Design Chat: Styling Super Sized Sectional Sofas

Happy Monday friends!

I’m back with another Design Chat session.  We’re talking sectional sofas again (they appear to be a design challenge for many folks) but this time it’s all about the most ideal way to arrange pillows and what style of coffee is best for an extra large sofa.

via

Here’s what Casandra asked…

“Shelly, I have a leather sectional that is 12′ on one side and 8′ on the other. It is perfect dimension for our room, but I am struggling with the accessories. Placing the pillows as suggested looks off balance and no coffee table is nearly as long as the long side of the sofa. Any tips?”

The pillow placement that Casandra is referencing in her question came from the styling suggestions I shared in the Design Guide below.  The design guide post, which has been pinned over 2500 times outlines the do’s and don’t to styling a traditional sectional.  I didn’t go into styling an oversized sofa like the one that Casandra has so we’ll talk about that today.

Design Guide: Styling A Sectional Sofa

Sectional sofas come in many different sizes and can even be custom-made to fit your room dimensions.  The most important tip I would share when it some to dealing with an extra-large sectional is to pay attention to the proportions of the accessories and furniture that surround it.  Accessories and furniture that are too small will make the room and sitting arrangement feel off balanced and if all the pieces in the room are too large, the room will be overpowering and uncomfortable.

DON’T:  Don’t place to many pillows on the sofa and definitely don’t line them up like soldiers.  The pillows should accent the sectional and provide additional visual interest, color and/or texture.

via

DO:  The living room below shows the ideal way pillows should be placed on a large sectional.  Pillows are grouped in clusters to accent/frame the sofa at the ends and in the middle.

Lillian August for the 2012 Hampton Designer Showhouse  via Blulabel Bungalow

DO:  Use pillows in a mx of patterns and colors to play off accent colors used throughout the room–the pillows should become part of the overall design of the room and not stand out like a sore thumb.

House Beautiful

DO:  Pillows don’t have to all be the same size or shape–in fact a mix of sizes and shapes will add even more visual interest.  Because a sectional sofa is a large rectangular shape and sits in a rectangular or square room, I’d suggest mixing in a round and/or oblong shaped pillow for visual contrast or even trying a larger size pillows mixed with smaller sizes on the ends of the sofa.

The yellow pillow in the center of the sofa below draws attention there and takes it off the ends of the sofa.

Bassett

DO:  You might also want to group more pillows in the center verses on the ends which will add visual weight to the center of the sofa and help balance each arm of the sofa.

Bassett

♦♦♦

Now let’s talk coffee tables…

DO:  I’d suggest a square coffee table.  Trying to find a rectangular table that fits the dimensions of a large sectional sofa probably won’t happen and in many cases it could give the sofa an unbalanced feel.  The bulk and girth of a square coffee table is a better balance against a large sectional and its overall dimensions.

Decor Pad

DO:  When placing a square table in front of the sofa, don’t try to make it a perfect balance to both arms of the sofa.  Place it where it’s a comfortable fit in front of the longest section of the sofa or place it so that it sits in the middle.

HouseBeauty

DO:  Another option is a round coffee table.  Just like with pillows, introducing a round shape into the room provides a contract to the straight lines of the sofa and takes the focus off the table being a different scale than the sectional.

Georgianadesign

Balance and scale are two of the most important design principles when it comes to decorating your home.  When working with furniture that is oversized, those elements become even more important to achieving a look that not only feels good but that looks good too.

Casandra, I hope these tips help!

cover image via Bassett Furniture