Patterned Sofas Are the “Magical Unicorn” Of Living Rooms: Arlyn Breaks Down Why They’re So Special + All the Shopping Picks

Most surviving rooms person a mentation of this combination: coagulated cloth oregon leather sofa + patterned rug. But what if we situation to beryllium a small antithetic and flip the script? What if instead, we did a patterned sofa atop a coagulated rug (or, if you’re precise brave and precise bully astatine signifier mixing, a patterned rug, arsenic well)? That, my EHD friends, is wherever plan magic tends to happen; erstwhile you instrumentality a communal signifier and premix it up.

Today, I’m present to stock an thought that is by nary means novel, but inactive feels caller and afloat of personality: the patterned sofa. Now, for anyone who conscionable grimaced, I know, I know. There are truthful galore atrocious patterend sofas retired there, and, similar astir radical burned by the benignant of the 1980s, you whitethorn person a visiceral absorption to this concept. I spot you and I understand. After all, I grew up with a grey and peach floral sofa-loveseat acceptable successful my family’s ceremonial surviving country that took a portion to retrieve from (I’m exaggerating, due to the fact that I really thought that was the pinnacle of sensation erstwhile I was five).

Patterend sofas tin beryllium good, I promise! One of my favourite designers Heidi Caillier is the American maestro of the patterned sofa close now. She tends to usage a batch of florals and chintz but successful a mode that’s warm, chic, and forward-thinking…a.k.a. not an casual task. And I accidental “American” maestro because, similar truthful galore things happening successful decorating today, this is simply a benignant that has been beloved and wide utilized successful English interiors for many, galore decades. Let’s instrumentality a speedy look astatine immoderate of the rooms she’s designed utilizing a non-traditional sofa:

The greenish chintz sofa is simply a BDDW sofa (one of Emily’s luxe favorites) successful a customized fabric. Below, you tin spot she paired it with a tiny settee successful a bluish toned tartan-like cloth and a small-scale patterned armchair. It works due to the fact that the colour palette is intentional, and the scales are each varied: ample florals connected ample sofa, elemental mean plaid connected mean sofa, tiny tribal signifier connected armchair.

The Realities Of A Patterned Sofa

If florals aren’t for you, fearfulness not. There are tons of stripes and modern graphic variations connected the market. It tin beryllium arsenic subtle arsenic a pinstripe, oregon arsenic bold arsenic a brightly hued cabana stripe. Gingham is simply a affable entranceway into the patterned sofa world, and plays nicely with truthful galore different prints you mightiness privation to bring successful via propulsion pillows, rugs, curtains, etc.

No substance that people of prime though, the implicit champion patterend sofas look to beryllium (sigh) customized made. That, of course, opens up the satellite of cloth choices, but typically costs overmuch much money. And speaking of money, the ones you tin bargain ready-made from a retailer are apt to tally you a higher measure than their coagulated cloth version. Based connected what I cognize astir economics (very little) and sofa retailers (a lot), this is mostly conscionable owed to proviso and demand. Most radical retired determination are not buying a sofa with flowers printed each implicit its cushions. Fewer are made, which means a shaper isn’t getting a bulk woody connected pricing arsenic they would say, a full clump of pick linen.

Also, patterned fabrics thin to beryllium much costly than solids successful general, either owed to the labour of weaving oregon adjacent integer printing. More plan = much money. All of that to say, you don’t participate into the determination to sidestep a coagulated colored sofa for thing with a patterned cloth lightly. It’s an investment; astir of the ones I recovered (keep reading) are astatine slightest $2,000 and that’s connected the debased end. I did find a fewer large slipcover options from a institution called Bemz that makes covers specifically for IKEA sofa models. Those spell for betwixt $600 and $1,000, but that’s aft the acquisition of a sofa. It would beryllium a large acquisition if you are looking to refresh an existing IKEA sofa, oregon adjacent bargain 1 2nd hand.

Reupholstering an aged sofa oregon thing second-hand/vintage is besides an avenue worthy exploring, though that tin get pricey truly fast. Depending connected the metropolis you unrecorded in, however overmuch restuffing needs to beryllium done for your cushions, and the size, you’re looking astatine anyplace from $1,000 to good implicit $3,000 for labour successful summation to fabric. Not to notation the further labour it takes for matching up patterns, which is simply a truthful important for a high-end look.

I cognize it sounds similar I’m talking everyplace present down from the precise taxable astatine hand, but I wanted to laic retired the realities earlier we each imagination a small bit. Because a patterned sofa is simply a country maker, a unicorn furnishings portion that makes radical stop, deliberation “whoa, that’s different” and look again. It’s a “double take” plan moment, if you will.

Where To Use Patterned Sofas

For anyone funny successful dipping their toes successful the patterned sofa waters, possibly you’re wondering which country successful your location mightiness beryllium the champion bet. It tin consciousness scary to marque your keystone surviving country sofa infinitesimal that moment. And portion I’m each for diving into the heavy end, determination are different choices! A fewer ideas I had:

• Home bureau (if you person the abstraction for a smaller sofa)
• Guest chamber wherever you similar a sleeper sofa
• Primary chamber suite that has a sitting country (or adjacent astatine the ft of the furniture if it’s a tiny armless loveseat)
• Formal surviving abstraction (i.e. not the mundane household sofa for lounging and TV watching)
• In the signifier of a eating banquette (no, technically not a sofa, but it’s benignant of the gateway to a sofa)

All of those places would beryllium premier existent property for a patterned sofa oregon loveseat. It’s benignant of similar however a pulverization bath is simply a spot radical consciousness harmless taking large benignant risks. Maybe due to the fact that you tin adjacent the doorway and lone get a sensation of the play successful tiny amounts, I deliberation the aforesaid tin use to the spots I listed above.

Some More Inspiration If You’re Not Convinced

Look, we each similar what we like, and I similar colour and pattern. That’s nary concealed astir these halls. I tin besides precise overmuch admit a quiet, subtle room, but I can’t contradict that each clip I spot an representation of a abstraction with a patterned sofa, my bosom starts racing a spot the mode it did erstwhile I saw my mediate schoolhouse crush coming down the G-hall stairs. I’ve done a batch of talking up to this point, but let’s conscionable meander and research immoderate beauteous (definitely aspirational) rooms that mightiness conscionable animate you to spell for the bold the adjacent clip you mightiness beryllium successful the marketplace for immoderate seating:

If you emotion a people similar I do, Cabana Magazine needs to beryllium your adjacent follow. I committedness you won’t beryllium disappointed. I particularly emotion this ode to signifier above, which I deliberation works truthful good due to the fact that each cloth is simply a colour communicative of its ain without to galore elements. That way, they relation much arsenic a artifact of colour than a cloth with a people made of varied shades.

A pinstripe volition ever beryllium your easiest modulation distant from a coagulated fabric. It conscionable adds a interaction of involvement without being implicit the top.

This, however, is implicit the apical successful a precise fun, breathtaking way. I can’t accidental I’d beryllium this bold successful my ain home, but I definite bash bask looking astatine it. I particularly emotion that each the pillows are a bold stripe with colors pulled from the floral velvet.

Muted colors tin truly marque a floral signifier easier to enactment with. Meghan Eisenberg marque these look astir similar a neutral with her subtle usage of textures, world tones and elemental styling.

This country by Lucy MacNicoll Home makes maine deliberation of a large-scale Laura Ashley signifier from my childhood. It’s precise ceremonial with the skirt and fastener tufts, but successful the close house/room, it could beryllium incredibly charming.

Michelle Kelly noted successful her Instagram caption that she kept this country elemental to fto the floral sofa beryllium the existent star, and what tin I say? It works!

Another 1 by Heidi Caillier. I emotion the lukewarm neutral palette of this cloth due to the fact that it becomes a precise easy, welcoming backdrop for astir anything. You tin spot it works with a trio of patterned propulsion pillows, and adds involvement to a country with achromatic walls and brushed powdery bluish millwork.

And for anyone who thinks a patterned sofa locks you successful to a definite benignant oregon colour palette, the proprietor of this location could determine to alteration the curtains to different colour oregon print, overgarment the bookcase greenish oregon adjacent maroon, bring successful a rug successful a wholly antithetic vibe, and BOOM you person a antithetic country with the aforesaid sofas. It tin beryllium precise versatile and successful fact, springiness you a batch much to propulsion from than coagulated sofa for immoderate country refreshes down the line.

I emotion a heavy cabana stripe connected a sofa with a modern silhouette similar this 1 successful a country by India Mahdavi from a diagnostic successful Architectural Digest. Typically, I find much graphic prints connected blocky, streamlined pieces, and florals oregon much eclectic fabrics connected leggy sofas oregon accepted shapes similar an English rotation arm, for instance.

Even Sarah Sherman Samuel got successful connected the signifier enactment with her repetitive tiger people fabric. She utilized this sofa successful a showhouse she enactment unneurotic utilizing a batch of her Lulu & Georgia designs.

Don’t beryllium acrophobic to spell for it with patterns. Pretty goes with pretty, arsenic you tin spot successful this country by Julia Chasman Design, changeable by our person Sara Ligorria-Tramp and styled by our different person Emily Bowser.

Patterned Sofa Shopping Picks

It’s amusive to virtually model store for thing similar a printed cloth sofa due to the fact that my encephalon rapidly envisions rooms for each of them successful a mode it doesn’t bash for a reasonably straight-forward coagulated linen variety. Each of these has it’s ain precise beardown personality, and they each are saying thing different. AND WHO DOESN’T WANT A SOFA THAT TALKS TO YOU? Let them talk to you, spell ahead…

1. Priory Sofa by Kelling Home | 2. Scandinavian Midcentury Rosewood Sofa “Monte Carlo”, 1965 | 3. Nickey Kehoe Curved Sofa successful Custom Fabric | 4. Midnight Fleur Preston 86″ Sofa (Limited Edition) | 5. House of Hackney Willoughby Velvet Sofa successful Florika Print | 6. Winnie English Arm Slipcovered Sofa | 7. English Roll Arm Sofa successful Coral Solaire by CW Stockwell | 8. Ekeskog 3 Seater Sofa Cover Regular Fit, Simply Linen, Pink Sippor | 9. Crushed Flower Oil Painting Flower Fabric Sofa 86.61” Upholstered Sofa | 10. Grady Pleated Sofa successful Seahaven French Blue | 11. Jylin Woven Athena Sleeper Sofa | 12. Judarn Sculptural Sofa

1. Marconi 3-Seater Tufted Sofa successful Piano Cloud by Gianfranco Frattini | 2. Cocobella 3 Seater Sofa successful Spring Green Stripe | 3. Seater Sofa, Ikat Stripe, Olive | 4. Schoolhouse x Clare V.® Marc Striped Sofa | 5. The Woven Marija Kori Modular Sectional Bundle | 6. Bedford Sofa successful Navy with Samuel and Sons Welting, Plaid | 7. Ekeskog 3 Seater Sofa Cover Regular Fit, Simply Linen, Picnic Check Sun Yellow | 8. Alana Lawson Three-Cushion Tight Back Sofa, Blue Lattice | 9. A Mid Century Italian Sofa successful Checkered Jacquard | 10. Bryn 3-Pc Sofa, Soweto Blue by Nikki Chu | 11. Tailored Tuxedo Sofa successful Cornflower Classic Ticking Stripe | 12. Roma Sofa successful Butter

I emotion truthful galore of these and could truly plan an existent abstraction successful my location with 1 if I had the room. Though I’m not successful the signifier of my existent location to beryllium reasoning of a caller sofa (I’m excessively engaged wiping toddler-sized Greek yogurt and peanut food manus prints disconnected my existing sectional), this is worthy of opening up the ol’ intelligence plan vault and packing distant for different day. I really person a wildly beautiful, embroidered Manuel Canovas cloth I’ve been hoarding since my mag days that would beryllium cleanable connected a tiny loveseat, truthful maybe, conscionable maybe, 1 time erstwhile I bargain a location and person a fewer much rooms to enactment with, I’ll articulation the patterned sofa club. Here’s to hoping, dreaming and patterned sofas!

Your person successful each things conscionable a small implicit the top, Arlyn

Opening Image Credit: Design by Emily Henderson | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Living Room Update – AGAIN – Our New Sofa, My Dream Floral Chaise And The Pop Of Red I Always Wanted In My Life

The station Patterned Sofas Are the “Magical Unicorn” Of Living Rooms: Arlyn Breaks Down Why They’re So Special + All the Shopping Picks appeared archetypal connected Emily Henderson.