Friday, May 15, 2009

Ivory Sofa, red pillows - Room with a splash of red

What a soothing , calming, relaxing room! It feels like home to me. Beige, Beige, everywhere! but surprisingly it works. You can achieve the same look in your room too, provided you keep the following details in mind:

  1. Vary the texture. Sofa chair has different texture than the sofa. Do not get the love- seat and the sofa in the same print and texture. Get the love-seat in coordinating print instead.
  2. Vary the color intensity - drapes are slightly darker. Don't get an exact match, as it would blend in with the walls. Our eyes like the subtle changes in color.
  3. Ground the space by adding dark furniture like the coffee table and the end tables. Our eyes are always drawn towards a dark object. Any dark object highlights the area around it, it acts like an "underline". The coffee table here, draws our attention towards the sofa with beautiful pillows.
  4. Add an interesting accent color like the red toss pillows, painting with the red flamingo and the book with the red cover.

Also, if you are going to copy this look but do not have the windows in your living room like room above. Add some interest by hanging some nice pictures on the wall behind the sofa. And don't forget to have fun while you are at it :).

18 comments:

  1. I wish i have such a good sense of design. I won`t know how to match the colors, i get really confused when faced with lots of options that i usually go for the conventional black.

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  2. Bosegirls,
    The safest way to start is to find an insipiration piece. A piece of art, or a pillow or rug. Then pick out the lighter shade for walls as that will act as a background. Pick out the medium to dark shade for your furnishings.And the save the brightest shades for accent colors.

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  3. i have a similar theme going on in my living room. Cream sofa, slightly darker curtains, dark red accent wall opposite the sofa and dark (black) furniture. I have no idea what rug to put under or near that sofa! can i email you pics for your opinion?

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  4. Zoey, Please email the pics. Would love to help.

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  5. hi i have dark red theme done on tv console... the outer boudary is dark red n inner beige. my walls are white n i am using cream silk curtains with beige embroidery on it. floor is marble with shades of beige n cream... furniture such as center table n other are dark brown almost black... pls advice what type of sofa shld i put... leather or fabris n what color to pick?? also what rug to use??? thanx

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  6. Shubhi,
    Add no more beige - you have lots of it on your tv console, drapes, flooring
    1. Chocolate Brown Leather Sofa - If you didn't have beige drapes I would have advised beige sofa as you have brown black coffee table etc. Brown sofa will introduce a dark neutral element to your decor as well as ground the space.

    2. Do not stop there... You need to pick a color scheme for you room. So far colors you have beige, brown and little bit of red. You need to pick one more secondary accent color. I would suggest either go with sage green or burnt orange.
    Color scheme: Beige-Brown-Red-Sage Green
    Beige: Flooring, Drapes and 1 Throw Pillow
    Brown: Sofa, coffee table etc
    Red: Throw Pillows, decorative accessories
    Green: Throw Pillows
    Red-green-beige-brown: Rug and Paintinga, Art work

    3. You still need to define your space !! Adding a rug to a space not only defines a clear boundry but colors in the rug can be used to pull your color scheme together.
    So add a nice rug in size 5 x 8 or 8 x 11, rug size you pick depends on the size of your room. Get a rug which has beige,red or green, little bit of brown. I am suggesting beige as the furniture on top of it is going to be in darker hues (chocolate brown sofa and brown black coffe table)
    4. Don't forget to add the all important accessories. Accessories in the right colors can make a space warm and inviting. Add throw Pillow in red, green and beige.
    5. Art work add interest to a room, so get paintings with brown or black frames with some red and/or green colors.

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  7. hey thanks alot for ur advice!!!
    just one more question... will a cream or ivory leather sofa also go???
    thansk alot
    shubhi

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  8. Ivory Leather Sofa can work but we need to pick out a new color scheme for your room.
    beige-ivory-brownblack-camel-red

    Beige: Flooring, Drapes, tv console
    Ivory: Sofa, decorative accessories
    Brown: coffee table etc
    Red: Big Throw Pillows, decorative accessories
    Camel Color: Throw Pillows, decorative accessories
    camel-beige-brown: Rug
    camel-beige-brown-red: Paintings, Art work

    1. Here the camel color is all important is it bridges the stark contrast between ivory, red and the brown black coffee table. Also, it prevents the room from getting too matchy-matchy. If you ever decided to paint your walls, I would reccomend going with the camel color.

    2. Against the backdrop of white walls, ivory
    sofa will get lost. Draw attention to your sofa, by placing bigger toss pillows (18 x 18 or 20 x 20) in accent colors (red, camel).

    3. White Walls can be quite un-inspiring. Breathe life into those white walls by hanging a couple of sizeable paintings framed in black or chocolate brown. Why brown/black frames ? 'coz one of the the tricks of decorating is repetition of color at least 2-3 times. And so far the chocolate brown color has been repeated only on coffee and end tables.

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  9. thanks a lot alka for all the helpful tips!!! i think i'll go with ivory sofa n as advised by u get the walls redone!!!
    really thanks a lot!!
    just love ur blog!!
    great work....
    tc
    shubhi

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  10. I just discovered this blog. I love it!

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  11. Hello Alka,

    Recently, I purchased a small brown leather sectional...with a red leather chaise. Which I absolutely adored in the showroom, but am unsure if I really wanted to take such a leap..as I've always played it safe with my decorating style. I also bought two metal art deco type wall decorations...deep brown/blk frames, each has a metal flower. One in deep red, the other in deep gold tones. The entertainment center and matching lamp tables are medium brown woods. I was thinking of buying the coordinating showroom area rug which has rusty reds, black/brown tones to go with the deco wall art...plus the matching throw pillows for the couch with the same colors. Last month I started to paint two walls (drapery wall) a sort of deep butterscotch color, but am unsure if it'll look good with Ivory drapes on it.
    My question is: I'm not replacing my custom made drapes. They are a sheer nubby material with ivory sheers. What color(s) do I paint the walls in order to bring this all together?

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  12. I have red window cornices with taupe edging, my walls are cream with taupe on one wall. I have fairly light colored wooden floors but now need to know what color I should get my sectional in...there is some black in the room as in the fireplace hearth and a couple of framed pictures.

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  13. Hello Alka,i just stumbled upon this blog and so far i have been impressed by your artistic views.I just moved into a new home and i am totally clueless about what or how to go about making the house a cosy home.So far i have a cream leather sofa and chair in the living room,oatmeal painted walls with white trimmings,the floors are oak wood.i would like some curtains,throws,carpet,paintings.Please i need your help with choosing the right colors to compliment the cream sofa etc.thanks.Anne

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  14. Hi Alka,
    Very Nice blog...I totally love your ideas. I have a small living room with beige sofa and orange rug. The walls are ivory. I am not able to decide on the color of drapes. Can you help me in choosing the right drapes for my living room. Thanks VS

    ReplyDelete
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