Makeover My Boring Couch!

Hey mamas, look familiar? That’s right, it’s the virtually kid-proof, stain resistant microsuede couch, in a color that may be described as “mushroom”, that seems like a logical life choice once messy small people enter the picture. Reader Beth (who is hilarious) wrote in about her ‘problem couches’:

“I will say that I have two couches that I loathe. L-O-A-T-H-E. They are not really brown, not really gray, not really olive…microsuede. Purchased after our second was born and we got talked into them. What color goes with that??? I’ve tried almost all colors and they look “off”…I keep thinking lighter colors…thoughts? I have OBSESSED over pillows for the past two years.”

And she’s totally right. I figured since the couch color is neutral it would be pretty easy to find pillows that go with it – turned out to be a much bigger project than anticipated! But I think I finally found some color combinations that will liven up Beth’s “odd colored elephants in the room” (see, told you she was funny!) Check out the microfiber couch made modern – and dare I say cool? – with two makeovers.

So the reason this couch fabric and color is so popular with parents is that it really does a fab job hiding stains. Whenever our oldest eats in front of the T.V., which is more often than I’d like to admit, the food & juice stains on the rug all end up curiously exactly this microfiber color. But being the same color as a food stain isn’t really a selling point, so let’s deflect attention from the large neutral background with some pretty throw pillows and cozy throws. My first thought was that the microfiber color is really similar to certain cargo-type pants I’ve seen, so I tried to picture what color top I’d wear with them – here’s what I came up with…

Plum & Coral

I love love love this color combination – it’s just delicious. Deep, rich purple-red jewel tones and warm coral are an unexpected pair – I was surprised how well they work together! The red tone in the velvet pillows plays well with the olive green in the couch since they’re opposites on the color wheel – that’s what makes it *pop*! Find a pillow like the bold patterned one that has a little bit of the neutral couch color in it, plus plummy purples and warm orangey coral. I’m pretty sure the big fluffy white pillow will be a family favorite – maybe get two! The plush coral throw blanket warms up the look even more, and ties the whole color scheme together.

purple pillows: Washed Velvet Pillow Cover, Claret

boho patterned pillow: Mudhut Handwoven Toss Pillow

fuzzy white pillow: Faux Sheepskin Pillow Cover

coral throw blanket: Bliss Plush Throw

Fresh Navy

Depending on the existing color palette you’ve got going on in your house, the plum & coral might be too much of a departure. But my go-to fave neutral, navy, is friendly enough to work with most existing room designs. A navy & white striped shirt is so good with khaki/gray/olive pants, so I figured it would translate to couches! The mix of patterned pillows makes it interesting – I love the pretty floral design with oversized sweater stripes and large-scale geometric. A smaller diamond design on the throw blanket adds another layer of  pattern, but it works since they’re all the dark navy color.

navy striped pillows: Nautica Striped Pillow

navy floral pillow: Mughal Navy Pillow

navy geometric pillow: Dearsley Embroidered Pillow Cover

navy throw: Warmest Throw, Diamond Jacquard

I found a bunch more pillows and throws – both solids & patterns – in these color schemes, mix it up to create your own look!

Can’t wait to see what you come up with, Beth!

Cheers,
A