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I think a sectional might not be the best option if you are dealing with a small room, it might overwhelm the space.

I agree. Sectionals are quite overwhelming in general, unless they are in a very open space.

I tend to agree and I have a hand me down one and it fits in the living room area of my apartment and yes, it dominates the space, making the area a tad cozy at best. It does not help that I have full sized a/v components and vintage 70's era floor speakers in there too.

And as for the fabric color, the toupe may not be the right choice with the more gray wall/trim coloring you have. I'd go nuts in a room that lacked color in something beyond a neutral.

With the gray, you can go with a black or a very dark gray for the couch and punch it up with bright colored pillows say, or go bold and do the couch in something bold, such as bright red and use dark gray for the pillows for instance.

Just a thought anyway.

I would go with a sofa and a club chair if you are dealing with a small space. Breaks it up a bit without being overwhelming.

Good Luck!

Try a loveseat and a pair of club chairs or chair with ottoman. I like the color in the pick. Accessorize with pillows as you will probably not be living condo forever.

Just for the record, the question here was not "sectional or no sectional." It was about color.

I've had a sectional in three homes (the same sectional) and there has never been an issue. Indeed, it's an easier piece to work with on moving day than a sofa.

The Room & Board sectionals are scaled nicely for small places, and if you are concerned about size being an issue, match the fabric as closely as you can to the wall color to minimize its visual impact.

Or just go with any of the light neutrals they offer, since a sofa isn't necessarily the best place to make a color statement.

Thanks everybody for your comments.

We are pretty wedded to a sectional at this point - the room is shaped such that having even a loveseat and a chair doesn't really work because when you sit in one you would invade the foot space of another.

We're not really huge fans of black or dark grey. What do people think about the otter color offered in that fabric, or the brown?

I would look at options besides taupe, which doesn't appear to compliment your wall colour (unless you're planning on painting). If you're set on a neutral, I'd find something in grey (either a light dove grey, or a dark charcoal) and use pillows, a throw, or some art to liven things up a bit. Otherwise, I like the idea of letting the sofa give the room a (much needed) dose of colour. Even white would be more interesting than taupe.

Also, why microfibre?

Microfiber because we need something easy to clean. We are "loungers."

You AT people are so polite.

To the original question, I think desmond seafoam might be a nice option. It gives a punch of color to the space without being too dark, which you didn't want. And it's a fairly easy color to work with.

If you're planning on leaving the walls the same color (as it seems you are from the phrasing of your question), I'd go with a darker neutral, like the otter color you mentioned. I think the taupe might create a blending-into-the-walls problem, as you mention. For instance, the picture you sent in (which I assume is with your current couch?) has that kind of problem--it's a lot of similar-but-slightly-different-and-not-coordianting neutrals. Also, a darker fabric will be easier to keep clean.

I dont think you should worry about it being too dark--it's not like you're covering the walls in black cloth, it's just one piece of furniture. I think too much taupe is a bigger concern.

Try slipcovers?????

I'd say keep the fabric a neutral - it will be less likely to be dated down the road.

Put color on the walls (!), add colorful window treatments and colorful art and throw pillows (if you're into throw pillows ;->).

You can change paint colors and pillows and such a lot easier than changing the color on the sectional. And a neutral sofa will work with any color scheme you choose for the place.

That's my 2 cents.

you might want to consider the carter sectional (steel leg)or clinton sectional (wood leg) from Gus*Modern located in chelsea on 18th st. its available in 3 colors, a microsuede fabric in putty(cream), another in graphite(charcoal) or the best complimentary fabric called UrbanTweed in Potash(sand color) which is great for colorizing with pillows. they are mid century modern classics . clinton sectional will be available to see next week as it is a new sofa/sectional that Gus* introduced earlier this year. www.gusmodern.com

We're about to order the york sectional. However, we didn't like any of the Desmond colors so we're going with the Douglas in Camel - this is also a microfiber but it has a subtle herringbone pattern and doesn't get the "vacuum tracks" the Desmond does. Make sure to look through their full fabric selection and take advantage of the unlimited swatches!

Whatever you decide I would like to suggest a great place for buying fabric......I dont know much about the design or weaving of fabric I can tell you I got a great deal and great help with an online store called iluvfabrix.com I dont work for them, I just thought I would contribute my experience.....they have an in house designer working for them that will make sense of all their inventory for you. You can have a look at http://www.iluvfabrix.com