What Goes With a Brown Sectional Sofa?

Modern Mushroom

• Shades of mushroom and gray are sophisticated and contemporary without being cold when a sectional is an earthy cremini color and the walls and carpet are pale slate. Pillows in ebony and gunmetal satin look crisp against the mushroom velvet sofa. When the sectional is large enough to dominate the room, keep the rest of the furniture to a minimum. A modern leather chair in black with a copper-colored metal frame, a few touches of white pottery and as much natural daylight as possible highlight the mix of softer tones. Night lighting on dimmers provides the flexibility to set any mood.

Chocolate Truffle

• A large brown sectional in a contemporary loft doubles as seating for several people or as an emergency guest bed. The rich, dark chocolate upholstery gleams against vivid turquoise pillows and accent pieces in an open living room. Place the sectional against a white wall that is softened with a hint of lavender, and keep the floor treatment simple with a flat-weave wool rug that won't detract from the plump, plush stretch of sofa.

Touches of Spring

• Fill the corner angle of floor created by a large brown sectional with a light colored fluffy rug in oatmeal yarns. You can keep the room from looking like a cave with a surprising robin's egg blue paint on the walls. Hang an art gallery on one wall over the sofa, and use beautifully framed children's art or a single oversize billboard poster as the visual appeal. No rule says that you must have pillows on the couch, so don't. Display a flowering branch in an abstract-shaped vase on a plain walnut coffee table. Look for flowers that pick up one color in the art on the wall.

Vintage Velvet

• A cinnamon-chocolate sofa can dominate a room with 1970's fixtures and styles. Walls and floor in ivory make the room recede, but the oversize sofa anchors the space. The warm velvet tones might be reflected in cherry wood paneling in an entryway divider and a tabletop next to the couch. Tangerine pillows and touches of gold in a swag lamp add brightness, and a glass-top coffee table lets the sofa color shine through. Buttery pumpkin leather chairs, tufted like the sofa, will complete the spare but comfortable look.