Brown Couch...

[MonkeyPrincess]

So we moved, a few weeks ago and I basically got rid of everything - including the couch. (It was wonderful! : ) We got less back at settlement, so I couldn't buy the purple couch I have been lusting after for over a year.

After 3 weeks of no where to sit, I am ready to settle. I found a nice brown couch on freecycle - clean and comfy. But I need color! Not cream, coffee, tan, beige - color! What color goes well with brown?

I like oranges, reds, etc. but that might be too warm - I wanted an airy, fairy, light and crisp kind of a feeling in the living room.

Anyone have any good links to share that might help me out? I'm SO not good at putting decorating things together...

[tinyblackdot]

why not purple?

Or baby blues and aquas....

[tinyblackdot]

These colors look pretty together

http://cgi.ebay.com/AMY-BUTLER-BELLE...4.c0.m14.l1262

here is purple and blue http://cgi.ebay.com/KOKKA-TREFLE-CHI...634.m351.l1262

[Germaya]

i like purples, light blues, pale pink (especially pale pink!) and maybe a pale orange, like a sherbet orange, you know?

[weliveintheforest]

not really airy, but maybe you could do cream, golds and yellows? Can you wait another week? People who are moving May 1 may not have put their stuff on craigslist yet, maybe you can get a purple one still! I often see cool furniture for sale on bulletin boards in busy/'cool' neighbourhoods.

[Ola_]

Brown couch - I would go either with pale blue/aqua colours or a light green. With either you can also incorporate white (either in patterns or as separate accessories). That would give you a nice "airy" vibe.

For either colour (or you could do both as long as you don't overdo it) I would get a couple of pillows in that solid colour, and a couple in a pattern that ties your colours together.

Some inspiration photos:
http://www.thisyounghouse.com/2009/0...esign-dilemma/
http://www.thisyounghouse.com/2009/0...esign-dilemma/
http://www.thisyounghouse.com/2009/0...esign-dilemma/
http://www.thisyounghouse.com/2009/0...ilemma-solved/
(scroll down past be "before" pictures to the mood boards)

I think you can do a lot with a basic-coloured couch if you choose the right accessories and a nice wall colour. And then if you get bored with it you can keep the couch and just change some of the other stuff.

[doubledutch]

any light/bright color goes awesome with brown! of course, i'm the very biased owner of brown eyes and dark brown hair.

[sunnysandiegan]

We have three shades of cream, beige, tan for sitting surfaces in our living room. Then, we have color in the accents and paintings. I love cobalt blue and I paired it with shades of pinks/berry for touches throughout the room. Our wall paint is light, creamy and goes with all the woods and fabrics and accents. Our living room has been described precisely as you stated you wanted yours to be: airy, fairy, light and crisp kind of a feeling.

Christmas photo... the room is a bit "darker" than usual with the tree and dark blue throw blanket. Those are seasonal items.

The corner where the tree was in the above pic.

Different view of the living room. The blanket on this sofa is closer to the color in the paintings, but it is only on the sofa during chilly months for convenience.

I don't have any pictures of the more colorful areas of the room, but the paintings are colorful and the inspiration for the room. All colors in the room came from them.

My DD & I are making a dollhouse from recycled and reused materials. Her living room is a light, bright green (paint on walls and floor) and I just covered a plastic contraption we fashioned into a chair with brown material. We are using a light purple fabric to make a sofa. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the green walls for a real living room that someone wants to be airy unless it is very large, but the green, purple, and brown look nice together. In this same dollhouse, the kitchen is aqua (paint on walls and floor). Although DD didn't care for the brown table and chairs a friend sent us, it looks really good. She has me painting the table yellow and each chair a different color because she wants a bright and cheery dollhouse. There is a purple chair, orange chair, and green chair with the yellow table in the aqua kitchen. It isn't exactly light and airy since the room has short walls, but it certainly is colorful and the colors would look good as accents with a brown sofa and neutral walls. I really like the aqua and brown combo!

Just the painted dollhouse for reference. We haven't photographed our progress for awhile.

Have fun!

[limette]

pink, blue, mint green, lilac brown goes with anything.

[MonkeyPrincess]

I am really clueless with what colors go well together - I know what I like, but my minds eye is not very developed, so its hard to know what to do to a whole room! I love the idea of sherbet orange, and just doing purple and green.

Thanks for all the replies. I will post a pic as soon as I get the room started.

[doubledutch]

these aren't living rooms so i don't know how helpful they are, but my aunt has two light and airy rooms in her house that include brown as a neutral.

the bedroom, with light blue walls and white bedding, chocolatey brown curtains and accents (like the toss pillows on the bed, not shown in this photo)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wDQth9uR05...room+After.jpg

and the spa-like guest bath, which she decorated around the green and brown tile.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wDQth9uR05...Bath+After.jpg

[zoebugsmom]

We have a brown leather couch and are painting the walls a pale gold. Ice blue and turquiose also look good with brown. Oh, and pink! I love pink with chocolate brown although I don't think I could live with pink walls.

[doubledutch]

purple and brown:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chic...d-tones-062734

http://blogs.denverpost.com/homegirl...edrooms1_1.jpg

http://twolia.com/blogs/dwellingsand...lebedrooms.jpg

http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2007/08/08/...-bedroo_lg.jpg

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/h...germany-075821 (scroll down a few pics to the living room with the purple wall and brown couch!)

[vegancat]

Our brown velour couch has turquoise details on the cushions - lovely!

[kis95]

Brown's a neutral, so pretty much anything will go with it. Have fun! I love decorating!

[KaraBoo]

We have an apt so the kitchen, dining area and living room all sort of match.

We have cream walls and dark wood furniture. For accent colors, I use spring green and all sorts of blue shades (teal, navy, light) to pull it all together. I like to keep flowers in vases too and if I buy yellow flowers, I notice it really brightens the room up.

Have fun!

[PenelopeJune]

I say don't settle! You will regret it. I have so much 'settle' furniture and I just hate it. Wait until you can save the money for your dream couch, or find one on Craigslist.

DON'T SETTLE!!!!!

[minta]

I'd go with a light, bright green that would work equally well with both the brown sofa and the purple one. That way, you can upgrade the sofa at a later date and not have to change the rest of your decor.