We’ve all done it, purchased a piece of furniture and panicked when we got home and it looked wrong. Read on, because chances are high that making it work and look right as rain is easier than you think!
A dear reader sent me an image of her brand new sofa with a note.
Dear Maria, I bought a new sectional for our family room and I’m afraid I’ve made a huge mistake! My goals were practical. I wanted lots of seating for our family of 5 and a comfy place to flop at the end of long days. We have a goofy black lab that thinks she’s a lap dog, so I definitely wanted a dark fabric colour. That’s how I landed on this large charcoal sectional and now that we finally got it into the room, my heart is on the floor. I feel like it looks wrong with the brick fireplace. Help!
~Cathy
Here’s Cathy’s new sectional below.
Back when we lived in our condo in North Vancouver, I ordered the console that I now have in the front entrance. When it was delivered and sitting in our empty room, Terreeia immediately said, “I think you’ve made a mistake!” And honestly, in my head I was worried she might be right!
Have you ever done this? Or painted an empty room and before the paint was even dry you panicked and bought a couple gallons of a different colour?
We really don’t make our best decisions in panic mode do we?
I went ahead and decorated around that console, and as I said, I have it still! It has proven to be a versatile piece in three homes now that is easy to style.
So let’s keep calm and notice we are looking at an empty room. That makes it pretty hard to get excited right? And it’s too easy to let self doubt take over.
Here’s the good news: the way to fix this AND the way make sure you are making the right choice next time is soooo simple!
All you need to do is put everything you’re considering together on a simple mood board. That’s how you will quickly be able to see what works and what doesn’t.
Don’t know how to do that? It’s crazy easy to learn. You can find my easy to follow course to learn how right here.
The fix
We have to make the charcoal sofa and the fireplace related. The best way to do this is with an area rug and some pillows.
We want to repeat the brick colour and add some contrast. This rug (below) picks up the brick red of the fireplace and has pale creamy taupe to contrast the heavy charcoal. (And if you’re thinking no way can you add a light rug, I’m sorry but you simply can’t choose everything dark grey – it will not look good. Choose a washable rug, but you absolutely need the contrast).
The pale taupe in the rug then becomes the ideal paint colour for the room.
The best way to break up the heavy look of a very large and dark sofa is add contrasting pillows. Here, we’ll repeat the brick red and creamy taupe with pillows. See how everything now looks related?
I’ve added art the the back wall to bring it into the room and repeat the charcoal lightly in curvy floral lines to soften the look.
And now you might see a glimmer of hope for this combo right?
Play with options
The beauty of making mood boards is you can replicate it and create as many options as you like until you find something you’re happy with.
I’d make several mood boards based on different area rugs in this case. The important thing to so consider contrast and pulling the colours together. Here’s another option.
The rug brings in some subtle charcoal, rusty red and cream that we again repeat in the pillows and art. Pretty simple right?
And speaking of simple, it’s best to start with the main pieces, the rug and pillows and avoid the urge to clutter up your board with too many things. Too many things on one board just makes it harder to see what’s working and what’s not.
The best way to shop for decor
No one on my team ever even thinks of buying anything for their home without first sticking it on a mood board. My Director of Marketing, Kristy says she struggled finding decor to go with her beautiful teal sofa until she started doing this and now it’s super easy! She found this beautiful block print pillow on Etsy, by searching “Teal designer pillow”.
Learning how to make simple mood boards is much easier than you might think. You can do it using very simple free software you likely already have. I teach you exactly how to do it in an easy to follow, self guided course that you can find right here.
Even better, you can join my colourful True Colour Insider community of designers and decorators of all skill levels to find feedback and support and make like minded new friends – AND the mood board course is included!
What is the True Colour Insider community?
Starting at just $9 per month, you get access to all my colour resources, mood board training, and more inside a supportive community of colour enthusiasts who understand your journey.
This isn’t a random facebook page with strangers giving questionable advice… Members are actively discussing their decorating challenges, practicing their mood boards together, and sharing real-time feedback and encouraging support.
Every Wednesday we share our wins with each other. Here’s a sample:
I did my first [mood board]! My shutters need repainting, and so I breathed in courage, and submitted my first post! Just as wonderful have been the suggestions.
Finally got my first paid color consultation! Learned a lot about how I want to do things for next time. Progress is better than nothing!
I completed Maria’s mood board course and created my first mood board. It doesn’t look perfect like others I’ve seen but it is amazingly helpful! I’m redoing our master bedroom and feel much more confident in my decisions. Loving this [membership] group!
Instead of staying static–feeling at loose ends & sort of aimless–made the decision to subscribe to your community, which started the ball rolling. This week, watching yours’ & Claire’s chat, gaining access to Claire’s resources, sharpening my skills via your content has felt like progress!
I went to Home Goods and only bought coffee table books because the only other thing I really liked was the wrong undertone. 👼 It’s powerful to know what to buy and what to skip!
Lock in $9 month/$99 year before Jan. 1!
🚨 ALERT: 🚨 The price for the Decorator level is going up to $19/month and $199/year January 1, 2025. BUT, when you sign up for any membership level – your price is LOCKED IN forever, as long as you remain a subscriber.
So, if you’ve been on the fence about joining, this is your last chance to lock in the LOWEST price.
When you sign up for a yearly membership with the Colour Designer or Verified True Colour Expert plan, you get 2 months free! The price of these plans isn’t going up soon, but remember, your price won’t increase as long as you are a member.
Whether you’re a homeowner seeking design confidence or a professional looking to grow your business, imagine having a supportive community that helps you make informed colour and design decisions with confidence. That’s exactly what you’ll find inside.
Remember, my team and I will help you navigate the resources, connect with other members, and make the most of your membership benefits from day one. You won’t find a more supportive decorating community like this anywhere else. I promise.
We offer 3 different membership tiers in True Colour Insider to tailor to your needs, from solving decorating dilemmas in your home to building a thriving colour consulting business. Choose the one that fits best. Cancel anytime. JOIN NOW.
Learning to decorate is a journey
If you love colour, design and decorating, there is always more to learn! And learning happens so much faster when you’re sharing your ideas with a great group. That’s why my new community is so powerful.
There’s always room to practice. We played around with a couple of mood boards based on the options we put together for Cathy’s living room that take it to the next level with lamps, gallery walls and tables (below). Just because it’s SO much fun!
Which is your favourite?
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