The Viral 'Unexpected Red Theory' Works In Any Space, According to TikTok

Red is officially the "it" color of the season—and according to a new trend, you can't go wrong when adding it to your home. It's unclear who originally came up with this idea, deemed the “unexpected red theory," but a video by TikTok creator @intayriors has gone particularly viral with more than 96,500 likes and 822,500 views. 

In her video, she explains that “the unexpected red theory is basically adding anything red, big or small, to a room where it doesn’t match at all, and it automatically looks better.”

She shows a couple of examples of interiors, including hallways painted entirely purple with a massive red print. “Normally, you wouldn't think to pair red and purple together, but I’m petitioning for red to be a neutral color because it just looks good with everything,” she said. 

A designer from @bluecopperdesign on TikTok agrees, saying she learned about this theory, which her teacher called the lipstick theory, in design school.

“A room is not complete without a pop of red,” she said in the video. “But that kind of related to other colors that would be used as lipstick. So it doesn’t necessarily have to be fire engine red, but it could be pinks or mauves or burgundy, things like that. As a designer, I actually don’t use red that much at all, but I’m kind of liking the little pops and the trends of where red is going.”

She noted that you could add this pop of red to anything from a set of curtains in the living room to a bouquet of fresh flowers.

Nearly every one of the duets of @intayriors’s video feature others praising the idea and showing off the pops of red in their homes. User @luluannprice, for instance, said she adds a pop of red to take away from other unsightly elements when she decorates for home staging.

The unexpected red theory works for distractions, sure, but it’s primarily used to make a room look more cohesive, put together, and finished. This works with primary colors in general, as one commenter pointed out.

If you’re looking to put this color theory to the test, try incorporating a red light fixture, rug, checkered blanket, frames, or a couple small red knickknacks to your space. You may have to play around a bit because the shade of red definitely matters—bright, primary red works best with green, blue, and black, while orangey-red works better with off-whites, grays, and light blue-greens.