OOOh this is an easy one. First of all, it's a gorgeous sofa. Congrats on the purchase. I'd paint the wall "at sea" (a muted sea glass color) by benjamin moore, in a high gloss, then I'd get teal and coral accent pillows in muted shades. It'll enhance the gorgeous tones of that warm sofa. However, I don't *love* those accent pillows as is. I'd keep the inserts and recover them in aforementioned solid teal and coral. Then anchor your seating group with your vanilla rug, and voila... fabulousness.

I think the sofa would look great with olive green. New pillows, or new covers for those pillows with camel and olive and other colors would look nice. I wouldn't do a slipcover.

I don't know about teal and coral, but I would definitely add a shade of blue in there somewhere - even if it's only as your accent color.

This is a good, classic, neutral sofa and the good thing about those is that almost anything works with them.

Good luck!

http://embritadesign.blogspot.com

Ever heard of the concept of "complimentary" colors? Well, if you haven't, then google the phrase for a full-fledged explanation.

Your sofa's a terracotta-y brown, which is most akin to orange, on the color wheel. Orange's complimentary color is blue.

So, I recommend you choose a shade of blue that you like. A soft slate blue could be nice.

it's gorgeous, don't cover it. maybe do plack laquer for thw wood, and keep the rest. i like the center pillow, so i would get more similar to that- with black in it.

How about a navy color or an eggplant or even a muted dark grey - could look really great. It seems like a nice color - although it's hard to tell in the photo if it's more of an orange color or a tan/camel. But I think any of those would work well with it and add a touch of drama.

I agree that blue is the way to go, but perhaps make it interesting with more of a periwinkle hue. Soothing & cheery.

And, that is a fabulous sofa!

heh, my first though were blues as well, like porcelain blue shade at pottery barn.

aubergine and teal accent pillows with touches of muted gold would look very rich. Go with a heavy textile as a leather couch demands accents with similar heft.

Don't cover the couch! And keep that middle pillow, so don't do navy, and I was never a fan of tan (or orange) and blue. I'd go with earthy greens or reds.

You could enhance the neutralness of this great piece with other neutral colors. This butternut color would go great with warm -medium grey walls, cream/white ceiling for a bit of subdued drama and a mix of light ash/greyish woods or dark brown with a small or some small black pieces and a cream rugs. Accesories pale pale washed blue, sage green maybe a bit of yellow-gold.

I wish we knew what color your floors are.

Take a look at this print, I see these colors as the palette in working with that beautiful sofa-
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MatdvwFoQrE/SXeUMOC1A2I/AAAAAAAAI08/ahU41wXY4a0/s1600-h/il_fullxfull_53381627.jpg

This sofa is gorgeous. Personally I'd do a soft warm grey like Benjamin Moores San Antonio grey, add plenty of white and a few blue accents. Very elegant.

This of this sofa as a pair of boots... what colors would you wear with them? Beautiful dove grey, dark grey, white, cream, light blue, black, navy blue... you have many many options! I'd throw 2 simple tailored pillows on there- simple linen.

Re: the post's title.

Not a big deal, but for posterity's sake you might want to note it's complementary with an E, not complimentary with an I.

The only way I ever remember this is the one with an I means I'm giving you a compliment.

A complEment complEtEs

Hi Again, checkout Ralph Lauren paint color Moonlight, is a rich deep warm grey plays well with others and gives some depth to a room..it would be a canvas color to complement that sofa and the palette I mentioned.

I was thinking eggplant too.
But lots of white would really showcase the warmth in that leather.

I agree with the grey suggested above. Anything but neutral colors will detract from the beauty of the sofa. Many grey colors have pink undertones, that would make this sofa totally work.

Count me as another vote for a pale blue on the walls. And maybe some royal purple and teal pillows on that terrific couch!

I love your sofa! Please don't cover it, the color is beautiful. I agree with the comments above that encourage the use of blues or grays. Good luck!

That is couch is sofa king beautiful!

(sorry)

First of all, I would like to give a HUGE "thank you" to AT for posting my dilemma and to everyone who commented. Your comments are really appreciated.

I inherited this lovely sofa when I married my husband (thank goodness he has good taste!). So along with the new husband came the sofa. I really do like the sofa but I just could never really figure out what to do with it. There are a ton of great comments here. Thank you.

LoriSF- You asked about the floors. The floors as they exist are a vanilla cream colored carpet that will be changed. Although neutral, the carpet is tired and needs to be replaced. I'm hoping to install hardwood floor. I have always thought that this sofa deserves a beautiful area rug underneath it. But since I live in a condo and noise may be an issue (even with proper underlayment) I may do a neutral carpet.

LoriSF- Do you know the source on that print? It looks like shades of greys and golds would work here.

Sooocute- I never thought about looking at this as if it were a pair of boots. What a clever idea. And when you put it that way, the sofa does seem very neutral.

You all have convinced me NOT to slipcover. Thank you. I never really thought that was the way to go. It was a last resort. There are so many great color scheme ideas here and I think I will explore each option. The neutral/grey scheme may be one I might be partial to. I am just finishing my bedroom and did it in shades of gray and cream. I love it. So elegant, so serene. I feel happy in that room. However, blues are something I never, ever thought about. That sounds intriguing too.

Thanks for the ideas everyone....keep 'em coming!

I also thought of blue, bluish green, and grey. I came up with a color palette. Hope you don't mind me naming it Vanessa's Sofa.

http://www.colourlovers.com/wallPaper/390x300/p/685789/COLOURlovers.com-Vanessas_Sofa.png

Tomurcuk - Of course I don't mind having something named after me! I'm loving it!

Oh...so many color options to consider.....thank you.

Camel is hard. And yes, blue is the way to go. Try cerulean or navy or sapphire or indigo, not powder, cornflower, or teals and peacock.

i think a cool grey, perhaps even a blue grey. i don't even think it has to be particularly light, either, because i think the colour of the sofa could carry it. other colours i think would be awesome with it are navy and warm white.

personally, i think more simple, striking cushions may also help, and let the beautiful tufting of the sofa be more of a feature. i really like the combination of traditional furniture like this and bolder, stronger accents.

i love the sofa!

I think Silhouette from the Benjamin Moore Aura line would be a great wall color to compliment this sofa. I would then do accents around the room in mustard and a rich navy blue.

That is an AMAZING piece to work with! I am very jealous!

The colour is a real asset; you can't go wrong with it, as it is essentially a neutral -- it reads as "leather" more than a colour per se, if you get what I mean.

I can easily see that sort of piece part of a Vincente Wolf, John Saladino or even Ilse Crawford design scheme.

In the case of Vincente Wolf, he would make white and pale stone the dominant colours, introducing bluey-greys, and the tiniest bit of black for structure, as in here: (couldn't find anything like your piece in the internet images, but I recall having seen them in magazine spreads... in any case, there is a tiny hit of a caramel-like colour in the picture hanging over the table):

http://lh5.ggpht.com/patriciagray1/R6lcLs1ZMSI/AAAAAAAADDY/o_1EYl2CqDo/vincente wolf%5B6%5D

In this context, it would marry beautifully with MCM pieces too.

Browse his press section to get a sense of it (unfortunately, the images I am thinking of are from the '90s)

Saladino might combine it with mysterious dark greens, or his luminous lavenders married with dark woods.

play around with his press section too...

http://www.saladinostyle.com/#section=view%20article&article_id=4&articles_picture_id=22

Ilse Crawford might contrast it with greys or grey-greens, adding a hit of bright yellow, or conversely, combine it with creams, depending on the mood she wanted to create.

http://www.studioilse.com/projects/aesop/

you have many, many options depending on the style and mood you want to achieve....

Depends on how you want to go. in the UK we're now all moving towards punk style / 80's dayglow schemes. this would be offset brilliantly with a lime green throw or something in hot pink (serious) just need to redecorate your room to suit.

put a Tiffany box on it and see what happens

The fact that that camel tends a little "peachy" is not making your task easy, but it seems to me, with the pillows assembled on it, you already have your color scheme.

If you're not digging that, yes, just consider your camel to be a neutral.

Since your tastes run traditional (or seem to), I'd also say look at carpets next... you can easily find a carpet that has a touch of camel in it. Then just pick your other colors from the carpet. Then move on to your next biggest upholstered pieces, then drapes.

Worry about paint and pillows last. They are the largest categories from which to pick.

A few people asked what style I was trying to achieve. I tend to gravitate more toward a traditional look. Since I do live in an 80's condo I do NOTt want to do a true traditional look, which would not be appropriate anyway. I would like something of an updated traditional mixing in some contemporary pieces as well. Does that make sense? Plus I live at the beach so I want something that is comfortable yet elegant. Something that looks classic almost timeless.

mschatelaine - Yes, I saw this interior by Vincent Wolf in a recent magazine. It intrigued me for a couple reasons: (1) it's a condo with a scale that is more reminiscent of my space and (2) the colors were very calming and very simple. Your other examples are great. Thanks. I am going to spend more time looking at those.

Patrick (the other one): What seems obvious now didn't seem so obvious before reading your comment. You are right, the
fact that that camel tends to read a little "peachy" is what was throwing me off. I think I do need to read the sofa a "neutral" rather than a "color".

Distinctive Chesterfields: Oh, I wish I could be that daring! But is sounds sooo fun and hip.

rubygirl: I should do very simple pillows. You are right. The sofa should be the star of the show.

madsarah: A brownish plum is a color I never ever thought about... I will have to check that out also.

Patrick (the other one): Thanks for the tips on how to shop. I generally look at fabrics first and try to back into the larger pieces...no wonder I give myself a headache. I should be looking at the larger pieces first for inspriation.

I like the idea of a soft grey - we have Behr's Sterling throughout areas of our house, and it is gorgeous, especially with lots of white trim and accents. Throw in various shades of blue accents as well, and I think it would look very timeless and elegant.

This sofa reminds me of one of my favorite rooms in Domino (it's on page 67 in the Book of Decorating, bottom right photo). The sofa is the same coppery color as yours with smoky lavender walls and yellow (like your pillow) and chocolate brown accents. It sounds weird but looks really great together.

I came across some more Vicente Wolf interiors today, and thought of you...

Check out the pictures on the left side, 1st and 3rd from the top -- I think they are a good indication of a possible direction you could head in -- white/ivory walls, brighter white high gloss ceiling (love that idea), wenge-dark wood floors covered with a beautiful silk/wool rug in soft golden tones (very modern-traditional):

http://desiretoinspire.blogspot.com/2007/04/vicente-wolf_14.html

That tufted ottoman really reminds me of your sofa!

Really love the white classic wing chairs -- makes them seem very modern, yet still traditional. The simple white semi-opaque curtains (a light linen?) are also a great way to deal with '80s-style window walls, unifying an often difficult space.

http://www.vicentewolf.com/associates/residential/6
(it's the Hampton's house)

A couple of white Saarinen Womb chairs would also look great with the sofa.

Another option would be to go with a very pale slightly silvery taupy grey silk-wool carpet. Or even sisal...

Simple silk-velvet pillows by Kristin Heckterman would be lovely accents in greyish greens and blues:

http://www.kirstenhecktermann.com/pages/currentstock.html

If this is a look that appeals to you, start by finding the right paint. Donald Kaufman does the best whites in the business -- they are luminous multi-pigmented (up to 13 or 16 different pigments as opposed to the standard 3 or 4), and change colour with the light. Expensive paint is a great investment, especially if you are short of good art to hang. Order his paint chips (they are expensive) and sample pots to pick the perfect white. Probably 5 for the ceiling, and maybe 52 or 51 for the walls, but it all depends on your lighting, etc.

http://www.coxpaint.com/store/cart.php?target=category&category_id=254

Good luck! And thanks for your question -- it reminded me of Vicente Wolf, who I had rather forgotten about.

I think the coolest thing about your sofa is its shape--it's essentially a piece of sculpture. So, to emphasize its shape, and DE-emphasize its colour, I would paint the wall it sits against the *exact* same coulour. Also paint the trim of the sofa to blend--it will effectively reduce it to a silhouette. Accent with bright white and black--and I would include some mod-ish accessories, like Knoll plastic parson's tables, or Philippe Starck's Ghost chairs in black (if budget allows).
Metallic gold accents (sparingly) would make it feel very luxe, and then just one (two at the most) big splashes of a very, VERY vibrant purple (think heliotrope).

sorry--Kartell plastic tables, not Knoll.

giggit - I can't believe I haven't snatched up that book yet. I must buy soon. I love Domino...I have every issue (I think!)

mschatelaine- Awww...thanks for thinking of me! I love the Vincent Wolf scheme. And your comments are so spot on. I actually already have very light linen drapes (the gauzy like ones from Restoration Hardware- the sheerest belgain linen they have). They are sheer enough to let in a lot of beautiful filtered light but still add privacy. I will be replacing them with new drapes of a similar nature. Mine are ready to be replaced.
The pillows you suggested are beautiful. I must spend more time on that website.

Lulu- your concept sounds very cool! I love the idea of ghost chairs. I'm not quite sure my husband will love them. I will have to try and sell that one. But they would look great in the dining room which is near the sofa (opening living/dining area concept) But we have a collection of black leather Eames chairs in "his" room that might work. We scored....he found 8 chairs in the dumpster at an old office building being renovated. Original tags and all!

I think that grey and white large scale print pillows could look really cool! a blue grey I think would be best!

sea green and soft turquoise will really lift the caramel.