Sofa Styling Archives | ConfettiStyle

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

I hope your week is going well. The Atlanta Gift and Home Furnishings market is happening this week and I’m headed down there to see the new trends to check out the new product introductions. I’ll be sharing highlights on Instagram so follow along there and I’ll also have a full recap of market next week here on the blog so stay tuned.

Today’s post is the start of something new. Last week Ann posted a question on the blog and I decided it was the perfect question to launch my Design Chat series. This new series is where I’ll answer your design questions and offer up suggestions to solve your design challenge. I’m hoping to post a Design Chat question once a month but if the questions start rolling in I’ll post more often so send your questions my way.

♦♦♦

Most of the questions I receive on the blog come with no photos so I’m taking the information I receive and using that to visual the space. Ann’s description was pretty straight forward so I think I have a good idea of her challenge and the layout of the area she is working with.

This was Ann’s question…

“We have a long sectional couch that is floating away from the wall in our living room. Behind it is a 2-story wall of windows. Would you place a console table behind the sofa or up against the window wall? Does the console need to be the entire length of the sectional? It’s pretty long, so would you do multiple console tables? I was thinking of putting stools underneath it for extra seating and people would still be facing the TV/fireplace, just sitting behind the couch. It’s about 5′ between the back of the sectional and the wall of windows, and it’s wasted space right now – any other ideas on how we could style it and make it more usable?”

I envision the space to look something like this…

via basset furniture

There are several options for this design challenge:

OPTION #1–place a large console table or even a desk behind the sectional length that faces the fireplace and TV which will fill that area and create a functional zone.

Stools could be nested under the table or two accent chairs could be used so the space could function as a desk surface. The chairs or stools could be moved into the room when additional seating is needed and the table surface could be used to serve food or drinks from when entertaining.

via better homes and gardens / decor pad

via design manifest

via mix and chic

OPTION #2–place a console table behind the sectional piece that sits in front of the window. With 5′ between the back of the sofa and the windows, you would want a table that has a depth between 24″ and 28″ so that a walkway is maintained between the table and the windows.

Lamps could be used on the table as long as there are floor outlets to prevent the cords from running across to the window wall. Also, if the windows don’t have curtains and the lights are on at night, the exposure to the room will be wide open.

via Liz Marie Blog

Or, you could decorate the table with a grouping of accessories. If you go the accessory route, larger accessory items would be best to balance the scale of the two-story windows.

via pottery barn / pottery barn

OPTION #3–place furniture behind both ends of the sectional. In this case the two pieces do not have to be match. A console table could be used behind one side of the sectional and a chest behind the other which would provide additional storage.

via apartment therapy

A couple other suggestions and tips:

♦ The console table does not have to be the same length as the sofa–in fact I’d have a little breathing room at each end of the sofa. If you find a table that you love but it is shorter than desired, try placing baskets or even small accent chairs at each end of the table to ‘visually’ elongate it.

via decor pad

♦ If you don’t already, consider drapes between the windows to soften the window area.

via

There are several ways to approach any design dilemma but the bottom line should be to go with the solution that works best for your lifestyle and your decor.

Ann, I hope this answers your question and gives you some ideas to play around with.

For more tips, check out my post on How To Style A Sectional Sofa