
Cristine Bedfor: Menorca’s Storied Retreat
A riotously red room at Cristine Bedfor in Menorca © Daniel Schaefer
The fabrics used at the charming Cristine Bedfor, a 21-room hotel in Menorca, Spain, create a tapestry of Moorish, Turkish, English and French influences, reflecting owner Cristina Lozano’s bold vision. Designed in collaboration with decorator Lorenzo Castillo, the rooms blend curated finds with a vivid performance of the island’s history. One such space, this red room, is drenched in crimson by way of hanging tapestries, upholstered furnishings, and fringed accents.
Latest Articles
