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Which Colours Go With a Brown Leather Sofa?

These colour combinations will take your ordinary brown leather couch to new heights

Nelly Reffet
Nelly ReffetNovember 18, 2014
Houzz Australia Contributor. Interior Designer at Twinkle & Whistle based in Perth, Western Australia. Creating inspiring and "real" homes for every budget is my bread and butter. Well, make that "baguette and olive oil", in honour of my Mediterranean-French heritage! I believe a beautiful space is not a privilege of wealth and I love nothing more than witnessing how a considerate design positively affects my clients' life.
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Available in a wide range of styles and budgets, and easy to maintain, the brown leather sofa is one of the most popular pieces of living room furniture in Australia. It is also one that creates lots of dilemmas for its owners – they love its versatility, but wondering what to pair it with is a whole different ball game; and just like builder-beige walls, many wonder how to style a living room with a brown leather sofa so it doesn’t look boring.

Let’s look at some colourful ways to take this staple seating from generic to gorgeous.
Collected Interiors
Navy and white
There is something about a navy-and-white colour scheme that feels quite ‘beach house’. Embrace this casual look with funky patterns, white walls and lots of natural elements, such as light timber, rattan baskets, sisal rugs and so on. Do not hesitate to add a hint of other bright colours (see the green cushion, the banana leaves and the multicoloured artwork teamed with this Barley sofa from Arthur G) – this will keep the room from looking too flat and showroom-like.
Sarah Davison Interior Design
Brown and gold
This colour combination is a little tricky to work with as it can quickly turn into a bad ’70s reinterpretation. But when well executed, it can be very elegant and soothing – just look into Asian design and the artwork of Gustav Klimt for inspiration.

It looks beautifully rich in rooms that receive lots of natural light and when offset with a base of off-white. A tan sofa is also more suitable than a dark brown one with this colour scheme, although the latter works too.

Find a decorator or interior designer near you on Houzz to refresh your home’s interior
LUX Interior Design
Black, brown and off-white
This classic arrangement will never be out of fashion. It is sharp and elegant and very masculine too. It works well in both brightly lit spaces and darker rooms, but will benefit from additional lighting and a well placed mirror if in a darker environment.
Flávia de Mello
For this monochromatic scheme to work, focus on incorporating texture and/or patterns: a dark (or light) sisal rug, some pieces made of light, ‘unfinished’ timber, a textured wallpaper (grasscloth), linen cushions, a bold black-and-white print, and so on.

With a tan sofa, don’t hesitate to use lots of black. With a chocolate sofa however, add more light brown and off-white or cream, and use black only as accents throughout the room.

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Etica Studio
Peacock blue
This shade – or any dark blue – is perfect to add depth to an interior. It also helps balance out the warmth of some materials such as timber and exposed red bricks. This colour makes a strong, moody statement that works wonderfully well with concrete or timber floors.

It can also be brightened up with accents of cheerful orange, hot pink or sunny yellow. A bright rug with a bold pattern could act as a focal point and add some fun to the room too.

Spotted! A Dramatic Blue Paint We Can’t Get Enough Of
Jodie Cooper Design
Brown, red and black
Think Ikat, Kilim rugs, thick textiles, raw timber, carved skulls, hammered metal, rusty items, you name it. This style is very much on-trend at the moment. If you don’t want your living room to look like a Texan saloon, make sure to opt for clean lines for your big pieces of furniture: a contemporary leather sofa and some modernist chairs. Offset the ‘business’ of the textiles and the contrasting colours with neutral walls and floors.
Buckingham Interiors + Design LTD
Grey and teal
Teal and brown are a match made in heaven. It, however, can look very cold, so it is important to keep the colour scheme balanced. A warm grey; the addition of warm, medium to dark timber; and rich fabrics including velvet and wool would work nicely in a brightly lit home. A few touches of hot pink would also bring a more feminine aesthetic.

In a more contemporary setting, you can embrace the coolness of teal with lighter timber, glass, steel and some lime green as an accent colour.

Lovely Layering Ideas to Make Pattern Pop
SCENE DE VIE
Orange, brown and white
This colour scheme works very well with chocolate brown as well as taupe-brown sofas. It is very important to use the orange quite sporadically and to balance it out with lots of white or off-white and some more brown to avoid an overwhelming look.

In this photo, the very cheerful nature of the orange is softened by the texture of faux-fur and velvet. Without pushing it to such extremes, keep in mind that a bright colour often gains from being taken down a notch with softening textures and colours.
Twinkle and Whistle
Orange and brown are also great to warm up contemporary decor with an industrial feel (think concrete floor, steel beams and white walls).

Decorating With Tertiary Colours
Neutrals and pastels
Sometimes, the best colour scheme doesn’t actually involve much colour. Layering neutrals creates a very soothing and inviting atmosphere and can make a room feel much lighter and brighter. If your walls are off-white or builder-beige, avoid using the same colour on your soft furnishings or it will all look too beige and boring.

Think light blue, soft coral, dusty pink, pale orchid, sage green, light grey and light brown. Bring in some texture with linen, wool, velvet, some brushed metal or unpolished timber. You can even add a few touches of black (especially in your curtain rods or a wall lamp) for a more structured look.
Ambient Lounge (Australia)
Make a feature wall with oversize artwork or a photo gallery. Add a statement plant or two and maximise your lighting by creating different ‘nooks’. The idea is to add layers – one by one – of decorative elements.

British Houzz: A Masterclass in Layering Shades
EuroLux Furniture
Your turn
Do you have a brown leather sofa that you’ve styled to success? Tell us which colours you’ve teamed it with, and if you found this story helpful, like it, save the images and join the conversation.

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Craving more interior inspiration? Don’t miss 8 Mesmerising Colour Palettes for Living Rooms
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