How to Decorate With a Mauve Retro Couch

Choose the additional colors to feature in the room. If the couch has a pattern, select the colors that appear in that pattern as your accent colors. Otherwise, choose colors that work well with mauve or that make the mauve stand out.

Paint the walls. Choose a color such as off-white or yellow. The couch will stand out against these colors.

Make the couch the focal point of the room. Position the furniture so you create sight lines that lead to the couch. Surround the couch with colors that contrast with it, making the couch stand out as the star of the room.

Position a throw rug in front of the couch. If you choose a solid-colored rug, choose one that's the same color as the wall behind the couch. Otherwise, choose a rug that has the room's colors in it. Pick the rug's style based on the era of the couch. For example, if the couch is from the Art Deco era, choose an Art Deco-style rug.

Hang a gallery behind behind the couch to draw the eye to the couch. Choose paintings that feature mauve as one of their most noticeable colors. Include mirrors in the gallery. These will reflect the mauve color of the couch. Add candle sconces that hold mauve candles or have mauve glass bulbs.

Flank the mauve retro couch with bookcases on both sides; this provides a visual frame for the couch. Leave about 2 feet between the couch and each bookcase. Fill the shelves with such mauve-colored accessories as sculptures, pictures framed in mauve frames or lava lamps with mauve or purple lava.

Decorate the mauve couch with throw pillows. Choose colors that complement the mauve, such as light yellow. Select some mauve-colored pillows as well. Pick pillows whose patterns harmonize with the retro decorating style you've chosen.

Push a coffee table in front of the mauve retro couch. Choose a style that fits the couch. For example, a '60s-style retro couch works well with a glass-top table with an asymmetrical design.