I’m a big fan of buying the best quality sofa you can afford in a neutral color. Pillows can be the pop of color and pattern and can also be easily changed.
Both my mom and I are in the market for fabrics to reupholster our sofas and, while I think the neutral sofa idea is pretty sound advice, I am finding myself sort of drawn to colorful or large-scale prints. I’ll probably still go with a kid-friendly linen-look fabric in a solid color (chocolate, navy or gray most likely), but I like looking at these pictures and dreaming of being a little more adventurous in the meantime.
elle decor
Cottage Living
Martha Stewart Living
Kristen Buckingham
Timothy Wealon
via coco kelley
domino
Annie Schlecter
Mary McDonald
domino
domino (Amanda Peet)
You are an amazing sofa sleuth -I could be a couch potato on any if those wonderfully upholstered beauties.
pve
I'm especially loving ikat-patterns for sofas – looks amazing!!
I'm there with you. But it's dark microfiber all the way for this household right now :) I do love that green Ikat one; a girl can dream.
I go with neutrals most often as well. But, you have pulled some serious eye candy. I'd be happy to settle in and read a book on any one of these!
Beautiful images! I agree with the neutral fabric advice – for the sofas in our own home, we have gone with a linen shade and another in chocolate brown. However, I'm currently looking into a settee on Craigslist for my office, and if I get it I'm definitely going with a bold fabric choice. Thanks for the inspiration!
I do love that black and white one!
I just love your photo collection – how do you store/organize them? I'm looking for a good way……
You know what? I think you should heed your instincts and get a patterned couch. Ikat hides stains way better than beige. If you want to change later you can always slipcover with beige or grey.
I am the current owner of four beige couches – and I'm not happy about it. Working hard to rectify the situation……
Generally speaking, I prefer to design with neutral sofas and do prints on chairs, pillows, throws and window treatments. However, you can still have a neutral, soothing room with a patterned textile on the sofa. It truly depends on how the room is pulled together as to what kind of effect you get!
This post comes just as we are getting serious about finally getting a good sofa for our living room. Inspiring! I agree that the pattern can hide stains well (we have a 1 1/2 year old) and you can always slipcover or reupholster later if you get a high-quality piece. These prints are classic and I'm sure wouldn't look dated in a few years, which would be my only concern. We spent a huge investment on patterned rugs, why not a patterned sofa?
All these images are so beautiful, I'm a big pattern girl too and my first instinct is to buy patterns, in the '90's I bought a floral couch and loved it, that was until about 2 years later and of course I cringe when I see photos of it now! I currently have a beige sofa now and change it up with pillows or a throw (I like Amanda Peete's couch in Domino), I think my husband is hoping to keep this couch longer then 2 years!
That Cottage Living article was one of my all-time favs!
But I still think a good neutral fabric on couches are the way to go-I have chocolate. Then added pops of color in with my Ikat print chair…and pillows!
Have fun fabric hunting at home!
Isn't it almost more expensive to recover a sofa than to purchase a new one? I have this great chair from Restoration Hardware, and was quoted about $1500 to recover it! I said no!
LOVING those Ikat sofa's, as well as the light blue with big green leaves!
Awesome Post!
The interior design of our house says a lot about a person. Spending the extra time and effort to ensure that we get it right is very important and will greatly improve the enjoyment we get out of our home. Many fabric Sofas now come with reversible cushions meaning that we can easily change the look of the sofa and the room.
Yes, they are all very very tempting! Janell
amanda peet's home was one of my very favorites! her daughter's room was so perfect as well!
I love big prints on sofas. Those are all great finds! It's awesome that so many sofas come in more "official" looking slipcovers, so if you change your mind, you don't have to get a new sofa. Besides, some of those examples are a neutral enough print, you could bend your rule. ;-)
OK, I have been looking for inspiration to fine-tune my living room…. that Kristen Buckingham pic is it for me! With 4 kids and not tons of extra space, we need a liveable living room, that is it for me! Thanks so much for your unending sources of inspiration!
Pattern can be quite kid friendly as well! So can a cotton fiber velvet, surpisingly! Love these selections.
I'm right there with you! I have two Great Danes that are notorious for being sofa hogs {thankfully, our sofa belongs to the Army!} & so my thoughts of buying a glorious sofa will probably have to become more practical. Is there a sofa that I can put into the washing machine?!! :) Most likely, I'd go with a natural solid fabric too, but I love the thought of those patterns!!!
i adore huge patterned prints but for a sofa and how much $$ and yardage you need to have them recovered, i say go neutral…you are less likely to grow tired of it and what to change it. do some funky pattern chairs!
I know what you mean, I have craving a colored sofa!
love every image and defininatly want to muster up some courage to try this look too!
Did you see my Grandmother's couches? She has had them for 30+ years and they have survived everything! Including changing trends… Seriously, her house is gorgeous, check it out.
http://sketch42blog.com/2009/05/granny-chic/
Yeah I like re-decorating my living room and that wouldn't be possible if I was stuck with a sofa in a particular color scheme. I say funky chairs, pillows, throws, but neutral pricey good quality sofa with clean lines and very comfy cushions.
i say go for it! you know what you like and you only live once.
The last pic (of Amanda Peet's pink sofa) is my all time fave. If I could have afforded it, I would have bought it. for me, hot pink would have been a neutral. I'm kind of looking forward to the upholstery wearing out on my current RH sofa so I can slipcover it in hot pink.
Wonderful images and I really love that navy and white ikat but you're right, it's almost always best to go with a neutral fabric for the sofa as prints tend to date quickly.
Well, if anyone can rock a bold print, it's you! I do love the versatility of a neutral though. Although that first faint grey geometric print looks like it could stand in for a neutral.
We have the same Lee industries sofa as you in the 3 cushion size. I slipcovered it last year in a neutral linen.
I know you are quite an accomplished seamstress/re-upholsterer, but in case anyone else is looking for a detailed tutorial:
http://bibbidi-bobbidi-beautiful.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-to-slipcover-sofas-and-chairs.html
more pics here:
http://bibbidi-bobbidi-beautiful.blogspot.com/2010/01/if-i-were-piece-of-furniture-i-would-be.html
BTW- I've been using this amazing upholstery cleaner called Folex on my slipcover (and all over my house!). I picked it up at BB&B. It's awesome because you don't have to rinse. You just spray it on the spot, rub it in with your finger a little and the spot just disappears. I don't know where it goes, nor do I care, it just vanishes. It's really saved me on laundering the slipcover.
When we purchased our furniture three years ago, we bought a couch and love seat with GREAT shape, in a very light taupe… now we have a toddler… and the couch has tons of stuff on it, you name it! Since the lines of the pieces are easy and clean I'm going to take a crack at sewing some slip covers… something I can peel off and wash! And maybe something bold! :)
I love Amanda Peet! She was awesome in 2012, I just became a fan of the movies facebook page. http://bit.ly/kBzNs
I love those images. I wish I was a little more bold with my sofa choice as well, but I picked a neutral for all the pluses you mentioned. Pops of color in pillows are cheaper than a $$$$ patterned sofa I may tire of in a year!
Absolutely – gorgeous sofa's! Ax
I LOVE the one from Martha Stewart, and the first Domino photo. Great fabrics! I agree with you though; I'm much more apt to go with a neutral sofa and use pillows for my pop of color.
I decided to follow the solid, neutral advice, even though in fantasy land, I have a red chiang mai sofa….I actually think chiang mai would hide the ballpoint pen rainbows better than my solid. It is a stain treated fabric (from Room and Board), and most of the pen came out but from a certain angle, the ghost of a rainbow is visible. After 2 years with my custom neutral, I am never going solid again.
Do you have any idea where I can find a fabric similar to the one on the couch in the coco kelly room?
It would make great curtains in my little girls shared room! So far I have robins egg blue antique twin bed frames, with white duvets accented with dark pink and chocolate brown. The art work is very colorful and I need something to tie it all together. I think this fabric would be to die for! Anyone????
Thank you for the fun pictures! I love the Cottage Living! I need to find a new sofa for my front living room. Thanks for the great ideas
We have three small children and two patterned sofas which hide all manner of sins…
jenny love this post!!! i've been collecting sofa pics with patterns for a post but you did it way better than me!!
xoxo,
lauren
Love these sofas! The room with the zebra rug/Marilyn is Todd Alexander Romano. http://www.toddromanohome.com/Todd%20images_Press/Interior_5.htm
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