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Although we often associate the colour brown with a bygone era, it’s making a comeback. Along with copper, brown is returning to our living room in various hues and shades.
The colour brown conveys a sense of cosiness with its warm earthy hues. It summons feelings of stability and being grounded. Reminiscent of roots and nature, a brown sofa can have a comforting and centring effect in a home. Interior designers using the Japanese art of Feng Shui might utilize a brown sofa to create contentment and peace. Some say that a brown sofa can even inspire a heart-to-heart chat.
Forget your memories of brown from the 70s, the flares, the oversized orange and yellow flower wallpaper and buckle up as we are venturing into the world of stylish warm hues and cosy dens.
So my friend, sink into your comfy brown sofa, relax and read on as we guide you through the do’s and don’ts of designing your living room around a brown sofa.
A brown sofa, whilst being a practical choice, is wonderful at hiding marks created from the thrills and spills of everyday life. It will always make an impact regardless of the type of house you live in. From a one-bed modern apartment to an old farmhouse, you can guarantee that your warm brown sofa will become the focal point in any room.
But what to pair it with? From scatter pillows to wall hangings to the right colour palette, we have several interior designs to suit you.
Here are 6 ways to style a brown couch.
When two worlds collide
Try pairing a worn leather couch with the crisp white walls of a modern apartment. The contrast of a light-filled room with the warm earthy tones of your soft furnishings will create a look that is both modern and timeless.
We recommend adding in different textures to your living room to complete the look. These could be in the form of macrame wall hangings, rattan accessories or even an area rug that beautifully compliments the tonal palettes you have chosen.
Scatter cushions complete this look
The idea behind this interior design classic pairing of a dark brown leather sofa with the stark contrast of white walls is the disparity. As such, we recommend choosing the same brown hues of your sofa for your throw pillows. The variation will come from the different textures rather than the colour palette, and the effect will be both striking and timeless.
Create a Dark Palace
Rich in earthy tones and steeped in romance, you might choose to match your brown sofa with dark green walls and heavy wooden furniture.
This look is not for the faint-hearted, but with the right colour palette, it can create an atmosphere of intrigue and passion. If your living room is already lacking in natural light, this could be a great improvement.
Going for dark walls is a bold choice. Although we have suggested dark green, black walls would have the same impact. A statement colour on your walls will really make your brown sofa pop. Try adding in some leafy houseplants to liven up the look and a couple of deep leather Moroccan pouffes to add extra texture.
Throw pillows to go with your dark room
Try adding cushions with vibrant patterns in heavy velvets and rich tones that match the colours of the walls and bring out the best in your brown sofa. If you have gone for wallpaper in your living room, then a few scatter cushions in the same pattern and style can really help tie the space together.
Create a calm atmosphere using natural shades
Brown is the colour of earth and nature. Why not bring the outside into your room with neutral tones of blues and greens to compliment your brown sofa? Try pairing a light brown sofa with pale colour combinations to bring out your inner zen.
The calming effect of the earthy hues with shades of nature will turn your living room into a sanctuary from the hectic hustle of life. Adding in some leafy house plants can give a boost of freshness to the room.
We recommend choosing living room furniture in more neutral colours, such as wood grain with warm undertones, for this look. A mid-century coffee table with a few books on trees or nature will really bring out the tranquillity of this interior design classic. Try also adding an area rug in neutral beiges to create a style that seems to have been effortlessly pulled together.
Which accent pillows go best with interior design that’s nature inspired?
We recommend keeping patterns to a minimum and choosing block colours in a neutral palette of beige, pale blue and olive green. You can complement this look with natural textures like Harris tweed and cactus silks to add contrast.
Although we mentioned pairing this look with a light brown sofa, you can choose to be inspired by nature regardless of the type of brown sofa you have. Whether this be a light brown leather sofa, a dark brown leather sofa or fabric upholstery, all will lend themselves to the colours of nature.
The perfect solution to a busy room
If your living room is already cluttered with everything from books to works of art, a brown sofa is the perfect choice to add a calming atmosphere. The grounding effect of a brown sofa will give the illusion of peace in a crowded space allowing your mind to unwind and relax after a busy day.
Which cushions go with a cluttered living room?
With so much taking place, from different colours and patterns competing with rugs and art, why not add cushions in fabulous textures and clashing hues? Your brown sofa will be enough to maintain control in this space. From Ikats to Kente fabrics to exotic throws, make your living room a talking point to be remembered by all who visit.
Go all brown – living room ideas that remain timeless
If your living room has wood panelling or brown walls, embrace this warm colour palette by adding further browns of varying hues. Your brown leather couch will feel regal in this elegant setting that conjures up the smoke-filled rooms of gentlemen’s clubs from times gone by.
Not only will this look feel cosy and warm, it will be beautifully complementary to your brown leather sofa. To keep this look from becoming too heavy, we suggest introducing a throw in lighter tones and wall art with a modern feel to really spice up your room.
A brown sofa makes an inviting space in your living room and in combination with a glass coffee table and leather accent chairs, your leather couch will become a real focal point for the room inviting visitors to sink a little deeper into the space you have created.
What cushions go with all brown?
Yup, you’ve guessed it! We suggest having accent pillows and cushions in varying warm hues of dark brown. If you feel this is too much, you can always soften the look with lighter shades in a neutral colour. We suggest Harris tweed cushions with a stunning Herringbone pattern, as well as rich velvets and lighter brown fabrics.
If all brown is too much and you are finding that your wood panelling is closing in on you, we suggest going for a pale carpet or if you have floorboards painting them in a neutral colour several shades lighter. You could even create one white wall to make the most of the natural light and break up the room. Use lampshades in lighter tones positioned on end tables to infuse the living room walls in warm hues.
However, if you are brave enough to decorate your living room with brown in all its glorious cocoa beauty, we salute you!
Living room ideas to add warmth to a cool room
If your living room has high ceilings or blue walls, it will benefit from the warm tones of a light brown leather sofa. Try choosing a couch in soft tan, or a second-hand leather sofa that’s faded into a delicious chocolate brown.
We would go for a tan leather couch rather than the more traditional look of a dark brown sofa in a cooler living room. The caramel hues will provide warmth without creating too much contrast and might be all that is needed to transform the space.
You can always add further warming touches to your cool living room by overlapping geometric shaggy berber rugs, or by layering bohemian inspired throws and scatter pillows. Lighting will be key in your cooler living room. Use standard lamps with lampshades in other tonal palettes to really bring out the cosiness of your brown leather sofas.
What colour cushions go best in a cool room?
We suggest continuing with a warming theme of cushions in peaches, creams and lighter browns. Go for textured fabrics like cactus silks and hand woven Ikats to really bring out the most in your light brown leather sofa and transform a cool space into a cosy den.
What to avoid when accessorising a brown couch?
We love brown sofas, whether it be a dark brown leather couch, a vintage leather sofa in tan or cosy upholstered sofa, the colour of chocolate, the versatility and practicality of a brown sofa is truly wonderful.
However, there are a few things we should avoid. Avoid cushions that are a darker colour than your brown sofa, such as black and maroon. If your sofa is dark brown, cushions in these colours will get lost and do nothing to bring out the true splendour of your living room.
We would also stay away from bright yellows; although we love yellow, the effect it can have on brown sofas can be insipid. If you really want to include yellow, we would go for a subtler shade like mustard or ochre.
Why choose brown sofas?
Your brown sofa will become like a member of the family, bringing comfort and timeless elegance into your home. Unlike many colour sofas, a brown couch will never go out of style. It is also a must have for the busy family with children and pets and can happily absorb most of the stains that life can throw at it.
Where to go to find the perfect brown leather sofa?
We recommend hunting for a second-hand sofa if you are looking to buy a leather sofa. Try searching on eBay, or your local buy and sell Facebook group. You may even be lucky enough to find one for free on Freecycle.
Another top tip is to ask the prop houses in the film industry if they are selling any of their sofas. They do this from time to time to make room for new stock. There are several prop houses across London and you might just be lucky and discover a gem.
However, if you are after a new sofa, we recommend Loaf as you can choose exactly which fabric and colour you want. We have a sofa from Loaf which we love and their customer service is excellent.
Whatever you go for, we hope you find your perfect sofa and the cushions to bring it to life.
Happy styling from The World in Cushions!
