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15 Couches That Dare to Be Different
Break free from beige with a couch designed to bring fiery color, fierce pattern or a surprising shape to your living room
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel and design. I just completed my first remodel, turning my crumbling 1941 kitchen into a beauty of grays, whites and natural wood. If I could, I'd sleep on the countertop. That's how much I love it.
You can also read my parenting blog on Baby Center http://blogs.babycenter.com/author/sschoech/
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel... More »
I don't know you, but I'll bet that we have nearly identical couches: some version of brown (mine is Otter), beige or gray. Two or three cushions and a padded arm to lean up against.
But it doesn't have to be this way. Life can add up to more than a parade of beige couches. It can be brighter, livelier and, dare I say, prettier if only we take a chance.
All right, there is absolutely nothing wrong with neutral couches. They work in a variety of rooms with lots of different design choices. But they are not the only choice. There are a thousand flamboyant sofas out there just begging for our consideration.
Here are 15 outside-the-beige couches. Could one of them work for you?
But it doesn't have to be this way. Life can add up to more than a parade of beige couches. It can be brighter, livelier and, dare I say, prettier if only we take a chance.
All right, there is absolutely nothing wrong with neutral couches. They work in a variety of rooms with lots of different design choices. But they are not the only choice. There are a thousand flamboyant sofas out there just begging for our consideration.
Here are 15 outside-the-beige couches. Could one of them work for you?
by Jeanette Lunde
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Daring Colors
This teal settee with traditional tooled legs could be in a Victorian sitting room or here, in a bright white, eclectic space. It could even go ethnic if paired with the right accessories.
This teal settee with traditional tooled legs could be in a Victorian sitting room or here, in a bright white, eclectic space. It could even go ethnic if paired with the right accessories.
If you are going to get a leather sofa the size of a small barge, you may as well make it bright red. This room has enough neutrals already.
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| Mixing traditional shapes with unexpected colors is a sure way to make sure your sofa is unique. Check out the multicolored buttons. |
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Bright works in traditional rooms too. This purple beauty proves it.
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Daring Patterns
This is a piece of furniture and a conversational starter all in one. It looks lovely in a white room. Or you could go whole hog and put up wallpaper, add some throw pillows and get a patterned rug.
This is a piece of furniture and a conversational starter all in one. It looks lovely in a white room. Or you could go whole hog and put up wallpaper, add some throw pillows and get a patterned rug.
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| Striped modern fabric on a curvy, old-fashioned settee. This beauty would feel at home in a variety of settings: modern Mexico, eclectic bohemian, spare white or cozy bed-and-breakfast. |
by Anthropologie
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Another take on modern fabric paired with a traditional shape. It's not napworthy but it is droolworthy.
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| A more subtly patterned sofa is still a show-off but remains a bit more modest. Notice how the single touch of pattern enhances this straight-laced room. |
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| Daring Shapes Most couches are, well, couch shaped. But there is no law that requires us to adhere to 72 inches of rectangle. This softly undulating built-in mirrors the shape of the room. |
| The footless Togo sofa by Ligne-Roset is a modern classic that doesn't look like anything else. |
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| A daybed (or two) makes a lovely sofa. And it is easily transformed with paint, new covers or fresh throw pillows. This is perfect for the fickle among us. |
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The Marshmallow Sofa is another modern classic. But let's face it: It's a little weird looking. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.
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God save the queen! This in a white room with wood floors and a bunch of modern mixed with antiques equals eclectic brilliance.
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| The half-circle sofa can add shape to a boring rectangle of a room, it can complement the natural curve of a room, or it can do a good job of demarcating space in a large, open floor plan. It's good for conversation, too. |
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The petite version of the rounded sofa. Because people in small spaces want curves too.
More:
Brilliant Solution: The Curved Sofa
Six Tips for Choosing the Perfect Sofa
More:
Brilliant Solution: The Curved Sofa
Six Tips for Choosing the Perfect Sofa
Comments
Becky Harris After many years of throwing a sheet over it, I finally committed to this fabric on my grandmother's old settee. God my carpet upstairs is yucky, embarrassing! 
10 months ago · Like
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dinykerr I adore that purple couch in that yellow room! So, so lovely...sigh.
10 months ago · Like
· 2
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zulfia Half circle sofa looks so elegant
10 months ago · Like
Timeless Wrought Iron Love the blue and pink tufted number!
10 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on July 13, 2012.
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