what colour sofa should i get?

August 25, 2019 6:11 PM

I have a small and sunny living room area. I want to buy a 2-seater sofa or sofa bed to put in the space. I don't know what colour to get.

Because the room and apartment is small, i need it to coordinate well with my current colour scheme, which is based on this Poang armchair in lysed green from ikea and this ikea langsted low pile rug in green . The flooring is similar to this wood-look vinyl The walls are all white. My furniture is similar to the chair- birch and bamboo.

Given this- what colour sofa would you recommend? Please suggest colours or link to actual examples of sofas. I'm in Sydney Australia. My initial thoughts have been a navy blue or a forest green.

posted by MT to Home & Garden (20 answers total)

I would suggest a color that matches your flooring so that your couch becomes a bit invisible. So probably a grey. We took samples of our flooring to the furniture store to achieve that effect. The blending makes the floor and couch kind of “one” and it feels spacious even though we have a smallish living room.
posted by Tandem Affinity at 6:22 PM on August 25, 2019 [2 favorites]

I'd go with white if you don't have kids or pets. Plus, if/when you redecorate, you don't need a new couch!
posted by Weeping_angel at 6:24 PM on August 25, 2019

A grey or a tan would be my choices. You have a lot of green already and I think the navy would be too heavy-looking. A neutral couch will work well with lots of other colors, making it more versatile.
posted by XtineHutch at 6:29 PM on August 25, 2019

Grey!
posted by mollymayhem at 6:32 PM on August 25, 2019 [1 favorite]

I think a dark grey to stay neutral, but to also contrast with the floors. I'd do some mustard yellow and pinkish-peach pillows to add color--it sounds weird, but I love peach/pink and dark green/emerald green together.
posted by shortyJBot at 6:39 PM on August 25, 2019 [3 favorites]

Gray. Plus you don’t need to get a new couch or slipcover if you decide to move away from green. That’s a really strong green, having all your big furniture basically being the same color looks too matchy.
posted by Aranquis at 6:41 PM on August 25, 2019

Definitely neutral (and not white, unless you make all your guests wear hazmat suits). That's a very strong green, and a neutral sofa gives you a lot more flexibility when you change color schemes.
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:04 PM on August 25, 2019 [2 favorites]

Was thinking navy before I read your [more inside] I have a nice nvavy couch in a busy room and it's a nice calming presence. Something sort of like this, almost a grey navy.
posted by jessamyn at 7:19 PM on August 25, 2019 [4 favorites]

I agree that charcoal gray would probably be the most versatile choice, and you could add some pillows or throws for accent color. But if you wanted to go for a super colorful look, a teal/spruce/marine blue, or even a mustard yellow, could be fun. Something like this or this.
posted by karayel at 7:32 PM on August 25, 2019 [1 favorite]

I like color. Blue - royal or navy, or a pattern. Prince Purple looks awesome with those greens, but you'd have to be non-risk-averse.
posted by theora55 at 7:36 PM on August 25, 2019 [1 favorite]

That green is intense, so maybe grey? Mustard yellow could also be fun! But generally I like neutral (and consider navy a neutral) because it will work in other spaces. I had a leather navy sofa in probably 12 different places over 20 years and never got tired of it. Different color pillows and paint colors freshened things up in a new space or when I wanted a change.
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 8:03 PM on August 25, 2019

The correct answer is black. It's a fantastic neutral, sophisticated, and cleans well. Black will look amazing with your floor and also with bright green.
posted by the webmistress at 9:09 PM on August 25, 2019 [1 favorite]

I agree with the black or grey, but also a turquoise pillow or two would make the green extra magical
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 9:16 PM on August 25, 2019

If the sun regularly hits a sofa - or part of it - then it will fade the colour quite quickly: dark brown becomes light brown, red becomes pink, black becomes grey. This colour change is less noticeable if the colour is paler and lighter to begin with.
posted by rongorongo at 1:08 AM on August 26, 2019

A warm medium brown would pull everything together for a natural foresty scheme - a leather sofa would be a nice natural material with some subtle color variation if you're comfortable with that and could afford it. Being a neutral it would go with pretty much any kind of accent colors too.

Honestly I myself would opt for something intense to outrageous, like bright hot pink, or deep rich purple. (I have a dark purple couch next to my ikea poang patterned with large green leaf illustrations and I love the combo.) The greens you link to are lovely to pair with almost any color you like, because it's sort of the background color for gardens and mountains - much like bluejeans kind of go with everything, a saturated green will too. The only color I wouldn't suggest would be more green because that can be overwhelming.

Do some thinking about the kind of feeling you want to have in your living room. If it's a place to be calm and mellow out by yourself, a medium grey or neutral taupe will make the couch kind of slide into the background - any fluffy pillows or throws will stand out and look welcoming, though. If it's a place for kids to play, a dark color like a saturated navy or brick red will be easier to keep clean but also add some life to the space. If you want it to be a welcoming place for visitors to have tea, a golden yellow will bounce all that sunlight around and help it glow a bit.

The most important thing about a sofa is if you like to sit in it. Find one that is legitimately comfy for you, and then think about the color.
posted by Mizu at 2:27 AM on August 26, 2019 [3 favorites]

Another vote for white sofas. There was one in a place I rented and I loved it, it made the room so bright and light. I would never have bought them myself, because of the fear they'd show the dirt, but then when I bought a place to live, I got hold of two white sofas on Freecycle and I love them just as much as the other one. They exude light and space in a small room, rather than sucking the light in and shrinking the space. They do have washable covers, and I've probably washed them a couple of times in 10 years, and done the odd spot clean in between.

Obviously, if you have kids, or drink red wine on the sofa frequently, maybe not. For usual wear and tear, they're fine.
posted by penguin pie at 6:26 AM on August 26, 2019

First, I was on team green, but after having thought a lot (probably too much) about it, I'm more on team grey. With a lot of pillows and a throw that are green(ish), both just green and floral or forest patterns. Maybe pillowcases made out of saris?
Black and white are both hard to keep clean and I don't find them a good match with your chair and carpet.
posted by mumimor at 6:53 AM on August 26, 2019

I love pink with that shade of green. It could be a hot pink if you're into loud, blush pink if you're not.

Or, a white sofa really brightens up a room. Leather or faux leather will stay looking clean and bright for a long time.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 2:19 PM on August 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

I think navy would look amazing. It depends whether you want those pieces to blend, or be the star of the show. If star, then a neutral sofa (grey, white, tan). If blend then another colour: blue, yellow, pattern, pink...
posted by plonkee at 1:00 AM on August 27, 2019

I like pink too, but I think chestnut is a good neutral with green. Not a fan of green and grey.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:26 PM on August 27, 2019