Most of us know the merits of choosing neutral hues for big-ticket purchases such as upholstered furniture. But what can you do when that beige linen sofa and white slipcovered armchair just aren’t doing it for you anymore? Would you, do you fall for a vibrant upholstered piece? If you’re thinking about taking the vibrant road, this can be for you. By choosing the right hue and material to working your brand new furniture in your decor, these eight tips are here to assist.
Tom Stringer Design Partners
1. Think through color pairings beforehand. A vibrant sofa or armchair can really be quite versatile, although some colors are easier to work with than others. Blue is an excellent starter colour, because we’re so used to seeing massive expanses of blue — believe blue sea and sky, or indigo jeans. Your blue sofa could work with fresh greens, as shown here, but when you get bored and want a change, you might also pair it with yellowish or rich chocolate pops, to name just two additional colors.
Order a sample swatch of this upholstery fabric you’re thinking about, and use it to window shop a few different prospective looks. If you can easily find several alternatives for throw pillows, rugs and so on that go together with your upholstery fabric, that’s a fantastic sign.
David Howell Design
2. Offer your colour plenty of breathing room — aka white area. If you are worried about your vibrant furniture feeling overly over-the-top, the easiest solution is to add lots and lots of white. Paint your walls, ceiling and trim in sharp white, and choose some accent accessories or furniture in plain white — that bold piece will instantly seem more relaxed.
Osborne Architects
3. Surround bold color with natural components. Another great way to temper a rich hue (such as the orange used here) is by surrounding it with materials and objects from nature. Stone surfaces, live-edge timber, heaps of firewood, conceal or sheepskin rugs and natural fibers such as jute, sisal and linen partner well with strong colors.
California Home + Design
4. Pick supporting colors with the same strength. If you want to bring in additional color, choose equally bold hues to your additional bits. The glowing red chair displayed here will look somewhat off-kilter alongside a pastel blue ottoman, whereas that vibrant peacock-blue one stands around it.
Ohashi Design Studio
5. Find the right shade and material. A color with some brown in it, such as the red of this seat, looks classy and can work almost like a neutral. If it had been a bright, clear red, it would stand out more. Make sure that you try out a fabric at home, also in various lights, to make sure it’s the exact shade you desire before committing. Similarly, material choice can make a big difference in how a colour comes across — imagine the gaps among nubby red linen, red leather, red velvet and red microfiber. If you like a colour but it just isn’t working for you, try it at a different material.
jamesthomas Interiors
6. Help upholstery blend in with dark wall colors. If you would rather have your vibrant furniture blend into its environment rather than pop in a white room, dark and deep walls are the way to go. In the room shown here, a wealthy blue-gray sofa makes an elegant fit for your slate-gray paint on the ceiling and walls. This look works great with cool colors (blue, green); adhere using milder wall colors to get warm-hued upholstery.
Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design
This bold green sofa comes into its own against an equally wealthy blue wall. It doesn’t blend in, but it does not stick out as it would have against a white wall , either. The richness of this wall color affirms the vibrant energy of this sofa.
Becki Peckham
7. Try out an almost-neutral. Some colors, such as the light celery of this sofa displayed here, are so tender that they operate just as easily as a neutral such as khaki or linen. But its being not quite neutral makes it so much more interesting! If you usually shy away from color, an almost-neutral sofa or chair can be a terrific way to push yourself softly from your comfort zone.
Caitlin Wilson Design
8. Pick what you love. There is no getting around it colour is emotional. And when you bring a daring colour in your home, the only good reason to do it’s because you love it. Not like it, or believe you may like this, or wonder if you need to like it, but like it to smithereens. If looking at that pink sofa makes your heart sing with pleasure, go for it. Be bold and female with pink, and do not fret too much about what will go with this. As the famed decorator Dorothy Draper said, decorating is fun!
Tell us Would you choose vibrant upholstery?