10 Ways to Style a Sofa

When I see a piece of furniture, my brain goes into overdrive, imagining all the different ways I could style that piece. Even something as seemingly taste specific as this teal sofa can be a part of so many different design concepts! You can completely change the look one of piece of furniture – yes, even a loud piece like this teal sofa – with a few styling decisions. All it takes is a different combination of rugs, pillows, and artwork. Let’s take a look at ten possibilities.

1. Gilded Beauty

Sofa styling that relies on several neutrals (off white, taupe, and gold), instead of other bold colors Lindsey Putzier Design Studio

This is my Fancy-Pants take on the sofa. It’s an elegant concept that relies on several neutrals (off white, taupe, and gold), instead of other bold colors. This look features a traditional rug with lots of warm golds and tans. The sofa itself is the largest amount of color in the space, with the rug pulling some of the teal for balance. I added some traditional gold pillows to the sofa, as well as a traditional-style chest with that fabulous Greek key detail that I love. To keep the look from feeling too old school, I added a fun acrylic lamp in a traditional shape, as well as an acrylic chandelier with a funkier vibe. The art also pulls the gold and a tiny amount of teal into the space.

2. Winter Vacation Vibe

Winter themed sofa styling with pops of teal, silver, and fuzzy pillows Lindsey Putzier Design Studio

If this sofa ended up in a winter destination property, this would be the vibe I would go for! Teal takes on an almost icy feel when paired with this abstract rug and some fuzzy fur pillows. To keep the icy feel, I added a silver lamp and a winter ski resort poster with a silver frame. My favorite antler chandelier EVER adds the final resort touch to this room. This is SO not your average hunting lodge-style chandelier!

3. Global Influence

Global themed couch styling with Persian rug and South African chandelier Lindsey Putzier Design Studio

A beautiful vintage Persian rug and a South African leather chandelier add a beautiful, global feel to this space. I continued the collected-by-travel feel by adding a zebra pillow and an elephant pillow, as well as the tribal artwork. There is a lovely mix of materials in this concept – from the stone topped tables to the leather straps, to the hide on the pillow. Rooms feel richer and more collected, the more different materials you combine together.

4. Raspberry Floral

Raspberry Floral sofa styling with raspberry rug, teal sofa, and gold end table Lindsey Putzier Design Studio

Welcome to more color! This room adds a second bold color to the mix: raspberry. The raspberry rug has small touches of teal, which plays beautifully with the teal in the sofa. The trick to using such a bold color is to repeat it throughout a room. In the case, the raspberry is repeated in the artwork and the sofa pillows. Florals are also repeated throughout the room. They’re most obvious in the artwork, but the chandelier also has a floral feel, as do the small patterns in the rug.

5. Collected Abstract

Collected Abstract couch styling featuring teal, white, and gold Lindsey Putzier Design Studio

This room dials the intense color back a bit! The abstract teal and white rug creates a slightly more contemporary feel. The addition of the colorful abstract painting and funky lighting adds to the more casual vibe of this concept. The throw pillows feature some of the same colors as the painting, but are purposefully a different style. Why? For variety!

6. Geometric Funk

Geometric Funk sofa styling featuring teal, beige, and brown Lindsey Putzier Design Studio

This look is a bit more edgy! Instead of adding more colors, I stuck with the teal and beige that were in the rug. The geometric lines from the rug influenced my selections for the side table and lighting, which again all have repeated, geometric shapes. I kept the pillows more neutral so that the geometric elements could be the star. The artwork? Sometimes I just see things I love and have to add them! There’s no real rhyme or reason for this art, other than it fits the color palette and I liked the overall vibe.

7. Eclectic & Bright

Eclectic & Bright sofa styling showcasing colorful floral pieces Lindsey Putzier Design Studio

This look is truly eclectic. The unifying factor in this room is the color palette: teal, dark pink, and white. I found the rug first, which influenced the side table selection (see the branch pattern on each?). Then, I found the art, which also has a natural influence to it. The chandelier, which not literally a branch pattern, also had a branchy type feel. The pillows have the same color palette as the rest of the room, and they’re playful – just like the rug!

8. Feminine Whimsy

Feminine Whimsy sofa styling featuring a pink owl on brown background painting and butterfly pillow Lindsey Putzier Design Studio

The fabulous pink owl painting was the inspiration for this concept! Just like raspberry, bright pink combines beautifully with teal. And this owl painting was just too fun to pass up. When you already have a whimsical owl, you have to keep up the whimsy with some fun lighting! The rug was a great find – it has the same colors in it as the sofa and the art (teal, pink, and brown). Add in some fun pillows and voila! Whimsy abounds.

9. Warm Color Celebration

Warm Color Celebration sofa styling featuring orange and reds Lindsey Putzier Design Studio

This concept is based solely on COLOR! Orange and red add nice contrast to the teal sofa and are repeated in the artwork, pillows, and rug. Because there was already so much color, I kept the lighting and side table completely neutral for balance. (Yes, brass is a neutral. All metals are!)

10. Nature Inspiration

Nature inspired couch styling with green, blue, and yellow Lindsey Putzier Design Studio

Last up, this design concept features an analogous color scheme. What’s that? Analogous concepts feature two or more colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, such a green and blue-green (a.k.a. teal). There is also a touch of yellow in this scheme for an extra touch of color. I started with the rug – it has a great balance of green and teal! Then, I added the luxurious velvet pillows for a little more green. The art features more blue-green and yellow – as does the lamp and beaded chandelier.

Here are all of the concepts together – see how different they are?

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