Help us pick a couch color
February 3, 2016 7:31 AM Subscribe
What advice do you have about picking a couch color? How is your couch color working out for you? Do you want to comment on our options? After weeks of indecision, I turn to you, MetaFilter. Options and photos inside.
Extrapolating from small color swatches is my least favorite thing to do! We're trying to pick a couch color, complicated by the fact that we're going to move in a year or two, so our decor nearby (e.g., the color of the floor) will change. How has your couch color worked out for you over time?
Here are the three options: Clay, Toast, and Agate. We mostly lean toward Clay, which isn't nearly as yellow-green as that photo looks to me. Sometimes we lean toward Agate. Respectively, they're basically a muddy olive (or dark sage?), army-camo green/brown, and a lighter earth tone tan that's warmer than the other colors. Here are the swatches on a few backgrounds. (Of those, the last one, the Ikea table, looks most like the swatches look to me in person.)
I have had trouble finding similar-looking couches on Houzz and Pinterest, making me wonder if I'm missing something. (I do like this couch, which is in the color ballpark of our options.) It does seem like most rooms have couches that are neither the darkest nor lightest thing in the room, making me lean away from Agate.
One big consideration is we're on the verge of having young children. Do we need to go as dark as possible to hide stains? Think Clay is dark enough?
Another consideration is that if you'd asked me up front what look I'd be going for, I would've said: comfortable, somewhere between modern and southwestern. All the southwestern looking rooms I see manage to have a pinkish clay color somewhere, which I'm not sure would blend well with either clay or agate. Then again, it doesn't have to blend well, just coexist nicely in small doses.
I'm clearly over thinking this! What's your advice?
Extrapolating from small color swatches is my least favorite thing to do! We're trying to pick a couch color, complicated by the fact that we're going to move in a year or two, so our decor nearby (e.g., the color of the floor) will change. How has your couch color worked out for you over time?
Here are the three options: Clay, Toast, and Agate. We mostly lean toward Clay, which isn't nearly as yellow-green as that photo looks to me. Sometimes we lean toward Agate. Respectively, they're basically a muddy olive (or dark sage?), army-camo green/brown, and a lighter earth tone tan that's warmer than the other colors. Here are the swatches on a few backgrounds. (Of those, the last one, the Ikea table, looks most like the swatches look to me in person.)
I have had trouble finding similar-looking couches on Houzz and Pinterest, making me wonder if I'm missing something. (I do like this couch, which is in the color ballpark of our options.) It does seem like most rooms have couches that are neither the darkest nor lightest thing in the room, making me lean away from Agate.
One big consideration is we're on the verge of having young children. Do we need to go as dark as possible to hide stains? Think Clay is dark enough?
Another consideration is that if you'd asked me up front what look I'd be going for, I would've said: comfortable, somewhere between modern and southwestern. All the southwestern looking rooms I see manage to have a pinkish clay color somewhere, which I'm not sure would blend well with either clay or agate. Then again, it doesn't have to blend well, just coexist nicely in small doses.
I'm clearly over thinking this! What's your advice?
Best answer: Choose clay or agate, as toast already looks dirty.
Clay will work best with southwestern, and you talked about it the most in your post (which makes me think you like it most). Choose that.
posted by samthemander at 7:49 AM on February 3, 2016
Clay will work best with southwestern, and you talked about it the most in your post (which makes me think you like it most). Choose that.
posted by samthemander at 7:49 AM on February 3, 2016
Darker couches will show the cat hair more.
Judge the colors in the natural lighting of the room you want to put the couch in.
Tape the swatch up on the wall near the floor in a bright area of the room and decide what looks best to you when taking into account the floor and wall colors. One will just look "more" right.
Are you going to repaint the room it's going in? Tape paint swatches up in the same way.
posted by lizbunny at 7:51 AM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Judge the colors in the natural lighting of the room you want to put the couch in.
Tape the swatch up on the wall near the floor in a bright area of the room and decide what looks best to you when taking into account the floor and wall colors. One will just look "more" right.
Are you going to repaint the room it's going in? Tape paint swatches up in the same way.
posted by lizbunny at 7:51 AM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far. Here's one more photo, the swatches with our front porch tile, which has that pinkish earth tone I was mentioning. It actually seems like any would do fine with small doses of that color.
posted by slidell at 7:59 AM on February 3, 2016
posted by slidell at 7:59 AM on February 3, 2016
Go for the toast. You can punch up color with accents, but you want something that is durable and won't show stains. (Mom of two kids here.)
posted by heathrowga at 8:11 AM on February 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by heathrowga at 8:11 AM on February 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
Yeah, toast. I have friends with a "clay" color couch and it always looks bad.
posted by Marinara at 8:14 AM on February 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Marinara at 8:14 AM on February 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
Here's one rule that makes everything easier: never let anything with any yellow tone whatsoever in your house. No yellow paints, no yellow-beige rugs, no ochre couches. Err on the side of blue-greys, green-greys and off-whites to grey-whites. Even light browns, which are going to naturally include some yellow, can be dangerous but of course a nice brown can be great.
Yellow eventually always makes everything and everyone look like a trash heap!
posted by RJ Reynolds at 8:18 AM on February 3, 2016 [6 favorites]
Yellow eventually always makes everything and everyone look like a trash heap!
posted by RJ Reynolds at 8:18 AM on February 3, 2016 [6 favorites]
I like the agate. Definitely not the clay. And I agree with whoever above said the toast looked dirty (although maybe that's just the photo?)
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:27 AM on February 3, 2016
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:27 AM on February 3, 2016
Another vote for Agate. My living room couch is a brown that's very close to your agate color & I love it. It wears well, doesn't show dirt, and pairs well with different colored throw pillows. (Right now, my pillows are black and white & my general palette is neutral with a lot of clean, oak-hued wooden pieces. I have a giant, 100-year-old brown and red quilt hanging behind the couch. The overall effect makes me really happy.)
The couch is the biggest, darkest thing in the room, and that's fine by me. It's more of a warm & cozy look than a breezy, beachy look. If you want to go breezy and do the blue/bottle green/yellow pillow thing a la younghouselove, the agate would probably be too heavy.
posted by mochapickle at 8:35 AM on February 3, 2016
The couch is the biggest, darkest thing in the room, and that's fine by me. It's more of a warm & cozy look than a breezy, beachy look. If you want to go breezy and do the blue/bottle green/yellow pillow thing a la younghouselove, the agate would probably be too heavy.
posted by mochapickle at 8:35 AM on February 3, 2016
The only pic that was near true to showing the swatches was the outdoor pic, and they all looked awful against that tile.
Open the windows, get some daylight going + turn on all of the lights in the room the couch will go in. Judge the swatches against the colors and full light in that room.
I vote you keep looking, I was a fan of none.
Hey! The IKEA Kivik couch is great if you will have kids, should last their childhood and is completely washable. I'm not a fan of any of the current couch colors they have, but you can look for additional colors and patterns on eBay and the like.
Even though chocolate milk hasn't stained ours yet, yes, go for darker probably. Unless you have cats. Then it won't matter because they'll likely shred the couch eventually, anyway.
I did worry a lot less when my couch was leather and not fabric, fwiw.
posted by jbenben at 8:48 AM on February 3, 2016
Open the windows, get some daylight going + turn on all of the lights in the room the couch will go in. Judge the swatches against the colors and full light in that room.
I vote you keep looking, I was a fan of none.
Hey! The IKEA Kivik couch is great if you will have kids, should last their childhood and is completely washable. I'm not a fan of any of the current couch colors they have, but you can look for additional colors and patterns on eBay and the like.
Even though chocolate milk hasn't stained ours yet, yes, go for darker probably. Unless you have cats. Then it won't matter because they'll likely shred the couch eventually, anyway.
I did worry a lot less when my couch was leather and not fabric, fwiw.
posted by jbenben at 8:48 AM on February 3, 2016
To clarify - new kivik covers are like $150 or something, and can be easily bought and shipped.
posted by jbenben at 8:49 AM on February 3, 2016
posted by jbenben at 8:49 AM on February 3, 2016
There's something a little sickly about all of those colors, to my eye. The best couch color I ever had for hiding stains was dark gray (this couch). I also like stronger colors (for a Southwestern feel, maybe turquoise or cayenne)--I feel like people are afraid of getting non-beige couches, but the risk pays off with a better-looking room. If you do go with beige, I think there are purer beiges out there that will look better.
posted by three_red_balloons at 9:04 AM on February 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by three_red_balloons at 9:04 AM on February 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: The couch is already ordered, so I can't defect to Ikea. However, I can attach photos of the samples with one of our cats!
posted by slidell at 9:08 AM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by slidell at 9:08 AM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
We have a tabby cat, and a couch similar to your Agate color. They coordinate well.
posted by yarntheory at 9:21 AM on February 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by yarntheory at 9:21 AM on February 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
I vote for toast. Second would be clay (I'd probably pick clay first if you didn't have the caveat that kids would be in the mix soon). Use bright pillows to add interest and color. The agate isn't a pleasing color to my eye and would not be very versatile.
posted by JenMarie at 9:24 AM on February 3, 2016
posted by JenMarie at 9:24 AM on February 3, 2016
I like the darkest color and the lightest color from your cat photo. The dark one matches your cat the best. However, I have a light gray couch (that I love) and I wouldn't recommend it to someone who plans to soon have small children. So my vote is for the darkest color, and definitely not that yellow-toned middle color which will make your whole room look sickly.
posted by serelliya at 9:24 AM on February 3, 2016
posted by serelliya at 9:24 AM on February 3, 2016
I just realized I may have the color names wrong -- basically the one that is greenish would be last choice for me. The darker color would be first, the lighter beige second. Sorry!
posted by JenMarie at 9:25 AM on February 3, 2016
posted by JenMarie at 9:25 AM on February 3, 2016
Best answer: Ha, your cat is very well coordinated with the swatches. I also think the darkest one, on the left, looks nicest with him/her.
posted by three_red_balloons at 9:27 AM on February 3, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by three_red_balloons at 9:27 AM on February 3, 2016 [9 favorites]
I just want to say I have not ever had yellow furniture but I have bright sunny yellow walls throughout my house (and every house i've lived in) and it's wonderful and cheerful, so i'm leery of the person who said avoid yellow at all costs.
I had a bright purple sofa for 15 years with blue and sage cushions (and a floral patterned chair with sage, lavender, yellow, and blue) and it was all very lovely against the backdrop of the yellow sunny walls. So you definitely can do bright colors in your sofas if you decorate around it. Having said that, there was an apt i wanted once that was perfect in so many ways except the carpet color clashed with my purple sofa so we had to pass on renting it. Bright colored furniture can definitely limit your decor options.
Dark colors do show dog/cat/people hair more. And i think the lightest color you picked goes best with the tile floors. However i'd worry about that light color and children (either you'll make them need therapy with your neurotic "cant get the sofa dirty" behavior to protect it or you'll eventually have a dirty sofa).
posted by TestamentToGrace at 9:56 AM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
I had a bright purple sofa for 15 years with blue and sage cushions (and a floral patterned chair with sage, lavender, yellow, and blue) and it was all very lovely against the backdrop of the yellow sunny walls. So you definitely can do bright colors in your sofas if you decorate around it. Having said that, there was an apt i wanted once that was perfect in so many ways except the carpet color clashed with my purple sofa so we had to pass on renting it. Bright colored furniture can definitely limit your decor options.
Dark colors do show dog/cat/people hair more. And i think the lightest color you picked goes best with the tile floors. However i'd worry about that light color and children (either you'll make them need therapy with your neurotic "cant get the sofa dirty" behavior to protect it or you'll eventually have a dirty sofa).
posted by TestamentToGrace at 9:56 AM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Try rubbing each swatch on your cat to grind in some shedded fur, and see which one still looks nice to you.
posted by lizbunny at 10:14 AM on February 3, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by lizbunny at 10:14 AM on February 3, 2016 [6 favorites]
Agate will work best with the bright accent colors and deep wood and stone tones prevalent in southwestern decor.
Pick a nicknack or accent pillow or blanket that you love and choose a fabric that goes best with that object. If your couch goes well with something you find pleasing, and you decorate with more things that you find pleasing, chances are they will all work together, because our tastes are usually more consistent than we realize.
posted by Mizu at 11:40 AM on February 3, 2016
Pick a nicknack or accent pillow or blanket that you love and choose a fabric that goes best with that object. If your couch goes well with something you find pleasing, and you decorate with more things that you find pleasing, chances are they will all work together, because our tastes are usually more consistent than we realize.
posted by Mizu at 11:40 AM on February 3, 2016
Oh and there is nothing wrong in picking a fabric to complement your cat, either.
posted by Mizu at 11:42 AM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Mizu at 11:42 AM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
I vote for the color that comes closest to matching your cat. There IS some danger of temporarily losing your cat if the match is very very close, but I feel this is outweighed by the benefit of not having to de-fur the sofa every damn day.
(Source: We have a black cat that easily hides from us on our dark brown sofa. We also have silver cats that leave their shiny fur all over the dark brown sofa on an all-too-regular basis.)
posted by kythuen at 11:54 AM on February 3, 2016
(Source: We have a black cat that easily hides from us on our dark brown sofa. We also have silver cats that leave their shiny fur all over the dark brown sofa on an all-too-regular basis.)
posted by kythuen at 11:54 AM on February 3, 2016
Best answer: The darkest one that matches your cat best, absolutely. And see if you can get a replacement slipcover right this instant because you're going to need one with kids and a cat and by the time you realize that, they may no longer be made.
posted by Bella Donna at 12:06 PM on February 3, 2016
posted by Bella Donna at 12:06 PM on February 3, 2016
Best answer: I'd go with the darkest (agate) for both cat reasons and stain-hiding reasons. Light colored couches get filthy looking pretty quickly unless you always have them covered with a sheet or blanket (and who likes the look of that?). And, if your'e planning for kids, dark will be your friend.
I've also found that my dark jeans love to rub off color and I'd quickly have a blue-ish couch if I went for a light colored one.
posted by quince at 1:14 PM on February 3, 2016
I've also found that my dark jeans love to rub off color and I'd quickly have a blue-ish couch if I went for a light colored one.
posted by quince at 1:14 PM on February 3, 2016
I picked black thinking it would just be inoffensive and go with everything, and now I'm buying a giant hippie tapestry to make a slipcover out of because I am BORED of my black sofa. Dark neutral is honestly probably still the safest bet, I'm just sharing my experience.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 11:24 PM on February 3, 2016
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 11:24 PM on February 3, 2016
Don't get a dark color, it will show up all the dust and hair like crazy. My old sofa was dark, and I hated it, if I didn't want to look at little random specks all over it, I pretty much had to vacuum it every other day. But then again, I am really bothered by dust (if I can see it! :P). If that's not you, go for the dark color, it will contrast better if you are having light walls and floors. If you aren't, you should also be careful to add more dark, since I think that too much dark makes everything look too heavy and cave like (keep aware this will restrict your future color choices as well, should you decide to redecorate).
Definitely do not get the light color, you will be guaranteed to regret it in a few years when it starts to look dingy (it is really not a matter of if, but WHEN it well look dingy, a light color WILL look dingy, do not kid yourself otherwise). If it's high quality and you use slip covers, etc, you may be able to get a few years out if it, so if that's all you want it for, then plan on replacing, great! Otherwise, do you really want to spend your time chasing after people with a towel and/or not even getting to sit on the surface of your own sofa? (I've never really 'got' slip covers, what's the point of buying a sofa if you never see it? Plus, they kinda reminds me of my grandmas house). Get something you will be comfortable to life your life on without having to be careful, and that you won't need to spend hours cleaning.
I think if you want to be safest, last longest, and have maximum flexibility, you should definitely get a med 'brown' color, closest I guess would be your 'clay' color, although I still don't think it's quite right. My current sofa is probably closest to that color, but more a reddish tone than greenish. It doesn't show up specks, doesn't get dirty at all, and matches everything perfectly (I currently have a sort of teal color for accessories, which would work for you as well if you are trying to do southwestern). I have also successfully done navy, silver, green...I like having a neutral sofa so I can play with the accessories :). Although if you could, I would suggest to try and get a more 'warm' tone med brown swatch, if possible? (Or are those the only options you get?) As if you are going for a 'southwestern' decor, that greenish colour won't go at all.
posted by Shibui at 6:27 AM on February 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
Definitely do not get the light color, you will be guaranteed to regret it in a few years when it starts to look dingy (it is really not a matter of if, but WHEN it well look dingy, a light color WILL look dingy, do not kid yourself otherwise). If it's high quality and you use slip covers, etc, you may be able to get a few years out if it, so if that's all you want it for, then plan on replacing, great! Otherwise, do you really want to spend your time chasing after people with a towel and/or not even getting to sit on the surface of your own sofa? (I've never really 'got' slip covers, what's the point of buying a sofa if you never see it? Plus, they kinda reminds me of my grandmas house). Get something you will be comfortable to life your life on without having to be careful, and that you won't need to spend hours cleaning.
I think if you want to be safest, last longest, and have maximum flexibility, you should definitely get a med 'brown' color, closest I guess would be your 'clay' color, although I still don't think it's quite right. My current sofa is probably closest to that color, but more a reddish tone than greenish. It doesn't show up specks, doesn't get dirty at all, and matches everything perfectly (I currently have a sort of teal color for accessories, which would work for you as well if you are trying to do southwestern). I have also successfully done navy, silver, green...I like having a neutral sofa so I can play with the accessories :). Although if you could, I would suggest to try and get a more 'warm' tone med brown swatch, if possible? (Or are those the only options you get?) As if you are going for a 'southwestern' decor, that greenish colour won't go at all.
posted by Shibui at 6:27 AM on February 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I vote agate. It's dark enough to hide stains, but not TOO dark. And it feels the most modern, but still warm.
posted by missjenny at 11:37 AM on February 4, 2016
posted by missjenny at 11:37 AM on February 4, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! The agate is ordered!
posted by slidell at 9:49 PM on February 4, 2016
posted by slidell at 9:49 PM on February 4, 2016
Response by poster: P.S. I somewhat randomly picked best answers. What I took away from your collective comments was that Clay (while it will always have a place in my heart) was a much bigger risk, as a number of people really did not like it, while Agate is safer color-wise, less likely to show stains, and matches our young cat well. (And did I mention that our other cat is orange?) Thanks for the advice!
posted by slidell at 9:56 PM on February 4, 2016
posted by slidell at 9:56 PM on February 4, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
The sofa should be unobtrusive. So get the blandest, most basic color you can deal with, and make your design statement with smaller, less expensive items.
I'd steer clear of anything too tinged with green or pink, those are VERY hard to incorporate into a new design scheme should you want to change it up.
Pick the beigiest beige.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:39 AM on February 3, 2016 [2 favorites]