Go bold with a colorful sofa - we can show you how!
There are so many ways to bring color and life into your home - but a saturated sofa is a wonderfully dramatic jumping off point. It does not have to be overwhelming - it's all about coordinating pillows, rugs, and accessories to play with the tones you are drawn to.
The intensely blood orange sofa above leans into its flaming colorstory with Tibetan tiger pillows, and opposite on the colorwheel deep green silk ikat. This is a more exotic look with an African sun mask and loads of plants to act as calming neutrals.
The rules of working with a big, colorful sofa or sectional is to balance the tones - either working with complementary shades or sticking to similar hues on the same side of the colorwheel.
Here a vivid green sofa keeps it cool with neutral, handwoven textiles including a Moroccan wedding blanket throw, a handira. We also used creamy Papua shell necklaces and a bone inlay console to carry over the calm. But what makes the room more interesting is the berry tones of the vintage kilim pillows. The reds and violets are just across the chromatic circle from the acid green of the sofa fabric.
Golden sofas are neutral-adjacent in our book. This apricot beauty positively glows in the morning sun and a crisp round ottoman coffee table in a vintage stripe keeps things soothing. The antique Turkish rug brings in welcome coral tones, coordinating nicely with the suzani and kilim pillow accents. A Kashmiri woolen throw brings a little intensity.
Here the room works harmoniously with warm tones all on the same corner of the colorwheel. It's an inviting space that cocoons in its summery saturation.
Our own homes show how strongly we believe in colorful sofas. While this many colors, textures, and patterns can be overwhelming for some - I look at our living room and think the green of the sofa, and the cream of the vintage Moroccan carpet ground the space. These calming colors act as neutrals, letting the eclectic textiles be center stage. Even in this busy space, I used complementary colors to keep things coherent. Most of the accent colors are warm tones opposite the green, and the neutral woods and creams take things down a notch.
Our upstairs playroom is all about color drenching - the process of painting the walls and the ceiling all in the same deep hue. Our intensely azure sectional is opposite on the colorwheel to the tangerine walls, and really brings the drama.
At Linda's beautiful old adobe, her Moroccan / Spanish Colonial style has a bit more formality - but with just as many amazing colors. Here a red shelter style sofa nestles in with one of our spindle daybeds outfittted with a green seat cushion. A bench with a sparkling crimson chenille handira adds extra seating. Once again - green and red, perfect opposites, bring the balance.
The other side of her living room has had a couple of layouts over the years, but her orange sofa, Moroccan screens, and vintage animals have kept the room richly spiced and interesting. Mostly warm tones keep things harmonious.
This blue sofa shows how a colorful room can be just as calm as an all cream space. The denim blue acts just like a trusty pair of jeans - it goes with everything and can be dressed up or down as your mood dictates. The rustic coffee table, big basket lamps, and linen and silk pillows keeps things casual and comfortable. Rather than play with too many opposites here, the palette is restrained, letting the blue and neutrals keep the volume turned low. Note though how well the terracotta accents pop against all that blue - yes, once again - complementary colors, just on a smaller, more subtle scale.
Here another deep flame sofa goes dramatic with kilim and ikat pillows, but keeps grounded with old teak doors and a coffee table made from an antique pitara chest. Warm tones in similar hues keep things cozy.
We firmly believe venturing beyond the cream, tan, and off-whites of this world makes homes more livable, interesting, and comfortable. And let me tell you - a colorful sofa is a lot easier with pets, kids, and daily messes. Even though performance fabrics have come a long way to making neutral fabrics easier to live with, they do eventually take a beating. Give color a chance next time you are considering a new sofa!
