I Want Your (Unexpected) Red
Image Courtesy: @mariellehaon / Instagram
WARNING: Pragmatic thinking will leave you utterly confused upon reading.
The Unexpected Red Theory, coined by designer Taylor Migliazzo Simon, states that adding red (in any form) to a room will make it feel more grounded. It unexpectedly just fits. A room adorned with blues and cool tones, suddenly made anew with a red lamp, or a patterned red pillow. It almost makes you feel something, eliciting this unidentified sense of satisfaction. An itch in your brain you didn’t know was wildly overdue for a scratch. Almost… unexpectedly. Here was born: The Unexpected Red Theory.
It is a phenomenon backed largely by speculation, but perhaps these physiological components that fringe minimalist-all-beige-no-life propaganda can set a new, actualized tone for what a grounded space should truly emulate. Now, please, don’t take this all so pragmatically, for nuance is the “unexpected’s” best friend. Interpretation is effectively everything.
Red is often a symbol of vitality, passion, and power, and upon viewing it, there is a reaction stemming from a physiological level. Of the things that frequent our lives, things of such erratic emotive nature aren’t some of them. But perhaps, they should be?
The Unexpected Red Theory suggests that the very thing that draws your eye, accentuates attractiveness, and stimulates your mind, could be the very thing that could ground it. In terms of an energy landscape, we are coated in blues, greens, yellows, and purples. Tranquil or perhaps disguised stagnancy? Perhaps a red deficit.
To extend the theory to our everyday lives, I ask you to look at your mind as a room. It starts as any, four walls (beige if builder grade), flooring, and a ceiling– oftentimes, its beginnings are very bare. As you go through life, you make room for windows and doors and hallways. Each experience takes you through a new expansion, whether it simply be by adding a side table.
Routine becomes accustomed to our daily habits, and we are the byproduct of such. There is no room we occupy more than our minds. If you would be so bold as to add some red to this “room”, you may just find that the very things you have deemed as “too burning”, “too passionate”, or simply “too unexpected” will be how you transcend to a new level of peace and confidence. The two work best in tandem.
Energetically, red sits at such a low frequency and wavelength that if it were to be elongated any further, it would be considered heat (infrared), not light. When used correctly, red can possess a great positive power in your mind, your room. It’s up to you how you decorate.
Truly, what can red offer you?
I assure you, much more than an unexpected pop or a ‘fun feeling’. Red is primal and primary. It is a visual exposure to passion. People go their whole lives avoiding feeling, avoiding the true nature of soul exploration. In fear of the unexpected, the unknown, and the pain that may come subsequently. But what a beautiful thing, to have explored such depths, such deep reds of love and passion, of other souls and your own, that you bleed? Blood is still red, after all.
How enlightening would it be to discover someone’s passions, their great loves of life, their dreams? Well, those things are all energetically painted red. Imagine how exciting it would be to make space for your own red, allowing that part of yourself to be discovered and coveted by another.
Now, I am not suggesting readers go play with fire or engage in dangerous activity. Simply to challenge your mind, your room— paint a wall, or frame a photo that brings some element of red to your space. That might just mean veering from your everyday routine, or maybe it means allowing yourself to let go of the pseudo-control you never had over things to begin with– in life, in loving, in losing, in hoping.
Moderation in all things, of course, but that is why it is titled as ‘unexpected’ and not ‘if it’s not red it has to go’.
Despite its ferocity and intensity, when done in respect to moderation, it can be just the thing that keeps you grounded. The universe has a sense of humor, and life’s favored vice is irony.
So, maybe add a red door, you have no idea what is in store for you behind it.
Strike out,
Rosemary Aziz
Boca Raton
Rosemary Aziz is the Editorial Director for Strike Magazine Boca. A health and wellness junkie who finds leisure in writing, all things coffee, and observing the human condition– but people-watching is better with friends. Or in her next article. You can reach her by email at r.m.aziz0204@gmail.com or on Instagram @rosemary.aziz.
