Sofa colours

Choosing cushions in the right colours, that also fit nicely with an interior, is important for an attractive result.

That is why we have made an overview of the most common colours of furniture on which cushions end up.

Because cushions can make or break an interior.

If you do it right, you create a sublime, harmonious look & feel, that accentuates the beauty of your interior.

But wrong colour combinations can result in a sloppy and tasteless atmosphere.

If you want to combine cushions with a certain piece of furniture, first try to find colours that match or complement the shades of your furniture and then take into account the other colour accents that are present in your room, such as a painting or carpet. It can also be useful to only work with shades within the same colour harmony of your furniture in order to express a certain atmosphere.

In this guide, we are going to give you visual advice on colour combinations that work well with certain furniture colours and we will take a sofa as an example.

Do you want to know immediately which colours of cushions match your sofa?

Then choose the colour of your sofa :  Beige - Black - Blue - Brown - Green - Grey - Burgundy - Taupe

 

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Which cushions match a beige sofa?

Beige, sand and off-white seats are the most versatile to combine with, as you will see for yourself. They have a very relaxed look and you can combine them well with both very pronounced colours or soft harmonious shades. The most successful combinations happen when the base colour of your cushions is complementary to the beige tones of your sofa and subsequently adding a link with other colours in your interior.

In all these combinations you will find a beautiful base of sandy beige tones in harmony with a second colour that you can link to the shades of your interior. If your interior is already very vibrant, keep it nice and quiet with a monochrome tone-on-tone whole, depending on the atmosphere you want to create. Make sure to provide a touch of elegance and a subtle but beautiful contrast on your beige sofa.

Our suggestions

 

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Which cushions match a black sofa?

 

A black sofa is a great background for graphic black and white prints or for combinations with strong colours, such as cinnamon.

A black sofa also goes very well with almost all shades from a grey range.
Be careful with brown and blue tones. Too many dark shades rarely go well with black and tend to make it look dull. So keep it subtle and refined.

Our suggestions

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Which cushions match a blue sofa?

You cannot go wrong by combining a navy blue sofa with neutral colours such as white, cream or light grey. By choosing rich colours and opulent fabrics, you will create a sophisticated look with a relaxed, cosy feel.

Avoid colours in the same (dark) colour intensity of your seat, eg black, aubergine, dark green or chestnut brown, because the whole will have little spice and look rather bland by combining everything in the same intensity.

Our absolute favourites for an informal look with a navy blue sofa are light creamy shades, which will ensure a vibrant and attractive contrast with your sofa.

Our suggestions

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Which cushions match a brown sofa?

For a brown sofa it’s best to choose rich fabrics with natural colours, but gold-like colours such as cinnamon also ensure a very relaxed and trendy look. Regardless of style or type of sofa, neutral colours will always have a successful effect, just try to avoid black.

Our suggestions

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Which cushions match a green sofa?

Sauge colours always give a beautiful effect for a green sofa, especially in combination with the same colour intensity of beige and / or grey tones.
A combination with soft these green tones will always give a fresh look.

These colour combinations get an extra luxurious look when they are combined with different textures.

But analogue colours such as cinnamon also create a beautiful and trendy combination, only avoid red, unless of course you want to create a Christmas atmosphere.


Our suggestions

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Which cushions match a grey sofa?

A grey sofa goes very well with cushions in a similar shade of grey and a contrasting pattern of sand or white colours. If you only work with plain fabrics, then bring enough variation in light and dark shades or mix different fabric structures.

Try to avoid tone-on-tone grey combinations that bring little contrast, as they can result in a look that feels dull or cold.

 

Our suggestions

 

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Which cushions match a burgundy sofa?

 

A burgundy sofa goes well with cushions with the same red shades and next combined in a sophisticated way with blue, grey, cream or cinnamon colours.

The most beautiful combinations happen when the colour intensity of the sofa and cushions are the same. So avoid too big contrasts, such as pastel shades or combinations with colours that do not match well, such as dark green or dark brown. Use the boldness of your burgundy sofa, but always opt for a lively combination.


Our suggestions

 

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Which cushions match a taupe sofa?

Taupe is a very stylish colour that balances between green and grey. It’s not the easiest colour to combine, just because of those colour shades, but if you make the right combination, not only your sofa but also your entire interior will have a beautiful look.

If your sofa colour tends a little more towards grey, then also check out the combinations with the grey sofa.
If your sofa colour tends more towards khaki green shades, then you are definitely in the right place with the following combinations


Our suggestions

 

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Tips for further styling

 

Colour palette

Now that we've discussed which cushion colours go well with different sofa colours, you should also consider what you want to achieve in terms of style with your final colour choice.

When furnishing an interior, go for a coherent colour palette and then make sure you stick with it. A colour wheel is a great help to find the colours that match your sofa and other elements in your interior.

A colour wheel is a useful system to identify colours for paint, fabrics, materials and finishes and a very reliable guide to choosing colour schemes and understanding the effect of colours on each other. You can easily find these at the better artistic stores.


If you are looking for a luxurious elegant style, it is best to choose one specific colour harmony. The different shades are obtained by adding different amounts of white, grey or black to a pure colour, which changes the intensity. We call this monochrome colours.


But it becomes very interesting when you then consider another complementary colour. Complementary colours are colours that lie on opposite ends of a colour wheel.

 

These two colours have a special relationship with each other, namely the ability to neutralize each other to 1 colour as they are mixed together.

 

In this example, we are adding more and more red paint to green and more and more green paint to red. If you continue to do so, you will get 1 grey shade. These combinations are always very beautiful and will mainly provide intensity in your interior.


Fabrics and designs

One soft, one bold and one plain design:
This trio is always a good combination when choosing an arrangement of cushions.

The largest cushions can best be chosen in the most bold design, so that they form the centre of your arrangement. All other cushions can then be arranged around this design to complement the whole.

When arranging cushions, your cushions should be oriented towards the centre of the setup. That also means that the largest sofa cushions are best placed on the outside when set up sideways. With regard to the number of cushions, you should certainly not exaggerate, because a sofa must always remain visible and cushions should also contribute to your comfort.

By the way, did you know that a 40 x 30 format is an ideal size to support your lumbar? It is therefore often called “lumbar” cushion, referring to the lower part of the loins.

Symmetrical arrangements are important when styling, especially if you are going to combine different fabrics. The combination should have the appearance of a chic, relaxed simplicity.

When can you opt for multiple designs?
(Almost) always, if designs stand within one colour harmony, are subtly coordinated and complementary to your sofa.

If you don't have to take anything else into account, in case of a monochrome interior or in case you can start from scratch, you will be completely free to choose the accent colour and create a specific colour harmony of your choice with different fabrics. This way you can make an original bold statement for your sofa.

It is also important to find a good balance between the fabrics and the cushion dimensions. So, when considering certain combinations, ask yourself if the design of that specific cushion in that size is well balanced with the other designs and sizes that you will be combining with. This choice will determine the aesthetics of your living space.

When is it best to only choose plain cushions?
If you already have a room that is exuberant in colours and patterns, you better temper things a bit and opt for a set of plain cushions on your sofa.

When you have already used fabrics with a rather striking design elsewhere, your cushions can best harmonize with this design in terms of colour, without overpowering. That does not mean that you should not choose vibrant or fresh shades when choosing plain cushions and here again you can distinguish yourself by working with a series of analogue colours.

Analog colours are 2 to 4 colours that are next to each other on a 12-part colour wheel.
Because the selected shades are closely related, you can always create a very refined and personal contrast.

 

So always make sure that you find a good balance and that your colours and designs are complementary to your interior. Doing so you will be quickly on your way to a personal and outstanding feel-good interior.


Have fun styling!

  

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