Can I Use Saddle-Colored Leather for a Contemporary Living Area?

Find a Focal Point

• If you feel as though your saddle-colored furniture is too traditional, choose something else in the room to be the decorative focal point. That may be a contemporary area rug that anchors the space, a modern fireplace mantel decorated in a simple, sophisticated way or a large, contemporary piece of art. Place your furniture so that anyone sitting in the room can easily view the the focal point.

Play up the Leather

• Let visitors to your living room know that the use of leather furniture was a conscious choice by adding other small touches. Accents like a leather-covered box or leather-bound address book will help give the room continuity. Don't overdo it as the idea is to make the room look as though every decor choice was deliberate.

Introduce Color

• Perhaps more than any other element, color will determine the decor style of your room. If you want a contemporary space, fill it with contemporary colors. The brown of your furniture is a neutral color, meaning that you can pair it with any other color. For a truly contemporary space, choose a mixed-monochromatic color scheme by layering varying hues of the same color into the room, then topping it off with pops of color. For instance, you already have dark brown furniture. Cover your walls in a soft beige and your ceiling in a light tan. Install black and red striped drapes, lipstick red scatter pillows and throws, a black sculptured area rug and one or two pieces of vividly colored wall art.

Add Clean Lines

• You know as you begin this decorating project that your leather furniture is commonly used in traditional decor. Even though you've surrounded it with bright, contemporary colors, ensure that any other furniture accents introduced into the space have straight, contemporary lines and no fussy details. Coffee and end tables should be simple and unadorned. If you have an entertainment unit, it should be as basic as possible. You can paint all the accent pieces in the room one color for an even more cohesive look. If you plan to display photos, use basic black frames in varying sizes but all with clean, straight lines.