A Colourful Sofa Could be Just the Thing For You
A bold sofa can wake up a too-neutral room, personalise a rented space and more
Laura Gaskill
12 December 2018
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
If you have been eyeing gorgeous sofas in hues like emerald green, vibrant red and rich teal but have been hesitating to bring one home, read the eight statements below. If one or more apply to you, that daring sofa might be just what the design doctor ordered. And if none resonates? Sticking with a trusty neutral (for now) may be the better course. Here are eight ways to know if a statement-making sofa will be a good fit for your living room.
1. When it comes to decorating, you prefer to ‘set it and forget it’
A colourful sofa is a big commitment. If you enjoy swapping out accessories to get a whole new look each year or each season, a statement sofa might cramp your chameleon-like style. But if you simply want a living space you love – and are happy to live with your choice for the foreseeable future – that gorgeous emerald green couch might be the perfect centrepiece for your ‘set it and forget it’ scheme.
Colour lessons from nature: glorious green
A colourful sofa is a big commitment. If you enjoy swapping out accessories to get a whole new look each year or each season, a statement sofa might cramp your chameleon-like style. But if you simply want a living space you love – and are happy to live with your choice for the foreseeable future – that gorgeous emerald green couch might be the perfect centrepiece for your ‘set it and forget it’ scheme.
Colour lessons from nature: glorious green
2. The colour you’re considering feels practically like a neutral
Think of it as the blue jeans effect: Just as anything goes with your jeans, the same is true of most blue sofas. So if the couch you have your eye on is a forgiving shade of blue, like cerulean, denim or navy, living with it probably would be just as easy as living with a beige couch – but probably a lot more fun.
Read about this house
Think of it as the blue jeans effect: Just as anything goes with your jeans, the same is true of most blue sofas. So if the couch you have your eye on is a forgiving shade of blue, like cerulean, denim or navy, living with it probably would be just as easy as living with a beige couch – but probably a lot more fun.
Read about this house
3. You usually go for white walls and minimal decor
If you’re firmly in the ‘less is more’ camp when it comes to decorating (for example, you love white walls and minimalist, modern furnishings), a colourful sofa could be just the thing to give your space a shot of colour. A red (or an orange, green or blue) sofa can provide a bright spot in an otherwise minimalist room, allowing the architecture and carefully chosen accessories surrounding it to sing.
If you’re firmly in the ‘less is more’ camp when it comes to decorating (for example, you love white walls and minimalist, modern furnishings), a colourful sofa could be just the thing to give your space a shot of colour. A red (or an orange, green or blue) sofa can provide a bright spot in an otherwise minimalist room, allowing the architecture and carefully chosen accessories surrounding it to sing.
4. There’s one colour you always gravitate toward
For me, that colour is aqua. For you, perhaps it’s jade green or rosy pink or tomato red. If there’s a hue that speaks to you, a sofa in that colour is likely to fit in well with your home. Since we tend to collect items in our favourite colour almost without thinking about it, chances are that you already have supporting players in your space (like lamps, vases or rugs) that would coordinate with it.
For me, that colour is aqua. For you, perhaps it’s jade green or rosy pink or tomato red. If there’s a hue that speaks to you, a sofa in that colour is likely to fit in well with your home. Since we tend to collect items in our favourite colour almost without thinking about it, chances are that you already have supporting players in your space (like lamps, vases or rugs) that would coordinate with it.
5. You love wildly colourful spaces
Can’t get enough colour and pattern? If you feel most alive in wildly colourful spaces, a colourful sofa is probably a good fit. If you’re unsure about which hue to choose, I’d again make the case for blue: It’s interesting but also versatile, so you can change up the colour scheme as often as you like, and your blue sofa will always look right at home.
If you want to spice up your colourful sofa even more, consider adding multicoloured buttons to a tufted sofa (as shown here) or painting the legs a fun contrasting colour.
Can’t get enough colour and pattern? If you feel most alive in wildly colourful spaces, a colourful sofa is probably a good fit. If you’re unsure about which hue to choose, I’d again make the case for blue: It’s interesting but also versatile, so you can change up the colour scheme as often as you like, and your blue sofa will always look right at home.
If you want to spice up your colourful sofa even more, consider adding multicoloured buttons to a tufted sofa (as shown here) or painting the legs a fun contrasting colour.
6. The sofa will be in a less frequented space
If you’re not sure you’d feel comfortable choosing a colourful sofa for the living room, a bold piece in a private or less frequented space could still be a good fit. The bedroom, guest room and home office can all be good spots for colourful couches. Since you probably don’t spend as much waking time in these areas as in other rooms of the house, such as the living room and kitchen, the novelty of a colourful sofa is less likely to wear thin.
If you’re not sure you’d feel comfortable choosing a colourful sofa for the living room, a bold piece in a private or less frequented space could still be a good fit. The bedroom, guest room and home office can all be good spots for colourful couches. Since you probably don’t spend as much waking time in these areas as in other rooms of the house, such as the living room and kitchen, the novelty of a colourful sofa is less likely to wear thin.
7. You wish you could paint the walls, but you’re renting
If you’re coping with plain walls and flooring chosen by a landlord and wish you could add some colour, a bright couch could be the ticket. A sofa takes up so much floor space that one in a vibrant hue can have a big impact on how colourful your room feels overall.
If you’re coping with plain walls and flooring chosen by a landlord and wish you could add some colour, a bright couch could be the ticket. A sofa takes up so much floor space that one in a vibrant hue can have a big impact on how colourful your room feels overall.
8. You’ve fallen in sofa love
It may not make logical sense to put a hot-pink velvet chesterfield in your living room… but love doesn’t always make sense. If you’ve fallen head over heels for a certain sofa and can’t get it out of your mind, chances are good that you’ll also enjoy having it in your space, regardless of whether it should work.
TELL US
Do you have a colourful sofa? Share a photo in the Comments!
It may not make logical sense to put a hot-pink velvet chesterfield in your living room… but love doesn’t always make sense. If you’ve fallen head over heels for a certain sofa and can’t get it out of your mind, chances are good that you’ll also enjoy having it in your space, regardless of whether it should work.
TELL US
Do you have a colourful sofa? Share a photo in the Comments!
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Bye bye grey, hello colour !