Dear AT,
I am just completing my owner-build house project.
The living room/dining room/kitchen are all in the same volume of space.
My parents are handing down my grandmother's very cool, modern 4 cushion couch from the late 50's which we will be getting reupholstered...
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I don't have a picture of it, but it has low arms, very simple rectangular lines, etc.
Given the colors and textures in our living room palette, am I crazy to think a bright green apple upholstery fabric would be out of the question?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks! Mat
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Comments (12)
Apple Green sounds great - sure beats all the beige and taupe we see everywhere these days!
go with the green!
Go for it... it could work!
I vote no on a statement color for you largest piece of upholstery.
Satisfy your lust for color with side chairs, pillow and art.
Unless you have the money to re-cover it every couple of years, keep the bold hues on accent pieces. But you don't need to do beige or grey on the sofa, either. If you like green, why not do a subdued olive, loden, or even a stormy greyish teal that fits in the same family as your stonework and flooring? The space doesn't really lend itself to intense, saturated colors in large doses.
The lighting I have in the kitchen and dining area are from Schoolhouse Electric - painted sage. The thought also crossed my mind to do more of a muted sage instead of the intense green.
Fabric texture is also a concern because of all of the floor and stone texture that I already have. I'm a newb at this, but I would assume I should stick with basic solids and stay away from patterns because of this?
Nice-looking room, owner-builder! I agree that colour and pattern for large upholstery should be kept on the neutral side, but you can have fun with cushions and slipcovers that change out, perhaps with the seasons. For the permanent upholstery, you can't go wrong picking any colour that already occurs in the wood floor or stone wall.
Off topic suggestion: have you considered painting the window frame a darker colour - one of the medium greys from your stone work, for instance? It will tone down and unify that double pane and make it look like one big window, as it should. Right now that white frame is the focal point in the room and (unless you have very unusual grading on your property) there's no view out of that window.
I think a solid colour will be fine, and agree that a pattern or loud texture will be too much. All the existing colours are neutral so any colour will go. Green sounds great!
Thanks for the ideas everyone.
Amed - It's funny that you mentioned painting the window to fade into the stone wall. I originally tried that idea, but after 4 different trips to the paint store, I gave up LOL. One was too purple, one was too blue, etc.
I have more pics of my "life's work" here, in case anyone is interested: www.flickr.com/photos/matd
A green couch can totally become a neutral. We were faced with only three colour options when choosing the fabric for our new one: brown, taupe or green and we are very happy with the result. Check it out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snoopy126/2415339180/
but keep in mind the room is still a work in progress.
I would suggest speaking with a professional
I would suggest speaking with a professional New York Upholsterer such as Nesco Upholstery. Their interior designers brought a ton of sample fabrics to my house and showed me the real potential of my old sofa.