Red Sofas & Blue Decorating

Shades of Red

• Begin your design plan by choosing the sofa, and then add elements based on the shade you choose. Colors ranging from deep red to dusty rose and pink require different treatments. Patterns, stripes and plaids add potentially clashing elements to a design based on blue and red, so choose one element of the pattern to play off if the sofa isn't a solid color. The weight of the fabric and the shape of the sofa, be it a contemporary model with clean lines or an elaborate Victorian, also plays an important role.

Blue Elements

• Continue your design plan by deciding how large a part the color blue plays in the plan. Using too much blue may overwhelm the sofa and potentially create a jarring atmosphere. Add small touches of blue with throw pillows and accessories, such as lamps and vases. Use blue drapes without patterns, wallpaper with pale blue accents and pale blue paint. Dark blue wall-to-wall carpet adds a dramatic backdrop for a red sofa, especially when combined with white walls. Consider solid blue side chairs with a solid red sofa.

Styles

• A country cottage style uses pale pastel colors, rustic accessories and distressed furniture. Typically, sofas are off-white or cream-colored, so use a red sofa in a dusty rose color, and accent it with oversized sky blue pillows. Finish the room with gauzy pale blue curtains that puddle on the floor. Contemporary decor employs clean lines and bold, bright colors. Choose a cherry red sofa with stainless steel legs, and leave it clear of throw pillows. Hang large paintings with vivid blue highlights, and paint the walls bright white. For a traditional room, install a white chair rail, and paint the area beneath the rail an elegant dark blue and the wall above a very pale blue. Use a muted red sofa in a traditional style.

Complementary Colors

• Technically, complementary colors are those that are opposite each other on a color wheel. Shades of green complement red, and orange complements blue. Combining blue, red, orange and green might overwhelm your room's decor if used too aggressively, however. Consider other colors that aren't quite as assertive. White and off-white colors contribute to blue-and-white decor by accentuating the differences between the two colors. Use white or off-white on walls, drapes and carpets. Dark hardwood floors such as cherry or ebony connect blue and red, especially when bold colors are used on the sofa and in accents. If the sofa has a print, select blue accessories that match only one of the reds in the pattern.