I love Tchochkes readers. We just got a comment in an ancient post of mine “What not to do with an orange sofa” and it was too good of a question to leave in an old post:
I just ordered a sectional orange sofa that just looks like this one (it’s actually a sleeper sofa) along with brown wood coffee table from Macy’s
Well! i saw it in showroom and fell in love with it. Now, I am kind stuck with ideas how to put them together. I’m thinking to have the oak wood floor. The living room i have is small with high ceiling. It has off white color right now. I’d like to do something cozy, warm and yet young and modern. What color should i go with my walls? and rug? and lamp? any good suggestion?
Thank in advance!
Tina
Shira’s suggestions:
First off, this sofa is lovely, enjoy it – and it’s more of a burnt sienna than orange.
I would stick with the oak floor – you can carry it off since you have the high ceilings. The room will still feel big and it will help with the cozy feel you are after. However, you need to make sure that the wood colors don’t clash (the table with the floor). Again, since cozy is what you’re after I would do a kilim rug. Not in the colors of the example below, but you get the idea of what I would recommend (make sure that the colors are in the same hue family, but the burnt sienna of the sofa does not have to be in the carpet):
Wall color – keep it simple and make your walls more interesting with art. Keep it the closest ivory to white you can (not blue-white, that would be too harsh with the sofa and other warm tones in the room, but not too ivory.)
Keep the accessories with the ethnic theme. Handmade ceramics (maybe not in the dark color of these lovely vases from Natalie Colley – an ivory might be better) – need to see the space to tell you for certain. But something along these lines to keep the vertical and the cozy feel.
That’s my 2-cents. I’ve written to Patti and asked her to give her opinion – which she will add later today.
Patti’s suggestions:
Hi Tina,
I would go with a semi-mod look to go along with this sofa. I can see using pickled white oak floors and integrating colors such as brown, green, gray and white or off white. I agree with Shira that most of the walls should be neutral but I think it is important to “tie in” the orange by adding some more of it somewhere.
I suggest choosing a wall or niche (if you have one) and painting it in a shade that is one or two tones deeper than the sofa, or adding accents like woven (jacquard) pillows and (tapestry) art that have this color in them. You can even add a few colorful oversize floor cushions (greens, browns) which would give the room a relaxed feel. As far as rugs go, I would use more of a “gabbeh” or some sort of rug that has an abundance of solid color than pattern. In this semi-mod room, a kilim would push the look more towards “Ethnic eclectic” which is ok, but a bit of a style conflict if you consider the lines of the couch.
Lighting is a great way to “cozy up” a room. How about adding some cut out metal lanterns (especially with a Kilim as Shira suggests): www.bocagrandefurnishings.com or colored glass globes: try www.cxny.com/ for good examples. These types of lights shed a soft textured glow while adding ambiance and interest. You will need to make sure that you have adequate lighting in addition to the accent lighting, this is most important in achieving a comfortable and functional living room. That’s my 2-cents, 4-cents later you have two new room ideas to aspire to.
Shira Abel is the CEO and founder of Hunter & Bard, an award-winning public relations and design agency that works with scale-ups and enterprises on building their brand, awareness and thought leadership.
As CEO of Hunter & Bard, Shira oversees a team that manages public relations, marketing, design, and brand development for clients across multiple industries. She develops strategies for organically growing companies through sincere digital engagement and the application of behavioral marketing.
Clients include JELD-WEN, Benchling, Sixth Continent, Totango, Folloze, Radix DLT, Axa Tech, Allianz, and many more. Shira is also a sought after corporate speaker and marketing mentor, and has spoken at events such as Confluence and Content Marketing World, and taught at institutions such as Kellogg School of Management and S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai.
Read more about Shira’s company Hunter & Bard at https://www.hunterandbard.com