At Evelyn Lily, we’ll be the first to admit that we’re glad that colours are back in vogue. While there’s nothing wrong with a bit of grey, before you jump at the opportunity to swaddle your interiors in plain, neutral shades, can we stop and regroup for a second and think about our homes in a different way?
That’s right, we’re talking about dopamine dressing, but for our homes (AKA dopamine decor). And while a brown sofa might be your starting point, you don’t have to restrict yourself to hues that remind you of dreary British wintertime.
To prove our point, here are some living room colour ideas that go beautifully with brown sofas. And they might just surprise you…
The ingredients to a cohesive living room colour scheme
You’re about to embark on a living room renovation, you’ve scrolled for what feels like hours on Pinterest, and the sheer quantity of styles, colours and furnishings is making your head spin! We get it; sometimes narrowing down your design preferences can feel like pulling teeth.
But think of it like this – you already have one of the key shades sorted, the lovely warm brown of your sofa, so all you need to do is suss out which options complement it. The best way to do so is to follow the steps below, ensuring you hit each ingredient and build up a cohesive scheme.
Accounting for existing features or fixtures
This is one of the oldest tricks in the book: use limitations to your advantage. Whether that’s a low ceiling requiring creative lighting choices, a particularly narrow room, or a playful arch, you’ll find that colour is perhaps the best way to spotlight their unique quirks positively.
Here, you can turn them from drawbacks into the centrepiece of the project by bathing them in a contrasting colour to your sofa, or, alternatively, you can have them match to see everything blended together.
If you're frowning here because your home lacks interesting architectural features, don’t worry. Even new builds can be enriched with personality – instead of focusing on what’s already there, you can pay homage to period features you love via furniture inspired by your favourite era. Truly, a living room full of charisma is just around the corner.
Finding inspiration in all the places
This is our favourite bit: moodboarding! Whether you want to do it old school by cutting out magazine pages, saving images on social media or going on a pinning spree on Pinterest, there are so many resources poised and ready to aid you on your design journey. Find something that captures the energy you are trying to emulate? Go ahead and save it for later. These images don’t even have to be restricted to interiors as long as they open the door to creativity.
Perhaps most useful at this inspiration stage is collecting colours or colour combinations to come back to later as you narrow things down. We suggest looking at some of the colour palette generators below:
- Coolors – you can generate a palette with colour codes and all in a flash.
- Pantone’s app – extremely easy to use, this app lets you build custom palettes.
- Canva – with this free tool you can create any colour combination in seconds, plus you can upload photos and it’ll pinpoint all the hues it contains.
Pinpoint a common thread
Nowadays, we’re less likely to splash out on furniture all from one collection, instead picking out individual items that really speak to our sense of style. Not that this is a bad strategy; we stock plenty of matching pieces that are as authentic as they come – just look at our Firby selection – it’s ideal for a neutral living room scheme with a brown sofa.
But, back to business. If you are working with furniture from different makes or indeed different styles, remember that finding a shared element and homing in on that detail in your design can keep everything in sync. This detail could be a texture, colour or decorative motif. For example, if your sofa has buttoning like this Chesterfield, you could throw a patterned leather footstool into the mix.
Picking 3-5 shades to work with
This trick is a must-know, and all the best designers use it. What tip, you might ask? It’s as simple as selecting 3 to 5 key colours to build out your scheme. Each of the bunch should bring out a different side of your room, whilst complementing one another.
For example, if you look at any decent paint company, you’ll see them promote their products in groupings: a main colour, one for the trim and then a couple of accent shades. This builds visual interest, allowing you to tell a story without overdoing it.
In practice with your interior design, it might look like your walls being painted in the primary colour, the brown of your sofa and wooden furniture being the secondary colour and then the décor elements like your styled coffee table accessories making up the accent colour along with details like curtains, rugs and wall art.
Picking out a palette: What colour goes with a brown leather sofa?
You might be pleasantly surprised to find that versatility and brown go hand in hand. Or you might not be surprised at all. Brown is everywhere in the natural world; it’s made up of red, yellow and black; and it has the powerful ability to complement pretty much any colour.
The secret to finding a colour that matches the particular brown of your sofa, fabric or leather, usually lies in matching the undertones of this neutral with the undertones of your secondary and accent colours. If you’re struggling here, the simplest way to find out is to hold up your chosen colours up against the sofa – it will become quickly apparent whether they mesh well or not.
Are there any colours that don’t go with a brown sofa?
There aren’t any shades that universally clash with brown; however, different colours have varied effects on the space – some more flattering than others. Let’s look at some examples.
Starting with the most obvious, grey. Greys don’t have much of a punch, and can sometimes be overshadowed by the brown, but where they create the most objections is when it’s a mid-tone brown and a darker grey. Here, they can suck the life out of a space and make it start to feel dingy. Other combinations people tend to complain about are black (for the same reason), delicate pastels like lavender, which can sometimes throw the balance off (but not always) and, finally, neons as their intensity can make brown look washed out.
10 living room colour ideas to go with a brown sofa
Without further ado, here are the aforementioned 10 living room colour ideas you should try out with a brown sofa.
1. Go biophilic with a green backdrop
Brown and green are a combo as old as time. Swimming in pastoral charm, these earth tones easily transport you to simpler days and can feel effortlessly grounded. From the delicacy of a grey-green feature wall to the mossy warmth of olive-coloured textiles, there’s so many directions you can take this scheme.
2. Getting eclectic with it
Just because you’ve opted for a traditional leather sofa, doesn’t mean that the colours surrounding it have to be traditional too. Nuh-uh. In fact, leather can look particularly classy when set off by vibrant hues – jewel tones we’re looking at you! Concerned about too much colour? Then keep the backdrop neutral and add pops of vitality in your accessories and décor.
3. Transport yourself to the French Riviera with Mediterranean shades
If picking your sofa out was a decision grounded in comfort, why not lean into it completely by ushering in a new depth of warmth with Mediterranean hues? A touch of sunshine with lemony yellows, a bit of oceanic blue and, of course, those iconic terracotta reds will warm your living room right up.
4. Complement your brown sofa with beautiful wood grain
This pairing is all about tactility, comfort and durability. And there’s a whole world of wooden furniture to dip your toes into, with varying levels of saturation, coolness and warmth. In our opinion, this makes it all the more exciting to pin down your forever furniture.
This said, beware of too much wood. If you don’t build enough contrast, it’s easy for the different elements of the room to clash; pine and oak, for instance, tend to not get along as they’re so similar. So, to avoid clashing, break up the scheme with tertiary colours.
5. Build up a mid-century modern scheme
Typically, the mid-century modern aesthetic combines neutral and bold colours, so building a retro scheme around your sofa will be a doddle. Vigorous emeralds, burnt oranges, reds and purple all sing with the energy of the 70s. Not to mention that mid-century modern looks so good in a living room. Simply, incorporate brighter tones in your walls, décor and other furniture – our mango wood pieces are a great place to start.
6. Banish the stress of modern living with a Scandi look
Get the Scandi-look right and you achieve the optimal blend of intention and repose. This style is all about elegance through simplicity, so if you want something functional yet attractive, it offers you so much freedom. What we love about this living room colour idea is that you can interpret the aesthetic with either a traditional or contemporary slant, meaning that practically any brown sofa can look the part.
7. Introduce an array of colour through layering
Sometimes the gravitas you’re looking for lies in the small details. For us, we’ve seen a real evolution in how people are building character through layers. In the home, there are so many avenues to do this: curtains, lampshades, throws, tablecloths, coasters, ornaments, books, curtains, rugs, tapestries, wall hangings and even the floor are meaningful opportunities for pulling the look together. Just make sure that the new textures you add don’t clash with the texture of your sofa’s upholstery material.
8. Match the undertones of your brown sofa
Another handy strategy to have in your design toolbox is undertone matching. We talked about this concept in our oak furniture colour schemes guide, but it doesn’t hurt to give you a taste of it here. Basically, dark shades pair well with more dramatic, rich palettes; whereas, mid-tones are invigorated by similar undertones or a slightly cooler backdrop. Light colours, on the flip side, are best suited to minimalist and classic décor themes exhibiting a sense of airiness.
9. Contrast your brown sofa with a brighter armchair
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need an armchair that exactly matches your sofa; especially when you could use it as an opportunity to make a statement. Remember what we said about primary and secondary colours? Well, here you can make the armchair a secondary shade, whether along the lines of harmonious and quiet, or brash and colourful. Choosing an armchair has never been so fun!
10. Let the background fade away with soft neutrals
One way of creating an authentic living room focal point when you don’t have any major centrepieces to speak of is exploiting the potential of the sofa. If you haven’t already settled on one, this is your time to shine; with an oversized brown sofa, you can create something really special.
Take our Horatia sofa collection: this stunning example of craftsmanship speaks for itself and doesn’t need the help of a bold colour scheme to make an impact. Simply, place it in a neutral room and allow the gentle pigments to do the job in all their subtlety.
Accent shades: What colour cushions go with a brown sofa?
With the primary shades sorted, let’s think about the secondary ones. These pops of colour are crucial in bringing your vision to life and, if executed well, with allow you to build a depth of personality and a new visual dimension into the room. Choosing your cushions with this purpose in mind is the easiest way to achieve your aims.
- Bursts of green – Restful is easy to come by with green cushions. Dark green lends a certain degree of discernment while lighter shades imply a healthy charm.
- A pop of orange – Orange and brown share many undertones so they will always go together. From burnt russet to more energetic tangerine, there are many options to explore.
- Deep blues – If you’re looking for a striking contrast between cushions and sofa, this is a great choice. From navy to aquamarine, you can carve out a playful space.
- Sophisticated purples – Royalty anyone? This refined colour is great if you want to pull out the cooler tones of your brown sofa and complements a neutral scheme brilliantly.
- Pastel hues – Mid-toned brown and pastels work well if your palette leans towards the lighter end of the spectrum.
- Sharp white – White cushions are ideal for cutting through the noise of your décor and can rebalance the sofa amongst other pale shades such as neutral walls.
It’s time to elevate that brown sofa
If there’s anything to take away from this guide, it’s that brown is far from boring. With the right depth of colour, eye for detail and knowledge of layering, you can pull off the unexpected. So, don’t hold back from your favourite shades – rather, go for them! You never know until you try it.
