A sofa is the largest investment piece of furniture in your living room, and the style, size, fabric, and color will affect the overall aesthetic appeal of the space.
The color of the sofa should be the color that matches the room’s decor scheme and be a shade that you like, but it should also help make the small living room look more spacious.
“In design, size and color always tell how one feels in a space,” says Mary Flanigan of Mary Flanigan Interiors. To make a room look cohesive and balanced, the color of the sofa should always complement the room’s palette.
‘I usually go for a solid color for the fabric of the sofa, but I like the fabric to have some texture, like velvet, which adds dimension and sheen. If the room is small, I think it’s smart to choose a light-colored fabric that makes the room feel more spacious.’
However, color lovers shouldn’t despair because there are also ways to incorporate a darker or bolder sofa cover into a small space too, and we’ll explore how dark and light colors work with the best sofas in a small room below.
Sofa colors that will make a small room look bigger
“Upholstery fabrics and colors play an important role in determining the look and feel of a room,” says Helen Pitt, Design Ambassador at Arteriors. In many schemes, designers often use a neutral canvas when creating a classic design or give character to a sofa by choosing a rich, bold tone as the centerpiece.
Matching the color of your wall to your sofa connects the two techniques. It facilitates the introduction of more vibrant tones while allowing the sofa to sink back into the wall color, creating a harmonious and streamlined look, making the room appear spacious. Hues such as white and cream work especially well together. , but darker color pairs work, too.
1. Off-white
(Image credit: K Interiors/James Merkl)
White, or off-white, is often suggested as the top color that makes small living rooms appear larger because it is the shade with the highest level of reflective qualities.
For the same reason, a white sofa will also help create the feeling of a light and airy space.
Choose a woven fabric, such as a bouclé sofa, to add warmth, depth, and dimension to the room. It’s also a good idea to add a little pattern or color through soft furnishings, objects, and décor to ensure the space doesn’t look stark or sterile.
“We love a light-coloured sofa to open up the space, but we prefer it to have a bit of texture because stark white feels so impersonal and untouchable to us,” says Christine Pena, of K Interiors. “Our goal is always to have an accessible space.” It’s accessible and accessible, so a little bit of white, whether it’s off-white to light gray, usually helps with that.”
price: $1,099
Dimensions: 75″L x 35″W x 28″H
2. Beige or taupe
(Image credit: K Interiors/James Merkl)
“Using a light, neutral color palette is a tried and true way to create a space that feels calm and elegant,” says Neale Whitaker, interior design expert and spokesperson for King Living.
“Using the same color on the ceilings and walls will help make the space appear larger. When it comes to choosing upholstery materials, try to create a free scheme by choosing a tone that will create a harmonious blend.”
This doesn’t mean the scheme has to remain completely neutral, you can accessorize with toning textiles and occasional pieces, like footstools or armchairs to elevate the look. This beautiful marble coffee table is a great example of a luxury piece that adds style and depth to the neutral scheme above, by K Interiors.
“We intentionally kept the walls, sofa and curtains similar in color to allow for great contrast and focus on the stunning art and stone,” says Christine Pena, Principal of K Interiors.
“We love the light colored sofas in beige or taupe because they give the space a warm and welcoming vibe.”
3. Light grey
(Image credit: Bond)
A light gray sofa is a good choice if you’re looking for a subtle color that still has some of the light-reflecting qualities of white.
Again, it will help to open up the space if the wall color is similar.
“In this project we used light gray metallic lime paint for the walls; it’s a textured paint application that works well in this historical context, and gives the space more depth,” says Daniel Rauschwerger and Naum Dvir, founders of BoND, of the image above. Gray, with texture, It has an almost calming effect in that it refracts the light in the room.
‘The sofa, in this case, has a similar gray color – almost like oatmeal. Sofas are always a bit too bulky inside a room, especially if the space is small. Keeping it a light color, similar to the walls, makes it disappear a little more.’
price: $2,298
Dimensions: Height: 32″ x Width: 71″ x Depth: 35″.
4. Yellow
(Image credit: Banner Day Interiors/Colin Price)
While it is largely suggested that lighter colors will add to the feeling of openness in a room, fans of bolder colors will be happy to make an argument that a stronger shade will visually draw attention away from the size of the room.
One way to increase visual height is to hang large pieces of art that mirror the color of the sofa. This will create a cohesive space that balances the room, which is important for creating a more airy atmosphere.
Clara Young of Banner Day Interiors says they “put a lot of fun and personality” into the San Francisco home above, ensuring that although it wasn’t a huge space, it was full of “color, original artwork, etc.” Many personality.
price: $459.99
measuring: 32.7″ H x 84.3″ W x 32.7″ D
5. Blue
(Image credit: Little Green)
Navy blue sofas are so popular in modern interiors for a reason: they’re smart, elegant, modern, and timeless.
So you may be pleased to know that you Can Get a navy blue sofa in a small living room and keep using it until the space looks bigger. how? It’s all about tricking the eye with color and paint techniques.
“Your sofa is the centerpiece of your living space and oftentimes the largest piece of furniture in the room,” says Patricia Gibbons, Sofa.com Design Team.
Therefore, choosing color and texture requires a little more thought. However, with some architectural features, such as high ceilings or siding, it pays to choose the color of your walls first; blues are a big hit right now.
‘Once you choose, matching your sofa to a similar shade can be key to creating a harmonious space. This combination of different shades of blue helps elongate the room, giving the illusion of a higher ceiling as well as more space.’
“You can then layer accessories to harmonize the colors of your walls and sofa with textiles and decorative additions that have complementary tones and textures,” adds Patricia.
Another way to bring a dark sofa color into a small room while making the space appear larger is to use a technique of matching the color to the walls so that the sofa “disappears” into the space, creating a more spacious and comfortable feel. Seen in this beautiful blue living room by Ryan Street Architects below. .
(Image credit: Ryan Street Architects/Reagen Taylor)
What color sofa is best for a small room?
Light colored sofas paired with light paint are the most popular choice for a small room.
However, dark sofas can also make a small room appear larger by using the technique of pairing it with the color of the walls. In this case, the wall shade is darker.
Choosing a sofa color in the end is personal preference and there is no real wrong answer as long as your sofa works to create a cohesive and design-driven scheme.