How to Mix & Match Sofas and Chairs
Pull together a personalised living room look with these ideas for combining colours, prints, textures and shapes
As our interest in personalised interiors grows, the days when a three-piece suite was the backbone of any self-respecting living room feels long gone. Now it’s all about letting a spirited mix of colours, prints, textures and shapes dictate our seating choices. To do it well, choose blocks of colour and pieces from different eras that sit together nicely. Pick out designs, fabrics and hues you love and bring them together with a dash of recklessness. This will work best if you follow a few basic rules, such as sticking with a neutral backdrop and pairing colours with care. But don’t be afraid to experiment. You might just stumble upon something unexpected that works and figure out the rule that makes it so later. Let these ideas fuel your imagination.
Weave together two shades
If you don’t want to mess around with different shapes and styles of seating in your living room, you can always go down the mix-and-match colour route within a coordinated range. A flexible modular-style sofa enables you to combine shades, patterns and textures within the same seating arrangement. Here, a sprinkling of yellow in an otherwise all-grey scheme injects a lively modern tempo and works amazingly well against the grand backdrop, as the simplicity lets the architectural details shine.
Here’s how to play with contrast in a living room
If you don’t want to mess around with different shapes and styles of seating in your living room, you can always go down the mix-and-match colour route within a coordinated range. A flexible modular-style sofa enables you to combine shades, patterns and textures within the same seating arrangement. Here, a sprinkling of yellow in an otherwise all-grey scheme injects a lively modern tempo and works amazingly well against the grand backdrop, as the simplicity lets the architectural details shine.
Here’s how to play with contrast in a living room
Dabble with vintage hues
This pretty blend of chalky colours and vintage styles is spot-on if you don’t want a seating mix that’s too self-consciously eclectic. The pleasing blend of buttermilk, peppermint and coral colours weave in a considerable mix of patterns, but there’s harmony in the united colours. The green of the far sofa is picked up in the pillows of its neighbour, while the coral of the armchair is echoed in the subtle print on the larger sofa.
This pretty blend of chalky colours and vintage styles is spot-on if you don’t want a seating mix that’s too self-consciously eclectic. The pleasing blend of buttermilk, peppermint and coral colours weave in a considerable mix of patterns, but there’s harmony in the united colours. The green of the far sofa is picked up in the pillows of its neighbour, while the coral of the armchair is echoed in the subtle print on the larger sofa.
Play with colour
Colour maximalists can go full tilt with this trend and juxtapose bolds and brights with vigour. Who would have imagined that a traditionally shaped purple sofa would look so fresh and up to date when placed next to a classic Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair in a gutsy mustard shade? The key is to invest in pieces you love – both for their aesthetics and their comfort – and enjoy them every day.
Colour maximalists can go full tilt with this trend and juxtapose bolds and brights with vigour. Who would have imagined that a traditionally shaped purple sofa would look so fresh and up to date when placed next to a classic Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair in a gutsy mustard shade? The key is to invest in pieces you love – both for their aesthetics and their comfort – and enjoy them every day.
Maximise monochrome
A monochrome colour palette creates a sleek, sophisticated vibe that’s unlikely to go out of fashion. Soft-edged modern leather sofas like these are the perfect vehicle for a black and white scheme, with the unfussy colour duo putting a simple slant on the mix-and-match vibe.
Check out 6 ways to combine black and white
A monochrome colour palette creates a sleek, sophisticated vibe that’s unlikely to go out of fashion. Soft-edged modern leather sofas like these are the perfect vehicle for a black and white scheme, with the unfussy colour duo putting a simple slant on the mix-and-match vibe.
Check out 6 ways to combine black and white
Create a retro vibe
Don’t you just adore the laid-back style of this living room? The classic pea-green sofa and 1940s-style armchairs contrast colours, shapes and materials with pluck and a playful spirit, against a neutral backdrop of white walls and wooden flooring. Play around with even more hues and prints with a kaleidoscope of punchy cushions.
Don’t you just adore the laid-back style of this living room? The classic pea-green sofa and 1940s-style armchairs contrast colours, shapes and materials with pluck and a playful spirit, against a neutral backdrop of white walls and wooden flooring. Play around with even more hues and prints with a kaleidoscope of punchy cushions.
Balance it out
Lovers of symmetrical, considered design can shake up their seating with a more tailored approach and a bit of matching. This pair of plush button-backed chesterfields in an earthy hue is juxtaposed with two jet-black armchairs for a sense of poise and equilibrium but masses of drama, too. The balanced arrangement of seating echoes the balanced layout of the room, allowing the burnished gold ceiling to pull together the look with aplomb.
Lovers of symmetrical, considered design can shake up their seating with a more tailored approach and a bit of matching. This pair of plush button-backed chesterfields in an earthy hue is juxtaposed with two jet-black armchairs for a sense of poise and equilibrium but masses of drama, too. The balanced arrangement of seating echoes the balanced layout of the room, allowing the burnished gold ceiling to pull together the look with aplomb.
Work a white mix
Eschewing the traditional three-piece suite can be a much simpler design strategy than you might think. One way to create a cohesive yet eclectic look is to harness a mishmash of chairs, sofas and daybeds from different eras and in different styles and materials but the same colour.
The owners of this modern family room have combined a classic Eames chaise with a modern daybed and a simple sofa, but all in shades of white for a harmonious mood. White will always create an easy-on-the-eye look, but make sure you use hard-wearing materials and washable or wipeable fabrics if yours is a busy family home.
Learn how to get an all-white decor right
Eschewing the traditional three-piece suite can be a much simpler design strategy than you might think. One way to create a cohesive yet eclectic look is to harness a mishmash of chairs, sofas and daybeds from different eras and in different styles and materials but the same colour.
The owners of this modern family room have combined a classic Eames chaise with a modern daybed and a simple sofa, but all in shades of white for a harmonious mood. White will always create an easy-on-the-eye look, but make sure you use hard-wearing materials and washable or wipeable fabrics if yours is a busy family home.
Learn how to get an all-white decor right
Liven things up with a bold chair
There’s no denying the liveability of a large, neutral sofa that sweeps around a corner, offering masses of comfy seating for family and friends. But if it’s all looking a tad staid and, dare I say, boring, try out a statement chair in a vivid colour. Before committing to a new purchase, consider temporarily moving in a chair from another room that contrasts wildly with your sofa to see how it looks. Or drape an existing chair with a piece of fabric in the hue you’re considering. Add a few coordinating accessories to make the piece look at home. If you aren’t warming up to the look after a few weeks, you can try another hue.
There’s no denying the liveability of a large, neutral sofa that sweeps around a corner, offering masses of comfy seating for family and friends. But if it’s all looking a tad staid and, dare I say, boring, try out a statement chair in a vivid colour. Before committing to a new purchase, consider temporarily moving in a chair from another room that contrasts wildly with your sofa to see how it looks. Or drape an existing chair with a piece of fabric in the hue you’re considering. Add a few coordinating accessories to make the piece look at home. If you aren’t warming up to the look after a few weeks, you can try another hue.
Mix colour and print
This room is vibrant, yes, and packed with pattern, but it’s also fabulous and liveable in equal measure. The key is the black sofa, which anchors the hot colours and busy prints with its calm, heavy hue. The black is repeated in the mirror, fireplace, lampshade and, important, the pink chair to reinforce the effect. Such a varied scheme cries out for decadent lighting, pretty wallpaper and striking accessories. This room has all three with great success.
Read more:
9 Colours to Amp Up the Living Room
Tell us:
How have you mixed and matched seating in your home? Share your ideas and pictures in the Comments below.
This room is vibrant, yes, and packed with pattern, but it’s also fabulous and liveable in equal measure. The key is the black sofa, which anchors the hot colours and busy prints with its calm, heavy hue. The black is repeated in the mirror, fireplace, lampshade and, important, the pink chair to reinforce the effect. Such a varied scheme cries out for decadent lighting, pretty wallpaper and striking accessories. This room has all three with great success.
Read more:
9 Colours to Amp Up the Living Room
Tell us:
How have you mixed and matched seating in your home? Share your ideas and pictures in the Comments below.
This living room is lovely for many reasons, not least because it isn’t afraid to parade a fabulous hot pink. Neutral pieces, like the pebble-grey sofa and monochrome rug, tone down the look, but try to embrace your choice wholeheartedly and not dilute it too much. The same idea will translate to alternative colour pairings. Take smartphone snapshots when you see clever combinations in nature, in clothing shops, on signage. Bookmark inspiring matches while browsing design photos online. This will help you identify colour combinations that consistently catch your eye.