Choosing the colour is an exciting part of buying a new sofa. Colours can affect your mood, so think about a palette that will make you feel happy and comfortable. Bright colours can be fun and add energy to a room, while neutral tones can be more calming. You’ll also want to make sure the colour of your new sofa complements the other furniture already in your living room. Stay tuned as we guide you through the five steps to finding the perfect colour for your sofa!
Step 1: Style
Style refers to the design of the furniture – whether it’s modern with clean lines or more traditional with decorative curves. When it comes to choosing a sofa, look around in your house and decide what look, material and colour that would fit the overall style of your home.
If you’re not sure how to create a cohesive look for your space, we loved the book ‘Happy Inside’ by Michelle Ogundehin. In it, she discusses different interior design styles and offers ideas on how to create a space that reflects your personality and makes you happy. As a practical example, she recommends sticking to one palette – selecting one set of colours, and a few materials – metals, woods, stones, natural materials or tiles, that you use throughout your house. As an example, a sofa in your living room could match the colour of the upholstery fabric and the wooden legs of chairs in your dining room. If you’re keen to get further into types of sofa fabric, check out the article on How to Choose The Right Sofa Upholstery Fabric.
Step 2: Light vs dark sofa
When it comes to choosing the colour for your sofa, one of the first considerations should be whether you want a light or a dark sofa. Light sofas can create a brighter, more airy feel in a room, while dark sofas can make your living room feel more cosy and intimate. Floor colours and wall colours can also affect how light or dark a sofa appears. If you have bright walls or carpet, for example, you might want to choose a dark sofa to create contrast.
You should also consider how your living space will be used. Dark cushions and accessories will hide accidental marks, whereas a white or neutral couch will require regular cleaning.
Step 3: Complementary colours
Consider the other colours, tones and shades already in your living room and look for a couch that will complement them. In particular consider colour of your carpet and other large pieces of furniture that you’re unlikely to change.
Complementary colours sit opposite each other on the colour wheel and create a visual contrast. When used together, they can make a room look more balanced and harmonious. For example, if your living room has lots of warm tones like reds, oranges, and yellows, you might want to choose a cool-toned sofa in blue or green to create contrast.
If you’re not sure which colours complement each other, there are a few websites that can help. An example is Canva who has a great colour wheel tool that lets you fill in a colour and then tells you the complementary colours.
When styling a sofa, paired throw pillows or rugs can really help add personality and character to the room. If you have a sofa in a neutral colour, adding some brightly coloured throw pillows can really make it stand out. If you have a more brightly coloured sofa, adding a rug in a fun pattern can help change up the living room.
Step 4: Mood
The colour of your couch can affect your mood and how you live in your space. Bright colours like red or yellow can be uplifting and cheerful while darker hues like black or navy blue may make us feel more relaxed and contemplative.
A sofa paired with cushions in contrasting colours and texture can also be effective. Colours like pink and purple may be too bold as a primary colour, but could add excitement to a neutral or white fabric sofa. Blend similar colours for a more neutral style or use contrasting tones and fabric to make a statement.
According to the homefitter ‘Sofa Searcher’ database, grey sofas are the most popular colour representing ~40% of sofas in the UK.
In the following sections, we’ll shed light on some of the benefits and downsides of choosing the most common sofa colours for your living space.
Shades of grey sofas
Grey sofas are a popular choice for many homeowners because they’re neutral and can match any decor. It’s a versatile shade and can be used in a variety of spaces, from the living room to the bedroom. Benefits of grey sofas include their ability to match any colour scheme, their timelessness, and their versatility. Downsides of grey sofas include the fact that they can show dirt and dust easily and may feel cold in appearance.
Classic allure of a navy blue sofa
Blue sofas are another great choice for your living room. A blue tone will blend with a variety of different furniture. Light blue sofas are a better idea for smaller rooms or a dark blue accent could add interest if paired with white or grey carpet.
Beige and neutral toned sofas
Beige and neutral toned sofas such as cream are a popular choice because of their versatility. They can match with a variety of different decors, and they don’t take up too much of a visual footprint in a room. However, one downside to a beige or cream sofa is that they can sometimes appear bland. If you’re looking for ideas to make a statement in your home, a beige sofa may not be the best choice.
Chocolate brown sofas
A brown sofa can work well with a range of different colours. Most commonly known from leather sofas, it can be used to create a warm and cosy atmosphere, or a more formal look, depending on the other colours that are used with it. Brown is also considered to be a safe choice, as it won’t clash with any other colours in the room and may match your chairs. However, some people may find brown boring.
Gorgeous green sofas
Green sofas are on trend and brings a fresh, natural colour that can brighten up any room. It’s a good choice if you want to create a relaxing, calming environment. Green is also considered to be a lucky colour! However, green may not be the best choice if you want to create a more energetic or vibrant living space. If you having other bold colours in your living room like purple, blue or yellow, there’s a risk green may clash with your decor.
Ravishing red sofas
Red sofas can be a great addition to any home, as they add energy, excitement and warmth to the space. They’re also perfect for making a statement. However, it’s important to keep in mind that red is a very bold colour. Additionally, red sofas can be difficult to match with other colours in the room, unless you have a neutral decor.
Elegant white sofa
A white sofa is bright and airy, and can make a small room feel bigger. White is also a very neutral and versatile colour that can work well with a variety of other colours in your living room. However, white sofas can get dirty very easily and white fabric will need to be cleaned more often than other colours.
Sunny radiance of a yellow sofa
A yellow sofa can add energy and brightness to the room. It can also be a fun and festive addition to a space. However, there are some downsides to yellow to consider as well. If you have a lot of other bright colours in the room, a yellow sofa may not be the best choice. It can also be difficult to match carpet and accessories with a yellow sofa.
Other (more spacy) colours
Other colours such as pink sofas, purple sofas or a multi-colour sofa with a pattern of colour tone combinations are more bold choices. However, if you are looking to make your sofa the focal point of your living room, this might be the way to go. Popular sofa trends sometimes move in this bold direction, but consider carefully if this is the way to go as these trends can go out of fashion quickly.
Step 5: Finding your sofa
Once you know what colour you want for your sofa, it’s time to look for your options! It can be difficult to get a comprehensive overview of the options available without spending hours scouring the internet. Fortunately, homefitter has done the hard work of gathering and standardizing information on +2,000 sofas across the UK in our ‘Sofa Searcher’ database for you! You can filter your sofa search results with 17+ filters and sort by price to find the best deals.
Conclusion
In summary, choosing a colour for your sofa is a fun process and doesn’t have to be difficult! Colours can affect your mood, so look for a sofa colour that will make you happy and comfortable when relaxing on the sofa. Take into account the other colours in the room and look for tones that complement each other. Bright colours can be fun and add energy to a room, while neutral tones can be more calming for a place of rest. Whatever your style, I hope you find the perfect sofa to fill your living room!
Accelerate the search process for your new sofa and find the colour accents you prefer in the homefitter ‘Sofa Searcher’ database with +2,000 sofas where you can filter between 13 colours.
In addition to sofa colour, you might also look for help to find the right size sofa for your living room. Not to worry, we got you covered. Check out our recent articles on How to Find the Right Size Sofa for Your Home and How to Find A Sofa for a Small Living Room With Limited Space!