Interior designer Alessandra Branca loves all colors but she has become most known for her use of red.  So much so that when she suggests to show house committees that she’d like to design a different color room, they steer her back to red because it’s what the public wants.  And I have a feeling the public is going to love her red living room in the 2015 Kips Bay Decorator Show House.

The red and white striped voile fabric walls take on a more coral color that set the back drop for neutral and black accents and the Pierre Frey Braquenié floral draperies. Alessandra is Italian and spends a lot of time in Italy so her room reflects how Europeans use their living rooms for multiple purposes. The vintage raffia games table is perfect for card games or a casual meal. The desk on the opposite wall is perfect for working and the sofa and banquette are cozy spots for reading and perhaps even a nap.

Alessandra also filled the room with works from her favorite artists including Wayne Pate, Donald Robertson, and Robert Polidori whose photograph of Marie-Antoinette at Versailles hangs about the original mantle.

I’m glad Alessandra stuck with red because it really works in this room.

Interior designer Alessandra Branca.

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic