Elevate Your Sofa’s Look
As we approach spring, it’s an opportunity to elevate your environment and raise your spirits, starting with your sofa!
You will always do well to purchase the best quality furniture you can in a neutral color with no excessive curves. Stick to classic, sophisticated shapes in fabrics that will last, then follow my tips to bring in texture and color. A few favorite examples follow.
Neutral Grey with Spring Colors
![Contemporary San Francisco design firm uses springtime colors to fill the downtown SF Lumina condo with pink and lilac flower rug. yellow velvet swivel chairs, and shadow leaf patterned wallpaper, all designed by award winning design firm Kimball Starr](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_San-Francisco_Spring-In-Your-Home_Living-Room-2-580x580.jpg)
My client wishes it was spring every day, so I created it for her! I started with a neutral backdrop so the vibrant palette doesn’t overwhelm, using a shadowy pattern cast by the leaves of a tree on the living room wall.
![Springtime colors fill a downtown San Francisco condo on a pink and lilac flower rug, yellow velvet swivel chairs, and shadow leaf patterned wallpaper, all designed by award winning interior design firm Kimball Starr](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Wellness-Color-Spring-Living-Room-580x457.jpg)
Relaxing on the contemporary grey sofa, it makes you feel as if you’re sitting next to a tree on a sunny day, with a field of flowers underfoot. The bright rug and chairs are balanced by throw pillows in similar colors on the neutral sofa.
Luxurious Custom Cover and Pillows
![A luxurious living room with peach painted walls, warm wood window surrounds, fixed curtains either side of the window wall, green velvet armchairs, and a periwinkle sofa filled with overstuffed custom pillows in green and blue and yellow florals and patterns. Soft blinds diffuse the light coming from behind the sofa.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Drapery-Style-Luxury-LR-580x387.jpg)
My Bay Area client wanted luxury in his living room and also wanted to keep his existing sofa. The solution? We had the sofa reupholstered in a custom form-fitting cover. Using a high-end upholsterer who has the skill to create this fit is absolutely key; it’s still removable but looks like a million bucks.
![A periwinkle sofa filled with overstuffed custom pillows in green and blue and yellow florals and green pierced patterns.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Luxury-Living-Room-Overstuffed-Pillows.jpg)
Opulence and luxury are expressed through a double-layer of custom throw pillows in colors and patterns that tone with the sofa and velvet recliners. Each decorative pillow with contrasting welt was carefully selected from fabrics at the San Francisco Design Center along with my client, for a personal touch.
Inspired by Travel
![A living room with a double aspect window corner wall and view of city buildings in San Francisco. Inside the living room, there is a red sofa dressed with primary colored pillows of yellow and blue. Nearby are a pair of modern yellow chairs, a pair of grey patterned tub chairs, a glass coffee table, and a pair of red poufs on a black rug with white geometric lines.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Sofas-Red-580x387.jpg)
The residents of this downtown San Francisco condo love bright colors, which also reflects their love of travel to the colorful country of Guatemala. We combined these interests by placing a bright red wool sofa in the center of their living room. It’s okay to break the neutral-color rule by intentionally making a choice, as long as you love it and are prepared to keep it a while.
![A closer look at the red sofa dressed with a yellow patterned pillow. Nearby are a pair of modern yellow chairs, a pair of glass lamps, one grey and one black, and a coffee table created from a glass top over a metal frame previously used to carry brides through the streets of Guatemala on their wedding day.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Blog-Sofas-Red-Detail.jpg)
For our travelers, I added a glass top to a Guatemalan wedding relic to create a custom coffee table that pairs beautifully with the tight back red sofa. It doesn’t need a lot of ornamentation, hence the yellow throw pillows to bring in the yellow from their nearby chairs. Beautiful, balanced, and bright!
Kimball Starr designs custom furniture for fabulous homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. Contact her today for a remote or socially-distant in-person consultation.