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 inserting 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. đź‘Ľ 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.
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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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My favorite choice for Cathy’s room is the second one with the more subtle rug. That first rug overwhelms my eyes.
I’ll be a voice of one here. The real problem is the sectional sofa. No amount of styling can overcome the flaws. It is rare to see one that looks good. It dominates the room, does nothing to promote flow, it limits choices for other furniture pieces, it makes it nearly impossible to provide good lighting. Once they are in place, they may be good for lying down to watch tv or to take a nap. In a social setting, they discourage conversation. My first advice would be to use the sectional pieces separately to create several smaller units (that face each other). Once the appropriate flow is determined, the styling can begin! Happy holidays.
BillP, make that a voice of two regarding the sectional. This reader needed the functionality of that sectional, though, so she went for function over form to fit the needs of her family. Totally understandable…. But I’d have painted that fireplace so I could have introduced colors other than the orangey brick color. To me, the fireplace is the larger “problem.” Although the rug and pillow choices certainly improve the room and pull it together.
I love seeing all the comments and ideas! So many different paths forward depending on your personal taste and priorities. The ideas presented for this reader may not result in a picture-perfect room but they do provide several cohesive looks to choose from that will achieve a comfortable space for the family without extraordinary cost or effort. And that is the point of Maria’s approach, which I love so much!
I love the first option and would face the long end of the sofa facing the fireplace so the short end faces the windows, then add a few chairs on the opposite side. Amazing how adding the right accessories pulls the room together.
Totally agree! The styling options all work but would work even better if they changed the orientation of the sectional (if possible).
I agree that the sofa still doesn’t look right. What about slip covers?? or return the sofa?
Both versions are good for tying things together, but my preference is for the second one. I know designers want us to have big rugs, but could it be smaller or be turned to go the other direction. I don’t like how the drab colors extend so far past the sofa and drag the mood down in a bigger area.
Can another color be introduced subtly? There are more opportunities bc the room can have curtains and a console table with decor behind the sofa. Or can there be art or a mirror over the fireplace? I’m not sure, but the room still feels drab.
We could just ignore the brick and go with a colorful rug, and make sure to repeat the color and maybe repeat the couch color bc the couch looks a little blue-grey. At least the brick is red. Red brick is easier to work with than yellow. A boho look could go well here. A lot of people have exposed brick walls and they don’t all try to match the brick.
I like the one with the mirror on the fireplace and the three pictures behind it
It added enough light colors to the room .
Made a huge difference adding decorations and color .
Looks so much better ….
Do they use the fireplace? If so, the sofa is in the wrong position and will never work. If they are wedded to keeping the sofa and they do use the fireplace, I’d rotate it, if possible, to enable a view of the fireplace — but it’s hard to tell without understanding the flow of the house and if it’s possible to have the back of the sofa in another location. I agree with another reviewer that sectionals, esp in dark colors, take up the oxygen in a room and rarely work. FWIW, I’d also paint the brick fireplace a neutral taupe-gray.
Wondering if painting the fireplace taupe would make the black insert stick out more? Would there be a way to minimize the “black hole” effect? Asking because I’m in a similar situation and would appreciate any help I can get.
I am the area rug buyer for my company and a free standing sectional couch should be all on the area rug. You could go smaller if this was up against the wall. The second picture is better but I like the dark brick in the rug just not as a geometric shape. I would never purchase this for my stores. It isn’t just the fireplace that brings in the orange color. The flooring is orange too.
I usually purchase abstract and tropical area rugs as that’s what my clients prefer. This customer probably would need a traditional type of rug with some color around the perimeter. Either way it should have some of the brick color in it…Aloha
Not even Designer Magic✨ can help with TWO major mistakes:
1) The sectional is too big
2) The color is wrong
It’s ok, we all slip up sometimes.
Return the piece, sell it, or separate it and slipcover each part in another color.
I don’t think the sofa is too big….it is misplaced. The longer side needs to be in front facing the fire place. She has a large family and a large dog. Who wants the pain of slip covering a new sofa????…not. It is easier, faster and more pleasing to paint the fire place. Or you can have it re-bricked..if you own the home and are planning on staying long term.
Thanks for all your comments everyone! Yes the sectional is too big and lumpy but THIS is a common mistake that people make that I see ALL THE TIME. The point of this post is: If YOU are following me DO NOT make a purchase without an overall design plan. This empty room with the oversize sectional is just an example of what happens every single day when you make one purchase at a time for your house! Maria
I like the #3 fix best. It brings the decor and room to another level and a good one!
I agree, the right rug and throw pillows can pull this altogether. Personally, I am not crazy about either of these rugs but the right is out there!!! Yes, in an empty room it can be hard to see the end result. I would get the rug next and then do the art to fill it all in. I would also turn the sofa with the longer side facing the fireplace…it seems odd to have the shorter side this way. But….then again I am NO decorator!!! ….OH!!!! You could always paint the brick. As the sofa does seem like the right choice for her large family and pet. Painting the brick gives you a lot more choices and freedom.
Maria, this would be a fun one to return too. To see what she ends up doing. Also, my cousin once had an “off ” colored brick fireplace and she had it re-stoned. If they are the home owners it can be done. AND paint is always your friend.
Unfortunately, the direction and placement of this sectional in the room does not work. There’s no way to decorate around that. It feels like there must be a TV on the wall that we can’t see that the sectional is facing. Otherwise, it’s current placement makes no sense.
I agree with the above commenters that this feels mis-positioned in relation to the room and fireplace: it feels like the longer side should rotate toward the fireplace. I’m wondering if there’s a TV or entertainment center off view that they made it face it instead. It does feel too big for it’s current placement but I think it would fit the space better if rotated like I mentioned. If you need it to face a TV, consider removing the mantle and putting an TV over the fireplace on a bracket you can adjust the height of. Yes, it’s not the best from a decor point, but not everyone has the space for a dedicated TV room and it would work better with the sofa.
Balancing function and fashion is always a challenge, especially if you have kids and/or pets. Sure, I’d love some textured fabric places or maybe a little rattan, but my cats would think it was there for them to scratch, so I have to be creative to work around it.
I did buy a smaller sectional for our living room, along with two chairs, (one swivel) that sit across from it. We needed the space for 4-5 to watch the TV (which we have), the ability to lay down and nap, and the ability to recline (me, it’s my preferred lounging position). Naturally, we only had so many options in couch colors, and yes, I DID use a mood board to figure out what fabric would look best with the couch (or at least, not clash with it). The sectional that worked for our space only had only 3 colors so we ended up with a lighter silvery grey, that was just a little too cool for our walls. I used that mood board to add the chair and couch fabrics, find a rug to tie it together, then art and decor and that repeated all of the colors and I LOVE the result. The mood board helped me choose which art to purchase as well.
Sure, we have a black hole TV spot over the fireplace but at least there are other things to draw your eye. The fireplace is rarely used and plants help cover the black opening for the actual firebox. Maria would recommend we add at least 3 more lamps, but until I find the right sofa table (still no luck in color/size/design but I keep added it to old mood board) to place another lap, because he is anti-sconce or huge swing lamp.
Just adding some curtain panels on the ends of our 3 windows made a huge difference in feel as it’s a space that is too small for wall art. Again, panels found on amazon and I picked the color based on using a mood board. My designer friend was skeptical just seeing the panels at first (she thought I’d need a more neutral color versus the blue gray I had) but then she saw them and darn, if they didn’t tie in great with the new chairs’ fabrics that are in front of the windows!
But it was quite a process to get it pulled together. There were several pieces of furniture my husband didn’t like and I had to say “we can return it, just let me style it first, I have ideas” and it gradually won him over.
Now if someone could create a good pamphlet for the husbands of the world explaining “Why Matchy Matching every piece of furniture in your room is not a good thing,” because his experience growing up in the 80s, was that was the right way and we spent more time with me trying to explain how it looks better if you don’t do that. 🙂
I’m another dissenting voice about the sectional. If it couldn’t be returned or slip covered the first thing I would do is move the sectional further away from the brick. But while I love earthy colours I’m not a fan of taupes and beiges so being forced to choose my entire colour palette to force the sectional to play better (not nicely) with the brick would be a no-go for me. I could work with the sectional or the bricks, but not the compromises needed to make both work.
Like many others have said the problem is the fireplace color and the positioning of the sectional. The sectional looks odd, placed right up next to the FP. The second choice of colors looks best to me but without changing the placement of the sectional and getting rid of the orangey red FP it will always look off in my opinion. Adding a couple of chairs in a light color would round it out and then a coffee table in front.
The artwork in the first option is my favorite of the two choices.
I like the sectional. The darker color is practical for a busy family and the size allows everyone to have a comfortable place to watch TV. With a nice area rug and some artwork it will make for a cozy space. I do agree that the placement looks a bit off in the photo. Just pulling it away from the fireplace would probably look better. I would also remove the wood mantle (and if possible change out the insert) of the fireplace and add a large mirror or a contemporary piece of art to cover up much of the brick. Another idea is to color wash the brick, or have smooth stucco applied to the bricks for a more contemporary look.