The Power of Accent Chairs

Accent chairs are a surefire way to infuse a space with personality and flair. As Maria Killam, acclaimed designer and color expert, explains, “An accent chair is a piece that draws attention in a room, an emphatic expression of the color scheme or aesthetic of the space.”

But, as Killam discovered on a recent shopping excursion, finding the right accent chair can be a real challenge. “I was met with a bland wash of shades of taupe, gray, and linen chairs on offer everywhere,” she laments. The vibrant, patterned chair she had envisioned to anchor her living room vignette remained elusive.

Killam’s experience highlights a common conundrum: why do so many home decor stores seem to offer a sea of neutral, uninspired accent chair options? According to Killam’s “highly oversimplified theory of economics,” it’s because “people must just not be buying color and prints, otherwise surely the stores would be offering them.”

But Killam, along with her color design expert Tricia Firmaniuk, are here to argue that this neutral mindset is a missed opportunity. “If you ask a bunch of small and even medium pieces to add color to a room, you will end up with color that looks bitty and comes off tentative and uncommitted,” Firmaniuk warns.

Introducing the “Small, Medium, Large” Rule

Killam and Firmaniuk swear by the “Small, Medium, Large” rule when it comes to introducing accent color into a space. The idea is simple: to successfully incorporate an accent color, you need to feature it in three different sizes or scales.

As Firmaniuk explains, “Your sofa, drapes, or an area rug would qualify as a ‘large’ dose of color. Medium-sized pieces could include a piece of art, a collection of vases, or a set of toss pillows. And small accents might be smaller artworks, single vases or vessels, or a lamp.”

The key is ensuring that the accent color appears in each of these gradations – large, medium, and small. This creates a cohesive, intentional look that avoids the “bitty” effect of relying solely on smaller accessories.

Finding the Perfect Accent Chair

So, how does this all tie back to choosing the perfect accent chair for your custom sofa? Well, Killam and Firmaniuk believe the accent chair is the golden opportunity to introduce that bold, vibrant pop of color or pattern that brings a room to life.

“If you’re going with a neutral sofa, the accent chairs need to be colorful to give the room a properly coordinated look and feel,” Firmaniuk advises. “Graylinentaupe is a color too, and you’ve just committed to it. And what’s worse, you now have diminished opportunities to introduce a more interesting and happy color into your room.”

Instead, Killam and Firmaniuk encourage you to start by dreaming up the colors and patterns you’d love to see in your space, rather than waiting until after the neutral sofa is purchased. This allows you to build a cohesive, visually striking color scheme from the ground up.

Inspiration from the Pros

To help visualize how this all comes together, let’s take a look at some exemplary custom sofa styling from the EHD team.

In Emily Henderson’s LA living room, the large-scale patterns on the sofa are balanced evenly, with textured solid pillows on each side to temper the visual impact. “The two solid but textured color pillows on each side and balance the patterns out so the overall look isn’t too loud but still visually interesting,” as Firmaniuk points out.

Similarly, in Velinda’s “Feel Good Flash Makeover,” the color palette is kept simple with three hues – gray, white, and muted blue. But the varied scale and texture of the patterned pillows prevent the look from feeling flat or monotonous.

And in Brady’s eclectic living room, the neutral sofa serves as a canvas for a masterful blend of textures, from knitted and woven pillows to a large-scale leather lumbar. “Brady kept his styling rather neutral so he complemented his color palette by adding in A LOT of texture,” Firmaniuk notes.

Putting it All Together

When it comes to choosing the perfect colors and patterns for your custom sofa, the key is to think holistically about your space. Start by envisioning the mood and aesthetic you want to create, then build out your color scheme accordingly.

Remember the “Small, Medium, Large” rule – make sure your accent color appears in a variety of scales, from the large expanse of your sofa to the smaller accents like pillows and throws. And don’t be afraid to experiment with bold, vibrant patterns and textures on your accent chairs. After all, as Killam and Firmaniuk have shown us, that’s where the real magic happens.

Sofas Spectacular is here to help you bring your custom sofa vision to life. Browse our extensive selection of luxurious fabrics and finishes, and let our design experts guide you through the process of creating the perfect centerpiece for your living space.