Q: My boyfriend and I really like this sofa set for the funky shape and style. Unfortunately, the set only comes in orange, which is deterring us from buying it. How should we decorate the living room space to work with the enormity of the orange color? Any suggestions on color schemes for accent pillows, furniture, carpeting, wall art, etc. would be much appreciated!

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If you want the sofas to pop, use a cool color in blue, green or violet tones, or a cool light gray would be something neutral. I think some aqua tones, with brown and orange in a patterned throw pillows would be great.
i think it really depends on the feel you are going for. If you want to play up the funky, modern factor, I would go white for your accent colors. If you want something a little more subtle and earthy, you could do browns, tans, and darker, richer shades of orange. If you are super brave I'd go with some saturated jewel tones for accessories that will be able to stand up to the intensity of the sofa color. Don't be afraid though! It's an awesome statement piece!
lorrinm made a point statement piece big time! I LOVE the orange and the style, but if you have to talk yourself into it because of color you might want to keep looking. ( I love grey and orange and would use accent pillows with some texture).
I'd seriously consider terracotta vases, cowskin rugs, and sisal, essentially toning the orange to work with browns and golds.
Other options - glam it up with pink, Moroccan lanterns, poufs, and sari fabric curtains. This will take good matching with eclectic furnishings to prevent a I Dream Of Jeannie bottle look. But done right it would look insanely fabulous.
Thirdly, you could go with gray and white. Just gray and white. Sleek, simple, easy to find pieces that would work with the scheme.
I would not get the whole set. Personally, I would get a neutral sofa with orange pillows, but if you love the sofa, get the sofa only. I think this whole set is too matchy and impossible to work with (and I love orange). With the orange sofa, I would paint the walls grey, and a cooler gray at that. I'd keep everything else in cool tones- I think orange with warm tones would look too autumnal. Pillows with gray, blue (or green) and a touch of orange to tie it all together and a rug in a neutral or blue or green.
I love orange, so I wouldn't have problems with this sofa. But I agree with ljgfromof that if you don't like orange, I would seriously think about finding another sofa.
I think the style is too trendy and you may get sick of it in a few years. plus you don't like the color. I think it's the best to get something more neutral and decorate the sofa with funky pillows, etc. If you must buy it, please just get the sofa..and not the whole set. =)
I have a funky, orange sofa as well - and absolutely love it. I painted the walls a nice white/lumen in eggshell and repainted a 50s style credenza a muted grass-colored green. My accessories are tans and creams. I also upholstered an accent chair in a funky multi- colored pattern that picks up all the colors in the room. And don't be afraid of the orange - it's incredibly easy to decorate with such a bold color.
Sorry - lumen should be linen.
Grrr...auto-correct.
may I ask where this set is from? i love the loveseat.
I love orange and have promised myself the Room and Board Anson leather sofa in pumpkin at some point in the next few years (lots of saving to go...). I currently use it as an accent color in my apartment and it works really well the the teal, yellow and greys that I have in my color scheme.
But I'd also second the opinion that if you don't like orange you should really look for something else that you won't end up regretting in a year or two.
Gray.
The enormity of the orange color will only be evident if you avoid bringing more orange into the room. If you work orange accents into other areas of the room (curtains, accessories, etc), the couches won't stand out as much.
I like the idea of introducing lots of rich neutrals as a base - navy would be gorgeous, but a deep gray or brown would work too. Use these broadly, but add in some other accents - bright whites, deep golden yellows, or bright greens/pinks. For your "fill" colors, look to tan, beiges, light gray in natural materials to counter the ultra-modern lines of the set. Wicker, rattan, bamboo, sisal - all of these will keep the room from being too cold or stark.
You're not going to avoid making a statement - its a modern orange sofa set, for crying out loud - but I think its possible to bring balance to the room so it doesn't jump out at you or feel out of place.
Here are two cute rooms that have built around orange sofas, plus a room that does a great job of incorporating a lot of bright colors without overwhelming.
http://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=81287¤tPage=0&index=5&relatedPhotoId=
http://thelennoxx.wordpress.com/page/11/
http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2010/02/jordans-living-room.html
I would love to see that with cool blues and grays. I actually really love this orange color- it's very unique and funky!
I must first admit that I think I hate these -- not for the color, but for the shape. They remind me of too much of the 80s, specifically the apartment that Daryl Hannah decorates in Wall Street.
But anyway, see what CB2 does with orange. They always have bold orange pieces. Here are a few examples:
Room 1
Room 2
Room 3
Think pink:)
Or grey!
We have an orange sofa/chaise combination. Our main wall colour is a deep midnight blue, with ice blue and white accents. The other furniture has various shades of medium to light wood tones and we have cushions that are orange/blue and turquoise.
Grey & Aqua
This is it. I like these, but not all three in the same space iw way too much. Perhaps just the middle piece with gray walls. With a little green and white infused into the room.
Gray and cream with a little sage green thrown in.
Navy blue, tan or a warm grey, cream, and lighter raw wood tones. Love the couch, and love orange!
I LOVE the couch,but like others have said I would just buy the couch and then get more neutral chairs to go with it. The couch should be the focal point...so let it pop and the other colors around it be more toned down. Like the ideas of using gray or even white. Not sure about the blue, but I guess that depends on how much you like color. Enjoy the sofa!
I would get rid of those pillows and keep everything very neutral. Sisal rug, or a flokati rug. Live with it for a while and go from there.
I agree with those who said to just get one piece instead of three. I have a friend who uses huge purple and orange cushions on her sofa and it looks really great. But boy, that sofa is reeeeally orange and really unique. You sure you won't tire of it in a year or two?
We have orange walls in our bedroom, and a duvet that is cream with the same orange and dark brown. We've accented with more cream and a light blue/grey.
nycpuggirl, the sofa set is sold at http://www.lafurniturestore.com/h01-sofa-set.html. It's also on Ebay at a higher price.
2 questions to ask yourself:
1) Do you LOVE the orange? One of my decorating mantras is “only buy what you love.” It’s good advice. If you don’t love the orange, walk away.
2) Do you see this furniture in your house in 10 years? If not, walk away. Sofas are a major purchase. Think long term, and try to avoid trends. In my opinion, these are pretty awful attempts at some type of retro style, and will soon be relegated to the wastebin of history, like this:
http://highheelshoechair.com/images/zebra_hotpink.jpg
And 1 suggestion:
Don’t buy a full set. Of anything. Sets are to furniture what Lunchables are to food.
I like arroyo's questions to decide if this is really for you. I try to avoid purchasing the most expensive pieces in a room (usually large upholstery) in trendy shapes or colors, unless you really agree with the statement that piece is making and know you can live with it long-term.
If the answer is yes, I suggest you go to a fabric store and find a print you love that incorporates the orange, and pull the other colors in that pattern for paints and accessories. Textile Designers are usually on the cutting edge of color and when you find a print you love, it makes the rest of the room so easy to work with.
It will also naturally tell you if you want a monochromatic or complimentary scheme - something many of the above posts ellude to. whatever colors you are drawn to in a print fabric will work well for you throughout the room.
Ditto on the be sure you can do orange and think twice about getting the whole set. Sometimes a pair of sofas works but not sure about a pair of orange sofas.
Consider tans, a touch of brown and then some teal and/or turquoise accents.
I signed up just to say that we were disappointed when we couldn't get our couch in orange. Embrace it! Paint your walls a grey neutral and let the orange couch pop off. Throw in some blue accent pillows or chairs. Don't be afraid of the color.
My family room has orange walls, neutral berber carpeting (off white blend), navy blue sofa, blue and white patterned drapes, touches of lime green and yellow.
Using this combination in your room, you could have white or very light gray walls, white trim, orange sofa, blue chair/s, blue and white drapes. Maybe (as I do) you would like some blue and white pottery (lamp bases, flower pots, vases) in the room as well. Blue is the complement of orange, and if used in a crisp way, blue and white look great with orange. (I think a fairly even amount of white with the blue makes it work.)
My boyfriend and I have several similarly-hued orange accent pieces in our small home. The rest of the decor relies on chocolate brown paired with a palette of greenish-blues in a variety of shades from very deep turquoise to bright, happy acqua. Most of the larger pieces are brown or a darker blue, which make the accent pieces pop without seeming overwhelming. This works for us, but if I were more daring I'd make that orange color stand out with light grey instead of trying to subdue it. I dig that color combination a lot!
I also have an orange sofa (and orange bedroom). It is a surprising flexible color. I've done everything from zebra stripes to big florals. Green was to Halloween and yellow too harsh. But eveything else has worked, including purple surpisingly. I say go for it.
Loving it with teal these days and then ground with black or chocolate brown.
See this mood board, if you don't believe me.
http://www.olioboard.com/boards/29249-pedestal-table-inspired
As a different sort of suggestion, the boconcept como line has elements similar to some of those seen here, and comes in more color/material options. It's not identical obviously, and it's not cheap (though I don't know what kind of price range these are in), and feedback on boconcept customer service is... not overwhelmingly positive, but if you can be tempted away from this your life might be a lot easier. XD
Correct link.
if you don't like orange, i'd definitely say don't get a set of orange furniture. i'm sure you can find a similar style with a choice of colors...
I love this set! My boyfriend loves orange, and we've been able to incorporate it in our bedroom by including other "autumn" colors like olive green, gold, dark red, and brown. So you could do something like that, and that would reduce the "pop" sensation you get from the straight orange.
As for me, I like the bright colors and would pair it with other bright primary colors. A secret fantasy of mine is to have a largely white kitchen with lots of yellow, orange, and green--a totally fresh, citrusy look.
I love using blues with orange.
It would also look awesome with some grays and whites for neutrals.
Get one piece -- don't get all of them. Get the sofa, for example, and two grey side chairs. Then you can leave your walls white and work in a tribal rug and a great modern space without being overwhelmed by the whole set.
My couch is a similar orange, which my mom inherited from her dad and I stole when I moved into my condo. Here is the color I painted my walls when stuck with a similar problem: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30580290&l=7b8f044ccb&id=1455270038
There is more to the room now, and there is some magenta-y pink accents around, too.
Yellow baby. Remember the 60's.
Stop being such a damn wimp. Orange goes well with everything - whites, creams, all shades of blue and brown, reds and yellows, pinks, purples (if you want to go psychedelic), greens and greys. Basically whatever colour you choose for the walls and the rest of the room, orange will work with them. About the only thing that might not work is more orange.
Personally I'd go with a fashionable darker grey on the walls with whites and creams in the accessories. But really any colour in the spectrum will work if you match the intensity and tone.
The only other thing you want to avoid is, as I said, being a damn wimp. The sofas are bold statements, so you'll need similar boldness in addressing the space around them. This could be the beginning of something really exciting in your living room.
Yikes, easy Blandwagon.
Someone mentioned the Anson sofa at Room and Board - it's so funny, we have that sofa in a custom orange (cotton, not leather) upholstery. And I personally am really attached to it, way more than to the latte colored one I had before moving across the country. But for additional seating we went to earth tones with orange accent pillows.
The vibe of the above pictured sofa, though, is pretty futuristic. I think I agree with other comments that say a cool aqua, a slick grey, or white color combinations would work best. Yellow if you wanted to be bold. And only get the sofa. But orange is a powerful color, so if you aren't sure, find something else you will really love!