Do you have a striking Chesterfield Sofa? Styling it can be challenging if you need to learn how to accessorize a Chesterfield or what colors to pair it with. In fact, thinking about how to begin when you only have the sofa and a blank wall can be overwhelming. Thankfully, there are techniques you can use without knowing anything about designing a home.
This blog will take you through 8 tips to help you style your Chesterfield piece. But first, let’s go over what Chesterfield is.
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What is Chesterfield Furniture?
Chesterfield is a furniture-making technique that is iconic for its tufted fabric and is a top rated choice for Bedroom decor. In the UK, the word Chesterfield was used to refer to any couch in the 1900s. Chesterfield sofas typically have rolled armrests and a buttoned back. As for the cushions, they may be fixed or not. We might think Chesterfield furniture has to be made of leather, but it comes in various materials like cotton, wool, and velvet. If it’s used as an upholstery fabric, you can find Chesterfield furniture in that material.
8 Ways to Style a Chesterfield Sofa
Chesterfields may be imposing pieces of furniture, but don’t worry. With these 8 techniques, you can master how to style your tufted sofa.
Build a Color Palette
Just because you are styling a sofa doesn’t mean you have to get everything in the same color. When it comes to design, you want to look at your centerpiece’s main and accent colors. Then, you should build off of that. If you’re not repainting anytime soon or you have some other pieces of furniture you want to keep nearby, add those colors to your selection: Your palette.
Now, you can pick complementary colors or even contrasting colors. You can also put the color of your sofa in a search engine and ask for a color palette. Once you have a few choices, get accessories in that color. You can also repaint the walls in one of the colors in your palette.
Add Patterns
You should play around with patterns even if you have a leather tufted sofa. While patterns can be dizzying and daunting, in small doses, they can help bring unity, playfulness, and warmth. For instance, you can add a throw on top of your sofa, and its pattern will break some of the seriousness of the piece and help your room feel like a home. Alternatively, you can use a pillow with a pattern that holds different colors in your palette. This allows all the furniture pieces to feel unified.
Use Different Shapes
Even if your tufted sofa looks very serious, it doesn’t mean that everything around it has to be straight and symmetrical. Bringing in new shapes can give the piece more dimension.
You can do this by painting accents behind and around the sofa. In addition, you can have different pillow sets. These sets of two to four pillows will help this design choice feel purposeful and balanced. If you’re wondering what shapes to pick, look at what you already own and note the common themes.
Delineate Its Area
Sometimes, a piece of furniture looks out of place or like it’s just floating in the room. If you face this problem with your tufted sofa, give it a set space. A rug or carpet can delineate an area in an open-plan or a closed-off room.
Pick a rug that goes with your palette or one that contrasts the sofa. If you have paired the sofa with a lamp, table, ottoman, etc, put it all on that carpet. This will help make the whole area feel unified.
Create Contrast
When you think of contrast, you might be imagining colors on the opposite side of the color wheel, but in design, it’s much more than that. You can contrast with texture, shapes, and even sheen. For instance, a set of round, ivory, velvet pillows can contrast quite well against a dark brown, leather, tufted sofa with three seats. In this case, there might be two types of brown, but there is even more contrast.
- Texture: Velvet is soft compared to textured leather
- Warmth: Velvet feels warmer to the touch than leather
- Shape: The pillows are round, whereas the sofa is a bit rectangular since it has three seats
- Brightness: The pillows may not be white, but against a dark color, they will appear much brighter
Contrast helps draw the eye where you want. Additionally, it complements the different pieces without fading into a background of ‘sameness’.
Light for Function and Aesthetic
A little trick designers use is lighting. When it comes to color, lighting is everything. The same sofa can look completely different in warm and cold lighting. You can switch out light bulbs to test out what you prefer. However, you should remember what you use this room and sofa for. If this sofa will go in an office, ensure the light is bright enough for meetings and work.
Play with Textures
Tufted sofas can come in a lot of textures, from velvet to leather to wool. Similarly, you can pick accessories that fit or contrast the sofa’s material. If you want a more homey feel, a wool throw will help, thanks to its soft texture. Metal-lined tables can give a more Art Deco feel. Wooden statues by the sofa can give it a more warm yet sophisticated touch.
Accessorize
When designing a space, you want to layer elements. One great way to do that is to incorporate every tip above into the accessories you surround your sofa with.
Here are some accessories you can add to your sofa:
- Pillow or cushion
- Throw
- Rug or carpet
- Art pieces
- Painted walls
- Footstool
- Lamps
- Plants
- Table
Summary
Whether you’re styling a Leather Chesterfield three-seater or velvet tufted sofa, it doesn’t have to be a hassle. It’s as simple as looking up color pallets, adding a throw, or switching from a warm light bulb to a cold, white one. Additionally, you can play with the shapes and textures of the sofa’s accessories. Keep in mind the style you gravitate towards, but don’t be afraid to try something new — even if that something is an eclectic set of pillows. Lastly, you can unite the room or area with a rug. Place the sofa and its accessories on it. This will help them all feel like they are part of a set.