Color of the Month: Mars Red

A collage of four images. Images are the following: Different color spools of yard. A living room with red accents. Walls are white. A mountain in a clay red color. A potted succulent with red tips.
As the hot and humid summer air becomes a thing of recent memories, a dry calm takes over. Behr’s Mars Red PPU2-11 evokes a subdued warmth that would be right at home in an abode outfitted in desert or southwestern decor, offering the perfect amount of spice without overpowering the space. It’s also the color of autumn leaves starting their colorful transformation, which is why we’ve selected Mars Red from our Down to Earth 2019 Trend Color palette as the Color of the Month.
Paint Swatch - Open paint can with paint brush that was dipped showing paint color for Mars Red.
Mars Red adds a dash of spice to an otherwise light or neutral home’s exterior. Paint the entry door and shutters in this oxidized earth tone for a touch of desert inspiration and warmth. Accent the porch with plant pots in bronzed brown to accompany the paint.
An exterior home painted in a gray color with the door and shutters painted in Mars Red.
House body: Elephant Skin PPU18-16, Trim: Ultra Pure White, Accent: Mars Red PPU2-11
An entryway offers a first impression to guests, so why stick with white? Paint the entry area Mars Red in a home that’s not afraid of color. Paint each room, or various walls in each, a different color, such as berry red and cocoa, or several shades of green. Mars Red pairs nicely with forest green, golden yellow or even denim blue and violet.
An interior of a home showing arch ways and views into other rooms. The walls are painted in multiple colors, yellow, green and red. Ceiling and trim are white.
Entry walls: Mars Red PPU2-11, Lving Room walls: Spiced Wine PPU1-13, Dark Truffle PPU5-19, Amber Autumn S290-5, Dining and Kitchen walls: Ecological S380-6, Vine Leaf N400-7, Trim and Ceiling: Ultra Pure White
A high ceiling is also the perfect place to give your home a little more personality. Mars Red overhead looks stunning in a contemporary space, especially if the color is used on some of the walls as well. Paint a wall behind a fireplace in taupe, rounding out the space with white wood trim and furnishings in white and soft gray tones. This color combination looks amazing with wood floors, too.

Ceiling, right and left walls: Mars Red PPU2-11, Fireplace wall: Elephant Skin PPU18-16, Trim: Swiss Coffee 12
Explore your colorful side by painting one or more walls in a common area in Mars Red, with another focal wall in a deep teal. These two colors team up to offer the perfect backdrop for gold or royal blue furniture and accents, accompanied by a vase of wine-colored roses.

Front wall: Antigua M460-7, Back wall: Mars Red PPU2-11
Mars Red also makes an interesting addition to a room where classic and contemporary decor blend into a wonderfully warm, welcoming space. The dusty red on the ceiling and soft violet walls are the perfect pairing for a room that begs to be the favorite nook for cozying up with a cup of tea and a novel. Hints of turquoise and pale blue team up in antiques, furniture and accents to make a surprisingly inviting space.

Walls: Standing Ovation N570-2, Ceiling Mars Red PPU2-11, Trim: Ultra Pure White
To learn and explore more about Mars Red and the Down to Earth palette from our 2019 Color Trends click here. To see the whole collection and learn more about our Color of the Year, Blueprint S470-5, visit our 2019 Color Trends article on behr.com.
Colorfully yours,
-Quinn