I recently finished a small project, helping a client source a sofa for her formal sitting room. She sent me some photos of her current room and Pinterest pins. After some studying (forever a diligent student), I decided that she needed to elevate her living room by bringing in a jewel toned sofa. She loved the idea and will keep me updated on her final decision. I thought it would be great to share with you my picks and more importantly, how you can choose almost any color sofa and still achieve a calm, neutral and inviting living space.
A sofa is a big investment. It is understandable that people often choose an off-white or gray sofa because they want to play it safe, and they don't want to tire of a color for a piece of furniture that should last at least 5 to 10 years. But if you have a fairly neutral palette to start, consider amping up your room by choosing a sofa with color. I make two promises. First, if you choose the right sofa in green, blue, yellow, or even pink (!), you'll never tire of it. Second, if you want to maintain that soothing neutral feeling in your room that everyone loves, a colorful sofa can easily be integrated, being both colorful and neutral simultaneously.
Example? My own living room. Below is a my beloved pink loveseat.
Since I change my living room fairly often, experimenting with different accessories and furniture, it's important to maintain a largely neutral palette just like most of my clients! The one constant is this loveseat. Yes, it's pink, and not just for Valentine's Day. But in this neutral environment (white walls, jute rug, wood furniture, neutral window coverings) this pink loveseat works. It is well integrated and although it makes a small statement, it doesn't scream "look at me!" The overall feeling is one that is warm, pleasant and collected.
For this client, since her current room was otherwise fairly neutral, an easy solution for bringing character was through a sofa with a bolder color. Below were my picks:
I love them all. As you can see, I also threw in a modern take on a traditional Chesterfield sofa (option 3) just in case she wasn't loving the blue sofa choices. But what do they all have in common? They all exude sophistication, timelessness and luxury, everything you want in sitting room seating.
So now you've chosen that perfect colorful sofa, now how do you integrate it into your neutral room, keeping it classic and soothing? Example images are the best way to show how this works best. See below!
The key to making a colorful sofa work in your room? Keep the rest of your room fairly neutral. You don't have to exclude all other colors, but be thoughtful and if it's a neutral room you're trying to achieve, make sure that additional colors are just accents not competing with your colorful sofa. I deliberately chose example images that varied in style to show you that it can be done in any room no matter what your aesthetic preferences may be.
A couple of tips on choosing the right color.
- Choose a color you love. This will go a long way in making sure you won't tire of it.
- Pay attention to the hue. For example, there a million different blues out there, cobalt blue, baby blue, periwinkle, etc. Most of the time when choosing colorful sofas for my clients, I gravitate towards color hues that are rich and jewel toned. They often work best in most rooms instead of colors that are say pastel in tone.
- If you're unable to view the sofa in person, order a swatch prior to ordering! This is important not only to make sure you love the color, but also to feel the texture. And don't forget, if you have kids and/or pets, pay attention to the type of fabric making sure it's durable and practical.
Settled on a color? Don't forget to consider factors such as craftsmanship, quality and durability, you can find great and informative articles here and here.
If you're in the market for a new sofa, I encourage you to go forth and think outside the box! Be brave, a colorful sofa may just change that drab room into one infused with personality and charm.