Style guide
Orange sofa living room inspiration to brighten any room
In this article, I delve into the world of colour combinations that harmonize beautifully with orange, as well as those shades you might want to avoid.
3rd November 2023
Are you a huge fan of colour and love the idea of having a bright orange sofa or orange living room?
You’re in the right place.
Because I'm going to show you how to embrace the colour orange without your making your living room looks like it’s been Tango’d!
So where shall I start?
By exploring some of the colours that go well with orange….
What colours go with an orange sofa?
Blue
Not just one shade of blue either, quite a few different shades happen to go with orange.
Blue is a complementary colour for orange. Navy blue, sky blue, teal and aqua can all sit happily alongside orange.
And if you think the blue and orange combo may be a little too full-on for you, an injection of crisp white is all it takes to balance things out.
Brown
Brown is perfect for orange because, as we all know, orange is bold, zesty, warm and there to be noticed
Brown, particularly dark brown and brown shades that are closer to orange on the colour spectrum (e.g. rust), help tone orange down.
Black
While it may be a bold colour choice, black is ideal for not just calming orange down, but making it stand out.
Go easy on the black though because it can easily become too overpowering and make your room feel claustrophobic.
A dash of black and white alongside orange is a winning colour combination.
Yellow and red
Yes, they’re two completely different colours, but I've decided to talk about them together here because they’re equally vibrant and eye-catching as each other and the colour orange.
If big impact is what you’re aiming for, injecting a splash of yellow and red will keep the warmth and energy live.
(Top tip: try using muted yellow and red shades to avoid your living room turning into a carnival scene!)
White
I’ve referenced white a few times, so I couldn’t not draw your attention to it.
White, cream and beige are great for toning down bright colours, such as orange.
The freshness of white is particularly good for off-setting the boldness of orange while effortlessly achieving a contemporary vibe.
Do orange and grey go together?
Yes, they do.
I’ve already flagged how well black and white go with orange, but grey happens to go exceptionally well with this sunshine shade.
Why?
The main reason is that grey is a cool colour that happens to be closer to purple and blue on the colour wheel.
And purple and blue happen to complement orange more than white or black.
Which colours don’t work well with orange?
Judging from the colours listed above, it’s easy to think orange works with everything, but you’d be wrong for thinking this.
Green
Picture it now….bright orange and lime green, it just doesn’t work, does it?
In this situation, both colours are competing for your attention because they naturally don’t go together.
Both are extremely bright and in your face.
But, if you were to tone down the colours a little, e.g. put dark orange (almost verging on brown) with an olive green, you’d have a very different story.
You would have something that works together because brown has much a higher contrast to green than orange does.
Pink
Now this is a matter of personal preference because some people do put these two colours together and are extremely happy with the end result.
However, in some instances, putting pink and orange together can be quite aggressive and almost jarring because both shades are just so vibrant.
If you really want your living room to pop, then go for pink and orange.
But if you’d rather be a bit more subtle, then choose either orange or pink.
Is orange a good colour for living room?
Orange in all its shades – from burnt orange to bright orange – does belong in the living room.
But it’s how you incorporate it that matters.
You can go all big and bold and pair orange with other bright colours or you could just invest in an orange sofa and design out from that, making it even more of a statement piece.
There are no set-in-stone rules, but there are lots of best practice measures that are worth exploring beforehand.
If you’re planning on buying a new sofa, are you confident it’s going to fit where you want it to go? This article, ‘Will your sofa fit your space?’ is designed to help.
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