Help!!! Bright Red Loveseat!!!

[Lauren523]

Hi Everyone!!!

Just wondering if anyone could give me some decorating advice?! My fiance and I just moved from NH to FL and unfortunately we had to leave our beige sofa behind. Since we''ve always decorated in neutrals and added colorful accessories, we decided to get a little adventurous and look for a RED couch!!! Well, we''re on a tight budget and we found a great used furniture place yesturday! We found a red couch that was practically brand new for an awesome price! We had it delivered to our apartment and YIKES!!! It looks fire engine red!!! It didn''t look so bright in the store ( I guess because of the lighting) but it looks SOOOOO dramatic in here! Eric absolutely loves it but I''m not so sure anymore. I already asked him if I could get a neutral colored slipcover and just play it up w/ some colorful pillows, but he doesn''t want to. He was teasing me last night because I really wanted the red sofa

I think if it was a different shade of red I would like it better. The other problem is~ I have a vintage lime green chair that I love and it totally clashes w/ the couch!!! Does anyone have any expert decorating ideas out there? What can I do??? Thanks for any replies!

 

[moremoremore]

Hmmmm...tough call....I had an answer for you until you mentioned the lime green chair!!

First, I hate sofa slipcovers unless they are custom made...and that is big bucks...they always look so sloppy to me...I'm all for mixing colors, but b/c the sofa is SO red, and the chair is SO green, they might not work...BUT

If you have to keep the chair, I envision some attention getting drapes (you can make them cheap) and matching pillows in a mainly white with some yellow, green, orange and red floral...that could tie it all together...It could be a real french country look!!

I personally, would slip cover the chair in a camel color and accent the couch with camel throw pillows...You could even throw in some leopard if you liked....Red and camel are awesome together...

 

[moremoremore]

Well, here are some ideas b/c I don't know your taste...this fabric is really $$$, but these are just examples. (the links are really long, just cut and paste!)



u like monkeys? lol: http://www.kravet.com/search/fabdetail.asp?Code=FAB&Use=DRP-Drapery&Use=MUL-Multipurpose&Use=UPH-Upholstery&Cat=CHE-Chenille&Cat=DEN-Denim%2FTwill&Cat=JAC-Jacquards&Cat=LIS-Liseres&Cat=MAT-Matelasse&Cat=MOI-Moire&Cat=NEE-Needlepoint&Cat=PRI-Print&Cat=SIL-Silk&Cat=TAP-Tapestry&Cat=TPS-Tapes&Col=GRN-Green&Col=LGR-Light+Green&Col=MUL-Multi&Col=ORG-Orange%2FRust&Col=RED-Burgundy%2FRed&Col=WHT-White&Col=YEL-Yellow%2FGold&Typ=ANI-Animal%2FInsects&Typ=ASI-Asian&Typ=BAR-Bargellos&Typ=BOR-Borders&Typ=BOT-Botanical%2FFoliage&Typ=DIA-Diamond&Typ=DMK-Damask&Typ=ETH-Ethnic&Typ=FLL-Floral+Large+%2827+Inch%29&Typ=FLM-Floral+Medium+%2813+1%2F2+Inc&Typ=FLS-Floral+Small+%286+3%2F4+Inch%29&Typ=FMS-Flamestitch&Typ=IMB-Imberlines&Typ=JAB-Jacobeans&Typ=LIS-Liseres&Typ=LSW-Lattice%2FScrollWork&Typ=NOV-Novelty&Typ=PAI-Paisley&Typ=SMS-Small+Scales&Typ=SWP-Solid+w%2FPattern&Typ=TOI-Toile&Typ=TRO-Tropical&Typ=VGF-Vegetable%2FFruit&Typ=ZZZ-All&Price=All&Page=33&pat=DOUGLAS&clr=1



Flowers? http://www.kravet.com/search/fabdetail.asp?Code=FAB&Use=DRP-Drapery&Use=MUL-Multipurpose&Use=UPH-Upholstery&Cat=CHE-Chenille&Cat=DEN-Denim%2FTwill&Cat=JAC-Jacquards&Cat=LIS-Liseres&Cat=MAT-Matelasse&Cat=MOI-Moire&Cat=NEE-Needlepoint&Cat=PRI-Print&Cat=SIL-Silk&Cat=TAP-Tapestry&Cat=TPS-Tapes&Col=GRN-Green&Col=LGR-Light+Green&Col=MUL-Multi&Col=ORG-Orange%2FRust&Col=RED-Burgundy%2FRed&Col=WHT-White&Col=YEL-Yellow%2FGold&Typ=ANI-Animal%2FInsects&Typ=ASI-Asian&Typ=BAR-Bargellos&Typ=BOR-Borders&Typ=BOT-Botanical%2FFoliage&Typ=DIA-Diamond&Typ=DMK-Damask&Typ=ETH-Ethnic&Typ=FLL-Floral+Large+%2827+Inch%29&Typ=FLM-Floral+Medium+%2813+1%2F2+Inc&Typ=FLS-Floral+Small+%286+3%2F4+Inch%29&Typ=FMS-Flamestitch&Typ=IMB-Imberlines&Typ=JAB-Jacobeans&Typ=LIS-Liseres&Typ=LSW-Lattice%2FScrollWork&Typ=NOV-Novelty&Typ=PAI-Paisley&Typ=SMS-Small+Scales&Typ=SWP-Solid+w%2FPattern&Typ=TOI-Toile&Typ=TRO-Tropical&Typ=VGF-Vegetable%2FFruit&Typ=ZZZ-All&Price=All&Page=36&pat=DORIA/D&clr=16

I LOVE this toile:
http://www.kravet.com/search/fabdetail.asp?Code=FAB&Use=DRP-Drapery&Use=MUL-Multipurpose&Use=UPH-Upholstery&Cat=ZZZ-All&Col=GRN-Green&Col=LGR-Light+Green&Col=LYL-Light+Gold%2FYellow&Col=MUL-Multi&Col=RED-Burgundy%2FRed&Col=YEL-Yellow%2FGold&Typ=TOI-Toile&Price=All&Page=5&pat=BARRYMORE&clr=530

 

[Lauren523]

Hi moremoremore!!!

Thanks for your ideas! I know, the lime green chair does throw everything off

I also don't really like slipcovers, they do tend to look kinda messy! I was thinking of either putting the green chair in my bedroom or just getting a slipcover for the chair. Not sure yet. I tried calming down the red by putting some Sari pillows that I have on there. They look ok for now, I guess, until I find something that I really like that will go. Oh well!!! I guess it's all about experimenting w/colors! Thanks again

 

[Mara]

eeeee lime green chair and red couch?! what were you guys thinking in the first place? hehee.




I like using neutrals alot and spicing up with one color. I love camels and off-whites and thinks like tan and browns for neutralizing some colors. I also suggest moving the chair to another room if possible, and then using some woods and neutrals to calm the red. Pottery Barn had some great faux fur brown and off-white pillows that I LOVE, I have like 5 of each all over the house, hehehe...I love things like white fur with red...or brown with red etc. Plus texture adds a bit of fun to things. Also right now they have rattan type pillows, with a weave but that may be too HARSH when placed against the red.




Get some catalos, like PB or Restoration or ZGallerie and get some ideas from the pictures. PB also has alot of online decor tips and pictures, so you may be able to look around and get inspired. I would make the red couch the focus and nix the green chair to another room, then you can play with the red, use reds elsewhere in the room as well (aka black frames with red mats and black and white pictures etc) for some spice but keeping everything else neutral.




Good luck and have fun!

 

[moremoremore]

I agree....get that chair outta there! Unless you're feeling shagadelic baby!!! LOL ...

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 6/28/2004 3:13:21 PM moremoremore wrote:

I agree....get that chair outta there! Unless you're feeling shagadelic baby!!! LOL ... ----------------

Actually that look is coming on very strong. Pop Artish. Red & lime green a bit severe - but color can be fun. I'm strickly a black wearer - but I have some fun with color in at least one room in the house. My office in our city house is done in 50's/60's wild colors & shapes. It warms my heart. It's fun! I feel like flipping my hair when I walk in.

If really too much, can't you move the lime green chair to another room? Go back to the gently used furniture store & get a chair that may fit more with the red.

Also, local auctions are a great place to find cheap stuff. I just bought a way cool well made blond birch (oak secondary) desk w/ cool asymetric brass handles for $5.00! Way retro!

Yeah, I am with the others about slipcovering. Dun't like it.

 

[Lauren523]

Hello!

Thanks so much for your ideas! Well, when we picked out the loveseat, I was sooo excited and didn't even think about the green chair! It just caught my eyes in the store! I think I might move the chair in our bedroom. We have different shades of blues and purples in our room, so I don't think the chair will look bad with those colors. (Better than the red anyway!) I just don't feel like fighting with a slipcover and the look is messy anyway! I just can't dump the chair! It's a vintage chair that was given to me and I love the retro color of it! Plus it's in pretty great condition! Maybe I'll have it reupholsted someday!!! Oh well! Thank you all for your imput! I'm kinda fussy when it comes to decorating and want rooms to look like pages in a magazine!!! I know, I'm silly

Thanks again everyone!!!

 

[hoorray]

Ok - I'll go out on a limb here (which means think about it, but don't necessarily follow this advice until you do). I would play with the colors by adding more. If you can dilute the contrast of the two together by making it just a good mix of bright colors, it could work.

I love the concept of color, but find it very difficult to do well. It takes guts (like a bright red sofa and lime green chair

). And it takes a committment to it. You can't back off and do neutrals around it. Maybe you should find some throw pillows that can tie the colors together. Maybe some bright prints or art. Maybe you can paint an accent wall a bright color also, and then use accessaries to pull the colors together! I suppose you need some offsetting neutrals to make you not go crazy, so the key is going to be the balance.

Or, you can move the chair to a bedroom and tone the whole thing down some. If you are up for trying the colors, my guess is that you have the big bones in place, and only need smaller things to continue it on. Maybe Sumi or F&I could pick their hubbies brains for some trained thinking in this

.

I also hate slipcovers unless you are specifically trying to do the shabby chic thing in a beach house or something.

 

[Mara]

Lauren, I am the same way with things looking like a magazine! I want the catalog room! Our bedroom looks pretty much like this thank god, but the rest of the house is a work in progress. The office is getting there in terms of furniture and what we have on the walls, but I always have so much crap on my desk, that's not catalogue or magazine worthy!

Me no like slipcover either...

I think mixing colors can work IF you like that type of color in your house. Personally lots of bright colors for a long period of time aka living room where we spend alot of time would give me a headache. That is why I have alot of neutrals and green is my primary accent color (green is calming like nature). You can do some research on the meaning and feelings of colors if it helps, I'm sure you can find some info online, there are also color wheels to let you know what colors compliment others. Personally, I like blues and greens mixed with neutrals (mine are ivories, camel, sand, browns and blacks) as I like the calming feel. I like red because its vibrant, but could only put it in a room where I would be doing something quickly aka an entry because I would be entering or exiting and would take a boost from that red color aka energy. So alot of it has to do with YOU and what floats your boat. I may love neutrals with some color but you may get too sleepy! On the same token, too many colors in one room even broken up with some neutrals may give you a headache. Figure out which type of person you are BEFORE you try anything too drastic!

Also paint on the walls can be a great decorating help aka if you neutralize and texturize your walls (with something like seagrass wallpaper), it could draw the eye away from the red couch much as pillows would do the same thing. Good luck!!

 

[Lauren523]

Hi Mara and Lop!

Thanks for the imput!!! Mara, I'm so glad you said you're the same way as me w/ decorating!! I have soooo many decorating magazines and I probably drive my Eric crazy because I always like changing things around! Gotta love him~ he's pretty open to new things most of the time!

It's funny because I always liked neutrals and then got sick of them quickly and just kept changing the accessories (pillows, blankets, candles, etc) and that always seemed to keep me satisfied for oh~ a couple of months or so! LOL. Now I want this bright, bold couch for something different, and I'm not sure if it's what I really wanted!!! We actually just moved to Daytona Beach, FL and we have a garden style apartment, very cute! Now I'm thinking, "Oh man, I should've done a white couch w/orange pillows instead" to go w/ the whole Florida beachy kinda thing.

I like sooo many different colors, but I tend to stick to different shades of one color (like our bedroom and bathroom) and pick like 2-3 colors in the living room and dining room to work with. I'm a pretty eclectic person and this red couch seems a little too contemporary for me!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!

I like your idea, Lop, about mixing the same color, but different shades of it, in the living room. After looking @ the green chair and the red sofa and hating it, there's no way I'll be brave enough to try a bunch of different colors together, but thanks for your ideas

 

[moremoremore]

"After looking @ the green chair and the red sofa and hating it, there's no way I'll be brave enough to try a bunch of different colors together, but thanks for your ideas"

Good move. I don't care what's "in"...that would just give me a brain ache.....Again, I'm all for color, but it sounds like the two pieces would just be competing instead of complimenting...

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 6/28/2004 9:22:00 PM Mara wrote:


Lauren, I am the same way with things looking like a magazine!

Personally lots of bright colors for a long period of time aka living room where we spend alot of time would give me a headache. ---

Hah! Our reading room was in a magazine! At the time, we collected (ad nauseum) something fairly obscure. Now, it's pretty mainstream.

I have to agree with the second statement. And, subscribe to it. BUT, I do love my city house office - it's like it's alive - and I have lots of plants in there also. When I think of Florida, bright miami vice colors do come to mind. Also, hubbies office is decorated in only primary colors a la Avery Cooney Playhouse windows. It'a a cool effect. Lop, is right - if you go w/ color - you got to go with color. Mara is right - it's gotta work for you. And, keep your shapes either very fluid or very sleek.

Your gonna have to tap Sumi's hubby for color. While hubby has a "trained" eye, he lacks the innate talent. Not to mention he has what many males have - a bit o' color blindness. I asked him to pick out a neutral mat for a print recently. I showed him what I wanted to match - a benign background off white. He came home proudly with the whitest of white matts (I could say "icey whitest of white" but I don't want to get slapped

) All I could do was shake my head.

Good luck - but have some fun.

 

[moremoremore]

point taken

 

[verticalhorizon]

Oy... if you MUST use the lime green chair and the fire engine red sofa together maybe do one or some of the following:

1. Find or make a piece of wall art or floor covering (fairly large scale) that contains either or both the green and the red in it. You need something else in the room to help de-emphasize the sofa.

2. Use a warm, neutral color to make the red seem less dramatic. Something almost bordering on the light brown family. Single accent walls are great, or if the sofa leads your line of sight into the next room, you can add some contrasting or complimentary color in the NEXT room which helps tie in the red sofa. This works with rooms, hallways, etc. to continue your color palette through the house.

3. Change your lighting to a less bright, slightly warmer tone to lessen the dramatic red sofa.

That's all I got for now. I WOULD proabably be a bit of a metrosexual, had I any money to spend.

 

[moremoremore]

LOL...you're a metrosexual at heart!!!

 

[moremoremore]

I would definitely suggest monkeys also...

 

[moremoremore]

Metrosexual is ok...but just don't wear that ps pin vertical!! hehehehe

 

[verticalhorizon]

MMM (Princess of the Multiple Posts!)

I know that if you add monkeys to any movie, you get an instant hit, but adding monkeys to your living room probably isn't a good idea.

Or are you calling me a monkey?

Actually, I did wear my new PS Diamonds in the Web pin all day yesterday! Hey, I'm proud of that thing. It's sparkly!

 

[moremoremore]

LOL...no, I posted fabric with monkeys above.

And what u talkin bout willis...show me ONE multiple post you bastage...but you got the PRINCESS part right!

And YES, it is official...you are a metrosexual for wearing your pin!!!

 

[verticalhorizon]

Ok, maybe not Multiple Posts... but you definitely have a machine-gun approach to posting! Post-post-post-post-post (reload) post-post-post.

I'm happy to hear that I'm officialy metrosexual. The future wife will be thrilled (she already knows I'm a great shopper).

...and btw, those monkeys are horrible... not even good in a kitchy sorta way!

 

[moremoremore]

" do you want to touch my monkey? "

LOL...aw, come on, they aren't that bad...I mean, it hasgreen and red?

Anyhoo- ok, I'm sorry for using this post for my own evil purposes

 

[daboyzmomi]

You could go with a rug like this to tie the colors together and go with a Carribean type theme. Get minimalist dark wood tables and baskets around for accent pieces.
Carribean Rug

 

[Mara]

mmm that could be pretty if the chair isnt obnoxiously lime green..hehehe. the colors in the rug are softer green. that could work also if the walls were all white, with dark wood for things like pictures, and the furniture as you note, and then keeping the colors with the couch and chair, and some color accents around the room. but again, it has to be a chosen choice...i love neutrals and dark woods and things like white walls, and woven textures like if you were out in the carribbean but my mom adores laura ashley florals. she would never be able to make red and green work!

 

[moremoremore]

you must be thinkin about me?

That wasn't my post....but I do think that the monkeys I posted would fit right in!!!

I'm more of a swedish country myself. I am afraid of color...pale blue and beige is as daring as I get!

 

[hoorray]

----------------
On 6/29/2004 3:14:03 PM verticalhorizon wrote:

Ok, maybe not Multiple Posts... but you definitely have a machine-gun approach to posting! Post-post-post-post-post (reload) post-post-post.

I'm happy to hear that I'm officialy metrosexual. The future wife will be thrilled (she already knows I'm a great shopper).
----------------

LOL VH -- MMM, he's got your number

.


VH, I like you even better now that I know you are a metrosexual -- it explains a lot of things. (JK

.)

 

[moremoremore]

LOL...totally...I was actually just going to post a follow up about swedish country...lol...I was going to say going easy on the girly look...but now I won't post that...oops!

And as for VH- have you checked out Mr. Metrosexual's music choices on the new thread...Jessica Simpson Vertical? Now I know why your fiance won't let you play with her ring..she really won't get it back, will she!

 

[fire&ice]

Has Lime Green & Hot Pink not reached the West Coast yet? Or maybe Lily Pulitzer is an EC phenom.

Odd colors can work. Really, anything can work. When people stick to hard and fast rules, it doesn't become their own. And, in the end, the atmosphere doesn't do anything for them. Not a big feng shui person - but I think there is truth to one's wholeness with their environment.

Everyone is different. For example, I have overhead lights only for the rare occurance that I must thread a needle or come into a room and need instant light. Florescent lights - none - they give me a headache. All of our lighting is diffused, most of it coming from Mica, Slag or Stained glass shaded lamps. This preference may also come from the fact that both homes are very open w/ high ceilings & tons of natural lighting. The low level lights make the open spaces more intimate. Someone else may have a totally different lay-out & light threshold. Doesn't make their way of doing it wrong.

Like clothing, the design must fit you.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Lauren - I currently have a red couch and lime green chair and ottoman. The walls are a medium khaki, and because of the neutral tones of the rest of the furniture, it makes a very dramatic impact. It took some getting used to, but I love it now! Have you tried using throw pillows of a more neutral colour to play down the red a bit?

I tried looking for some pictures of my former living room - I just sold my house and we're in the process of looking for a new one - but I couldn't get a decent shot of the furniture together.

The colour came out all wrong on the walls - that's actually a warm khaki and not peach.

Darn dirty lense!

By the way, my name is also Lauren.

 

[verticalhorizon]

I just read a little article about sofas in the Washington Post. (also below)

As for my purchasing Jessica Simpson? I could make excuses, but the truth is she's funny to watch, not bad to oogle, and has a pretty good voice. She must be pleased with how things have turned out, since originally being described as a poor-man's Britney.

-------------------------
Pick the Perfect Sofa
Rachel F. Elson
Sunday, June 20, 2004; Page M06

Sofas are all about taking it easy -- so what is it about shopping for them that's so hard? Sometimes we're more willing to drop $20,000 on a car than to pick out a $2,000 couch (and the latter will probably last longer). We asked some furniture-shopping experts for help in getting past buyer's block.

PICK A PRICE. Sofas can run as high as $10,000, so the first thing you need to do is set a realistic budget. Don't buy the line that a sofa is an "investment" -- good investments, after all, are supposed to appreciate in value -- but do consider stretching a little beyond what you think you can afford, especially if your standard of living is still increasing. In a few years, you don't want a budget compromise to have become the shabbiest piece in your room.

GET IN SHAPE. Taste is personal, but you still need to pick a silhouette that suits your space. The safest bet for most rooms: something squared off and simple. Nestor Santa-Cruz, a partner at the District's SKB Architecture and Design, suggests a piece inspired by Jean-Michel Frank's classic 1930s sofa. "It will go with anything," he says.

Certain design twists can make a big difference, too: A piece with legs and slimmer arms makes a room look less crowded. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a weightier feel, choose something that reaches to the floor.

SIZE IT UP. It seems to go without saying, but make sure you know what size piece your apartment can handle. A standard sofa is 84 inches long; one trick designers use is to cut an old sheet to size and lay it on the floor to get a sense of how much room there is to work with.

GO DEEP. Especially at the higher price points, ask about the piece's construction. Is the frame made with a robust hardwood, such as maple, or a soft wood, like pine? Are the corners secured with dowels (better) or staples? And check out the springs: A more expensive piece could have as many as five or six rows per cushion area, while the cheapest may have two or three.

Most important, make sure to try it out.

"Sometimes it happens that a client chooses a sofa -- she sees a picture and she likes it -- and then she sits in it and it doesn't fit," cautions Sophie Prevost, a partner in D.C. architecture and design firm Cole Prevost. Skipping this step can lead to very costly mistakes later.

COLOR IT IN. Yes, neutral tones are the most practical -- but sometimes life calls for frivolity.

Because a color sofa is the strongest statement in a room, be sure the surrounding pieces don't compete for attention. In addition, "try to stay away from of-the-moment pattern or color," says Washington designer Darryl Carter, whose work has been featured in O at Home magazine. You want your sofa to last, and a trendy pattern "is like rings in a tree; you can tell when it was done." (Remember that late-'90s plum?)

Lastly, "if you don't have a lot of light and the space is closed in, stick with light colors," notes Sam Esposito, manager of the Maurice Villency store in Bethesda. A room needs to be big enough to handle a dark hue -- and rich reds, greens and blues always make a piece look larger.