UPDATE in comments.... Colorful couches- yay or nay

[aspentosh]

Help me talk this out   I'm a "buy once and use it for life" kind of person and I am struggling with the idea of this in the grand scheme of things.

I need a new couch in this room and am toying with the idea of a sage/olive green couch. Normally I'm into neutral furniture with accents (curtains, rugs, etc) but I can't get this couch out of my mind. Our rug has a sage green in it and I feel like it could look really good, especially with these reddish club chairs. My home is filled with a lot of warm grays, blues, and then some of the terracotta thrown in and I feel like green works well with that. 

What do you all think? Would you go for the green? Have you done a colorful couch or other large piece of furniture and loved it or regretted it? 

[glw]

I consider olive to be a neutral, but either way I am all for it!
(ETA: I have very colorful/patterned chairs in my livingroom. After 15 years I still love them and will be sad when they wear out. Everything in my house is colorful )

[expectantsteelerfan]

I also consider olive or sage green a neutral. But I am a fan of colored couches, especially if they aren't big, dominating sectionals. I did a teal love seat in our living room to offset our tan sectional that had teal accent pillows, and it has been one of my favorite pieces.

[k3am]

We have navy blue couches. I consider them a color that function as a neutral. We are several years into them and I have zero regrets.

I can think of so many ways you can style an olive couch by bringing in accessories that would totally change the feel of the room, and I don't think it's a bold color that you wouldn't be able to update around it.

[InBetweenDays]

I agree that I consider that color to be fairly neutral. We have a blue loveseat on our main floor and a navy couch in our basement. I like the idea of some color in couches.

[heygrey]

DO IT!! It’s the Article Burrard? I bought the Article Timber sofa in green last summer and love it. My colour pallet is mostly black, cream, with bits mustard and rust. That shade of green is really neutral. I think it would look great in your room!


Have your orders fabric swatches? It’s not a large scale, but it might sway your decision either way and it’s free.

[lessel]

You need that couch!

(And I tend to agree that shade of green is pretty neutral.)

[simpsongal]

Ditto go for it - the days of boring beige couches is over and that it is a safe neutral color.

Signed - I love my giant orange/rust couch

[mpm]

Green can definitely be a neutral. Just order a swatch to check the color first - it’s a color that can easily look off on a computer screen.

[aspentosh]

Mar 23, 2023 0:00:32 GMT -5 heygrey said:

DO IT!! It’s the Article Burrard? I bought the Article Timber sofa in green last summer and love it. My colour pallet is mostly black, cream, with bits mustard and rust. That shade of green is really neutral. I think it would look great in your room!


Have your orders fabric swatches? It’s not a large scale, but it might sway your decision either way and it’s free.

It is! And I am so happy to hear you're happy with your Article purchase. I thought I'd heard good things about them! 

[aspentosh]

Thanks all. Will order a swatch to make sure the color translates in person and then order if it works.

I realized our main living room couch is a dark blue color and I've always considered it a neutral. Silly me.

[darby]

I will echo everyone else, and say do it! It’s a beautiful sofa & will look great in your space. I had a very dark purple sofa for years & never regretted it. I only got rid of it because it started to look shabby & worn. I was originally looking for peacock blue when I found the purple, so I’m not afraid of color.

[dr.girlfriend]

I think that's a neutral, and I say do it! That's a very pretty couch.

We ordered couches that I thought were dark grey but "read" as navy in our space, and I really like them. I also don't know that couches are really meant to last decades anymore. Ours were a good brand (Room and Board) but they are already showing a little sag where DS sits 24/7 and they are only a few years old. Especially with pets and kids I'll be happy if a couch lasts for a decade and then I'll probably be ready for a change.

[flygirl]

I have navy couches and love them so I say go for it!

[Pilsy]

Ooh, I love it. Please buy it!

[fryjack2]

I have a bright Kelly green velvet couch in our living room so I say go for it.

Then I saw that you want an olive couch. That is basically a neutral

I am not a keep it forever person but my green couch will remain in our home until it breaks. 8 years in and holding up better than the Joybird and Article couches we have. It’s ikea and bought when we had toddlers and wanted something we wouldn’t mind got wrecked by children. And here we are with a perfect “don’t care if it gets ruined” couch and kinda busted $$$ couches that are supposed to be much better quality.

[dr.girlfriend]

Mar 25, 2023 13:18:02 GMT -5 fryjack2 said:

I have a bright Kelly green velvet couch in our living room so I say go for it.

Then I saw that you want an olive couch. That is basically a neutral

I am not a keep it forever person but my green couch will remain in our home until it breaks. 8 years in and holding up better than the Joybird and Article couches we have. It’s ikea and bought when we had toddlers and wanted something we wouldn’t mind got wrecked by children. And here we are with a perfect “don’t care if it gets ruined” couch and kinda busted $$$ couches that are supposed to be much better quality.

Ha, we have an IKEA couch I bought as "placeholder" furniture when I moved here in 2004...it's in a more rarely-used room now but 20 years later it's going strong!  If a chewy puppy hadn't nibbled on the leather arms it would be in great condition, but as it is we got one of the fitted covers and it looks fine!

[aspentosh]

I'm not judging the IKEA couches. Our main living room couch is IKEA and I freaking love it. :-D

[macmars45]

I have a fire engine red couch in my living room. Bought July 2021. It's 7' long with a chaise on one end. I love it! No regrets.

It's from Allform which makes furniture from recycled materials. Joybird is another brand that makes couches from recycled materials.

[midwestmama]

I say go for it! One of my coworkers recently bought a house, and the interior is all very neutral, so she bought a dark red couch for a pop of color. I haven't seen the picture yet, but she said she loves it!

[definitelyO]

love it! if it weren't for DH I would have bought our new couch in olive green vs. gray.

[dutchgirl678]

Mar 26, 2023 10:09:45 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

I have a fire engine red couch in my living room. Bought July 2021. It's 7' long with a chaise on one end. I love it! No regrets.

It's from Allform which makes furniture from recycled materials. Joybird is another brand that makes couches from recycled materials.

I love the Allform sofas on their website! Thanks for mentioning them as I hadn't heard of them before. We bought a big sectional from a local furniture store when we bought our house in 2018 and I hate it. On the end where I sit the most there is a chaise but the cushion seems too short, so I always have to push it towards the back and then there is still a gap. And it leans to the side so my hip starts hurting. I am leaning towards just getting two separate couches instead of a sectional.

[stemmie]

I not only consider olive to be a neutral-- but I also chose a traditional roll-arm sofa in olive when I bought my great room sofa 20+ years ago. It's an exact match to the sofa in my mom's childhood dollhouse from the mid-1940s.

When I initially styled the room, it had medium tone sage walls, barn red drapes, a plaid chair in olive, red and gold and a floral chair. Now I have white linen panels, SW Ancient Marble paint, a pale gray floral with green, white and brown and a brown leather chair.

dr.girlfriend,I move my cushions routinely to spread the wear around and about once a year I remove the cushions and flip the backs to the front which keeps them looking less saggy.

[aspentosh]

We switched up the couch (and thus the color), but our new couch was delivered today and I love it. 

My husband ended up preferring this couch cushion to the other one and I'm a sucker for a blue couch. Now, to find some pillows and non-scratched end tables. Toying with the idea of only one small end table and then the other side with a task floor lamp. Going to live with it and see how it feels.

[maudefindlay]

Looks great and ready for someone to curl up on it with a book and a blanket!

[simpsongal]

Lovely! Nice pick! A mustard pillow or throw would look good too! You probably remember I have an orange and blue room - such a great, striking combo (and timeless, not trendy at all).

[mrsukyankee]

Love it!

[nicolewi]

Looks awesome!