Introduction

You can't accuse Daily Howard of being fickle. She's lived in her Houston bungalow for 25 years, and a single color -- red -- has dominated her decor almost since day one. But don't think that means she's in a rut. With an artful eye for mixing and matching red tones, as well as an ability to tailor those tones to changing color currents, she's kept the palette as fresh and vital as when she first moved in.

"Red gives off a feeling of comfort and warmth," says Daily, a longtime interior decorator who also has a background in fashion design. "I just respond to it. When you get to a certain age, you know what you like, and chances are you're going to stick with it."

Sticking with such a potent, powerful hue for so long may not seem easy. But Daily's cozy decorating style calms it down and gives it a friendly, rather than brash, spin. A collector since childhood, she loves to marry vintage finds with unexpected accents and contemporary touches, all brought to life by dramatic red walls and fabrics. In the living room, for instance, antique violins lean against a wooden chair; a mercury-glass orb perches atop a standing pot rack. A Kurdish cargo bag is draped casually over the coffee table.

 

Because of the home's compact size -- just 1,200 square feet -- and open layout, the continuous color scheme preserves a cohesive look. "When you live in a little tiny house, it just needs to flow," says Daily, who dismisses theories that red can cause people to feel nervous or hyper.

Chinese red paint sparks up the kitchen cabinetry; threads of scarlet run through upholstered pieces, rugs, and draperies. Red-tone accessories range from lacquer boxes to vintage ledger books. Furnishings in warm woods, such as walnut and mahogany, bearing a deep and mellowed patina, accentuate the scheme further. Accent pieces and small furnishings are kept within the same color family so they can be moved anywhere in the house to refresh the look.

As with any color, the umbrella term "red" encompasses hundreds of nuances, and Daily's ever-evolving palette has scaled the spectrum. "I find that I'm going brighter, and I think that helps keep me updated without changing my color scheme," she says. The burgundies, cranberries, and other cool reds that once characterized her decorating have yielded to spicier shades tinged with orange.