skip to main content

HELP! How can I make this grey sofa work in this room!

6 years ago

It looks lovely in the day! But green in the artificial light in the evening! What colours would bring out the grey tones and mute the green all the time!

Ignore the 2 grey cushions they are being returned!

Featured Answer

PRO

User

6 years ago

I'd go for raspberry & pink, not as harsh as red, but definitely warming.

I'd be very tempted if you go for the darker curtains, to go for the same colour rug, just for a bit of unity. However, if you then put a wooden coffee table on the rug, the wood will warm it up. All the pinks above will go with any grey, Different texture cushions in paler colours will help soften the look.

This rug and coffee table go well with the whole theme, softens it down, and although grey tones, when mixed in with the soft accessories, cushions, vases, curtain ties etc will look really cosy. Coffee Table

Maybe a copper and wood floor lamps?

Laura Ashley Rug

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (16)

PRO
User
6 years ago
We had a similar problem in our downstairs shower room - we just changed the bulbs to daylight white and the problem went away. Of course, you could change the bulbs over head, but why not put in a couple of standard lamps or table lamps so that you don't have to have the overhead lights on in the evening. We rarely use ours at night, and rely soley on 3 lamps in our lounge.

The thing is, all the colours change, walls & floors too, they take on a warmer hue. So, it still all goes together well. I'm sure once you've got a rug down and some accessories it will all look fabulous.
Charnelle Els
6 years ago
Another good plan from Man About the House.

If after your room is more complete and you still get a green sheen then consider mustard and white or cream accents.
Related Discussions
Help!!!! How do I make this Living Room wonderful??
Q
Comments (13)
Can't tell exactly from the pics but could the two sofas be brought closer together positioned facing each other with a coffee table inbetween and the tv then put underneath the stairs? Would there be enough room to walk from the door through to the back room? It would make a nice seating area on the rug which you could change to a bold geometric monotone one if budget allows. Then some bold complimentary cushions also in monotones for the sofas and I agree with the pops of orange. I don't think it would matter if the sofas went right up to the present tv wall. At the moment everything seems to be pushed to the furthest extremes. Then you could have a table/desk or the pine cabinet under the window. I would paint it with Annie Sloan chalk paint which is very easy because you do not have to sand or undercoat and you can finish it with just a wipe of her wax which gives a nice finish. Paris grey is a good neutral colour. You could paint the wall with it also. (Sorry but I don't like the wallpaper sample. It looks too bedroomy to me.) If you are ever in a position to do so I would have the chimney breast removed because it has no purpose, takes up valuable space and is off centre as well. The wall facing the stairs would look nice a medium grey and needs a wow factor with a collection of some colourful or big art. I don't think the mirror works there. It just accentuates how the chimney breast is off centre. I would put pictures above the whole seating area on both the chimney breast and the wall to the right of it to centre the whole look. Not sure what you curtains are or whether they need to stay. Something to consider..... :)
...See More
how do I make my kitchen cabinets look grey instead of blue?
Q
Comments (8)
Hi Patricia, I come across this problem a lot, I match the colour samples in the studio and they work perfectly. When we take them to site the lighting in the room totally changes the look of the colour pallets we chose. Lesson one for us, "always" put the colour samples in the room before agreeing them with the client. Lighting is the single most important factor with pastel colours. If its a north facing room colours will always look dull. Due to the position of the window the units under the window will always be in shadow which neutralises the blue tones and brings out the grey. Two ways of approaching this. 1 Re paint with a stronger blue to offset the neutralising effects of the lighting. 2 Change the lighting. Put an extension into the room and get a few different lights, LED warm white, Soft white, brilliant while etc. Look at the effects in the day and in the evening. When you find the light source that brings out the blue tones use that on all the lights in the room... With regards to colour on the walls, at the risk of being boring I always go white. When you put white up against a pastel colour the pastel shades really pop out. When you put another colour in it alters / distracts from the pastel. Hope that helps, Martin: www.angel-martin.com
...See More
Can I make this work?!
Q
Comments (13)
I also really like the furniture. If you do want to lighten it slightly consider having a piece of glass cut for the top. Choose a colour that works or mirror and make sure it is safety glass too.
...See More
Help! Can I make a shower screen work in this bathroom?
Q
Comments (17)
Congrats on your new home! The cheapest option is to update the rail and add a new shower curtain- or a shower blind as previously suggested. All other options are costly. I know as I have just researched the same problem for a house I have just renovated! L shaped glass screens are not standard so are costly to purchase. I would suggest rather than spending the money on a costly alternative, spend the money on doing up the bathroom which will add value. The current bathroom has a basic suite and wall/ floor tiles. If you renovate the bathroom you will get your money back and probably a bit more depending on where the house is. Replace the suite with something new- basic white suite costs about £450 including taps and keep everything in the same place so cheaper to replumb. The basic wall tiles, if in good order, you could re-grout with a coloured grout. Grey is the obvious option but there are some great alternatives- red, blue or yellow for instance. Keep the shower curtain option and maybe move the shower fixing to the long wall and add a overhead shower head so the water goes down rather then outwards- if you know what I mean! You could lift the floor tiles and if laying on a flat surface, lay vinyl tiles which you can do yourself. B&Q have a lovely geometric design which I have used a couple of times and looks great- especially if you team with blue grout! Distract the eye of your potential viewers with great design and hopefully they will forget all about the shower- after all you bought it so others will too! Good luck! In the photo are the B&Q vinyl tiles I mentioned. On the walls are shower panels from Reco panels-not cheap but come in all sorts of designs and you can fit them yourself to the wall so avoiding the use of a tiler! Also quick so your bath won't be out of action for too long!
...See More
Nadina Edouard
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks so much guys! @manaboutthehouse you said you think a rug could work, do you mind me asking what kind of colour you would suggest? :)
0
PRO
Amanda Clothier
6 years ago
What @manaboutthehouse said about light is key to solving your problem - white overhead light will bring out the colour correctly but will not create a nice evening atmosphere - you need to do this with low level and niche lighting, which will also be more favourable to your sofa. Secondly, if you want to choose a rug, which will give your room a lovely homely feel and define your seating area, you need first to decide what to do about a colour scheme. Do you want to keep it soft and neutral, do you want to add understated or even bold pattern to add interest, or would you like an injection of colour? Then you can start to think about how to do this- cushions, lampshades,rugs, blinds, curtains. If you add some co-ordinating items with warm colour tones that are enhanced by yellow light (I.e cushions/throws with yellow colour base, rather than a blue base) it might help to distract from the effect of the sofa. The good thing about cushions is you can buy them, test them out and take them back if they don’t work, so I’d give this a go before investing in a rug. When you’ve got a shade that works in your cushions you could choose a similar coloured rug. Hope this helps a bit :)
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
6 years ago
I like your sectional. Colour block for green is red. I did mocking up with red. Personally, I am not into red. But it would help.
Nadina Edouard
Original Author
6 years ago
Wow thanks so much everyone, I have gone for some warmer tone cushions I am going to try this! The curtains are proving to be an issue, we were looking at a dark grey also but they’ve arrived today as well as a really light grey we will see how they work... if not I may need to try a more buddy/beige tone curtain I guess to try to go warmer!

I will post the results! :)
0
PRO
Amanda Clothier
6 years ago
Wow! What he said! That looks lovely - and you could do the same sort of thing in any style you like
Nadina Edouard
Original Author
6 years ago
@manaboutthehouse we actually have bought a very similar copper lamp and are hoping to match the curtains to similar darker tone pillows and maybe some copper tone pillows also! Thanks so much for all your help! I ordered he daylight white bulbs, they should arrive today! Fingers crossed!
PRO
User
6 years ago
Can't wait to see the finished article!
Najeebah
6 years ago
What Hugh said, lighting is key. You probably won't need accent colours to mute the green once the lighting is changed, just avoid green itself, and green undertones in your wall colour.
If you do want colours that mute green, you could try out purple and orange too.
cavgirl
6 years ago
Simply changing the lamp shades can do a lot too. I had a soft cream on my living room walls that verged almost on greige by day but turned offensively yellow by night. I changed a few light shades and it helped enormously.

Similarly, the same room was painted Dulux’s Just Walnut many years ago. By day it was a gentle, muted grey. By night it was so bright it made the room feel clinical. I changed all the light shades to a deep crimson (my sofa etc was red/crimson) and problem solved.
Nadina Edouard
Original Author
6 years ago
Just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped with this! I’m uploading photos of the room changes now :) the sofa looks grey again!

We went for light grey curtains with a hint of beige so that they were warmer than the sofa. Making the sofa appear cooler grey.

The Sam colour cushions, plus some geometric print cushions with warmer tones.

A copper movie film style light, and we now have a white/grey/taupe mix rug!
Nadina Edouard
Original Author
6 years ago
Another shot
Nadina Edouard
Original Author
6 years ago
The rug we have now is the same as this but slightly larger - I just don’t have a photo since changing it!
PRO
User
6 years ago
Looks awesome well done.
0

Sponsored

More Discussions

Help! How can we make our monoblocked back garden more inviting?

6

What colour accent wall will bring out the warmer tones in Greige ?

10

To ceiling rose or not to ceiling rose...

1

Help! Kitchen reconfiguration - am I deluded?

1

Extend loft balcony floor to add space and privacy

0

United Kingdom

Tailor my experience with cookies

Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.