Ann Marie's Sofa Dilemma - a virtual mood board

Recently I saw Ann Marie from "White House, Black Shutters" having a wee dillema.I am STOKED today to be able to share this possible solution. Thanks Ann Marie!

The dilemma:
Ann Marie originally wanted cool, calming tones for her living room and was experimenting with placing turquoise and aqua cushions against her olive-brown leather sofa. (You can read the full post here). Turquoise is such a lovely light, fresh colour. However turquoise is a definite cool colour, whereas olive is a warm colour.

Often when you put a cool colour next to a warm colour, they will make each other look dirty. The aqua cushions certainly popped on the olive-brown sofa, but they could be a little unflattering for the sofa itself. The best result would be to make the cushions and the sofa both look good, together.


The inspiration:
Here is the original inspiration picture that swayed Ann Marie to the warm side. It's completely different and shows how the warm colours work. (And since it's Autum in the Northern hemisphere, it's the perfect time for this!)

Source: houseofturquoise.com via  Pinterest

The solution: (meaning, just a possible idea that could be used for inspiration :) )

I  modelled this virtual living room mood board, showing colours and cushions to compliment the space (this is not their exact sofa - I've modelled one to be as close as I could get it!). The foundations of the room are PERFECT -hardwood floors, neutral walls, and lovely wood-framed windows. All the bones for warmth are here.

• The rattan pendant lamp (this one is a simple one from IKEA) is complimented by the rattan pouf. I love weaving like this because it adds so much texture and interest, and has a natural, cosy feel.

• The sunburst mirror could be bought, but I would suggest making one from driftwood like in this tutorial, and then staining it a warm reddish brown.

• The cushions are the key. The best thing about cushions is how you can completely change the tone of the space. I've opted for neutral creams and buttery yellows, with accents of geometric prints, and colourful highlights.

 1. Cream pillow

2. Brown chevron

3. Robin's egg blue pattern

4. Yellow pattern

5. Autumn leaves print

6. Yellow flower print

Cushion colours: 

• Cream neutrals - will go with everything, even when the colour scheme changes.

• Buttery yellow - is one of the few yellows that goes with olive - it is almost more of a pale gold.

• Robin's-egg-blue - is KEY to pairing 'turquoise' with warm tones. It is basically a compromise on the turquoise colour - robin's egg blue can be a warm colour, and in pale doses it will compliment the olive beautifully.

• Yellow-orange highlights - to be used super-sparingly. If you want to have a pop of colour, tuck one of these amongst the other pillows. They are very autumn-y which is why I thought it would be appropriate! You could actually switch these out for fuchsia pink for a different kind of pop!

• Brown chevron - I have included this one because Ann Marie has already made her own using a potato print stamp and it will go with the scheme. Awesome!

• My last tip would be to use pillows of all shapes and sizes - a lumbar pillow or two thrown into the mix make the cushions look more natural and interesting.

Thank you Ann Marie for letting me use your sofa dilemma as virtual-room-making material!

And lastly before I go, a virtual room shot of the wall the sofa is against:

Thank you so much for reading, I really have loved working on this project and will happily do others in the future!

- Amyshka