Design Tips For Perfectly Styling A Blue Sofa In Your Living Room

As an interior designer and founder of my own design company, a big part of my job is bringing a space together with thoughtful styling details. These small finishing touches are what give a room personality, nuance, and cohesion with the other spaces in my clients' homes. One such area that is a perfect opportunity for some essential styling is in the center of the living area: your sofa. As typically the largest upholstered piece in your living space, the sofa can pack in a lot of texture, color, sophistication, and charm when properly styled.

When selecting a sofa, there are endless color and material options to choose from, but one of my personal favorites is a gorgeous blue sofa. Arguably one of the best couch colors, many people opt to invest in blue sofas because they are timeless in medium to dark hues, versatile with many design styles, and give off a tranquil, soothing vibe thanks to their deep connection with nature. Because of their strong roots in our outdoor environment, sofas in more muted blue hues (from light to dark) can function as a natural neutral in our homes, and are therefore easy to mix in with other design elements. Bring your blue sofa to life with my two major styling tips: curate an elegant color palette that makes the blue hue sing, and create the elevated, finished look by layering the sofa with textiles in a variety of textures, patterns, materials, and tones.

The first thing to consider when styling your blue sofa is what sort of color palette you'd like in your space. Thankfully, blue is such a versatile color that you have many options. For the most subtle of the bunch, treat a medium to dark blue sofa as a neutral and layer it with an array of other soft earth tones to create a serene look full of depth, such as white, cream, taupe, gray, sage, hunter, and other blue hues, as well as wood tones.

If you would like to add a bit more color, look across the color wheel to its complementary warm hues to make the blue pop. Pair your blue sofa (and some neutral tones) with rust, terracotta, cognac, saddle, mustard and/or ochre tones to create the harmonious balance between the cool sofa and warm tones of the styling. These sunset hues will make the blue sofa look more vibrant and pronounced in contrast. For homeowners that live and breathe color, my other favorite color palettes for a blue sofa are a bit more adventurous and all-in. Nothing says opulence and elegance more than a plethora of peacock feather jewel tones mixed in with your sapphire (velvet, obviously) sofa, such as emerald and amethyst. Alternatively, fully commit to the blue hue of your dreams with monochromatic color drenching, enveloping the walls, ceiling, and sofa in blue, while still mixing in other tones for contrast and interest.

Now that you have an overall color palette to guide the selection of accessories, the next step is to mix and layer a variety of textures, patterns, materials, and colors with your styling to make the space feel intentional, welcoming, and perfectly tailored to the aesthetic of your home. When it comes to styling a sofa, textiles rule the roost and create that cozy, visually interesting atmosphere you want in a living space. Beginning with the largest pillows in the back, layer in a variety of tones, prints, textures, and sizes to create an artful, curated composition. Don't go overboard though as there absolutely is such a thing as too many pillows on a couch — you still want the space to be inviting to sit, and guests will not remove the pillows to do so. Be sure to include a cozy throw blanket, as it can be very impactful with color/texture and gives that wonderful hygge vibe.

Vary the color value in the textiles you select to create contrast, such as juxtaposing lighter or colorful pillows with a darker navy sofa. The same concept goes for mixing textures and patterns: leather with velvet and linen, floral with geometric or stripes, etc. While the precise formula for styling your sofa may not look exactly like this, depending on which color palette and materials you choose to use, introducing thoughtful balanced layers when styling creates depth, sophistication, and harmony with your beautiful blue sofa.