For months I struggled over choosing between a sofa or sectional for my family room. Turns out that was the easy part! Once I settled on a sectional I had several other decisions to make. Color, size, type of fabric, and style. It was definitely an adventure.
Customers come in wondering where to start. The first thing to consider is the size of your room and your style. Here at Cortate we offer many styles, shapes, and fabrics to choose from. It can be a little overwhelming for the first time buyer. If there is a style you love, bring in a picture, this will help us to guide you in the right direction. Before coming in remember to take measurements of the area that will house the sofa or sectional. On to the fun part, picking out the color!
I found this great article that has some wonderful tips for choosing a sofa color. For the complete article go to http://www.about.com/homegarden
Choosing a Sofa Color
Whether you call it a couch or a sofa, that large and comfortable piece of furniture in your living room can make a big impact on your color choices for the rest of the room. A sofa is one of the top three furniture expenditures at home, so choose your sofa carefully. Like other major furniture purchases, your new sofa will be with you for many years.
Where to Start
If you’re starting a decorating project from scratch, a sofa can be chosen first so you can decorate around it. A showpiece sofa as inspiration for a room could be upholstered in a vibrant luxury fabric, or covered in a colorful print. It is a focal point of the room.
If you are adding a sofa to an already-decorated room, or if you’d prefer the sofa play a supporting role, then choosing color becomes more important. There are designers that favor a sofa that matches the wall color, to unify the room. This is an intriguing idea for a harmonious look, though changing the wall color later on could be more complicated. The most common approach is to choose a sofa that complements the other decor, and is not the center of attention nor camouflaged into the wall color.
Light or Dark Sofa?
An often neglected consideration in choosing a sofa, is your floor color. When considering a dark sofa, will it float on a sea of dark wood flooring or blend into it? Because a sofa is traditionally large and upholstered, and most fabric absorbs light, it can darken a room considerably. A trick I use when considering a new sofa color is to find a sheet or blanket in a similar color and drape it over the existing sofa. This gives you an idea of how the color will look, and if the sofa will be too dark or too light for the space.
If you’re putting a dark sofa on a dark floor, it will appear to melt into the room. If you would like to use a dark sofa on a dark floor, your goal should be to make it visible. A sofa with metal or light wood legs can create visual space between the sofa and the floor. The use of a lighter rug at the front of the sofa can also give visual definition. A light wood or metal coffee table could also work to define the sofa from the floor.
A light-colored sofa has different challenges. The biggest challenge being stains and wear. Before selecting a white or light sofa consider how the room is being used now, not how we hope it will be used. If your dog is like mine and believes that a sofa is just another large dog bed, then I could never hope to put a white sofa in my living room without some serious retraining. If your sofa will be enthusiastically used by kids and pets, and you still love the idea of a light sofa, then washable slipcovers are a stylish compromise.
Color Considerations
Once you’ve considered the light and dark of your new sofa, it’s time to think about color. If you’re not working with a showpiece sofa, then a sofa in a neutral color is a popular choice. Neutral sofas are easy to decorate around, and can easily weather style changes over the years.
Neutral sofa fabric includes beige, gray, taupe, and cream. A matte beige sofa fabric can appear dull around other colors, but a textured beige fabric with flecks of monochromatic color can create interest without adding color. Gray sofas can range from pale to charcoal colors. Considered a style chameleon, gray can be sophisticated, comfortable, cool or crisp. Neutral sofas can quietly complement your other decor, but still be stylish and attractive.
A sofa of any color can be beautifully integrated into your space if you treat it as another color from your color scheme. This means adding accessories or prints in the same color as the sofa, to spread the color around the room. A sofa is a large expanse of fabric, by repeating bits of the same color away from the sofa, it balances the room.
When you purchase a new sofa, don’t feel obligated to purchase a matching love seat. A much more flexible style option is choosing a set of upholstered chairs to complement your new sofa. The chairs don’t have to be an exact match for the sofa, but can incorporate the sofa’s color in a print or texture. Using a set of chairs instead of a matching loveseat allows you even more opportunities to add color from your color palette.
Don’t forget accent pillows and throws as the finishing touches when coordinating your new sofa with your room decor.
Leave a Reply