A striped sofa may look like a brave choice, but it is much easier to live with than you might think.
Pattern can make people nervous, especially when it comes to a sofa. A cushion is one thing… a lampshade, fine. But a sofa is a rather large object which sits in the middle of the room looking at you every day.
So people often play it safe with a grey, beige, greige, mushroom and so on.
There is nothing wrong with calm colours, of course. But a room can become very cautious if everything in it is chosen not to cause trouble.
A striped sofa is a very good way out of that.
The reason is that stripes are pattern, but with order. They bring rhythm and movement, but they don’t behave like a big floral or a novelty print. Your eye does not have to keep ‘reading’ flowers, leaves, birds, shapes or little scenes. A stripe is in some ways more like a texture: repeated, regular, reassuring.
What’s more, that order makes it surprisingly easy to decorate around. You can keep the rest of the room simple, with plain cushions, natural rugs and warm lamps, or you can add other pattern, such as checks or faded florals.
The trick is let the stripe set the mood. Pick up one of its colours somewhere else in the room, perhaps in a cushion, a lampshade or a rug.
That is what makes the Pembroke Stripe by Piglet in Bed such a lovely sofa fabric - lots of colour but not in a chaotic way. The rose and rhubarb tones feel warm, cheerful and easy to live with. It can work beautifully with linens, wools, wood, old pictures and all the useful clutter of a proper sitting room.
There’s no need for a striped sofa to dominate a room, but it can certainly make the room feel more alive.
Order a free fabric sample of Rhubarb & Rose Pembroke Stripe (and any other styles you fancy) now.
How to decorate around a striped sofa
A striped sofa may look like a brave choice, but it is much easier to live with than you might think.
Pattern can make people nervous, especially when it comes to a sofa. A cushion is one thing… a lampshade, fine. But a sofa is a rather large object which sits in the middle of the room looking at you every day.
So people often play it safe with a grey, beige, greige, mushroom and so on.
There is nothing wrong with calm colours, of course. But a room can become very cautious if everything in it is chosen not to cause trouble.
A striped sofa is a very good way out of that.
The reason is that stripes are pattern, but with order. They bring rhythm and movement, but they don’t behave like a big floral or a novelty print. Your eye does not have to keep ‘reading’ flowers, leaves, birds, shapes or little scenes. A stripe is in some ways more like a texture: repeated, regular, reassuring.
What’s more, that order makes it surprisingly easy to decorate around. You can keep the rest of the room simple, with plain cushions, natural rugs and warm lamps, or you can add other pattern, such as checks or faded florals.
The trick is let the stripe set the mood. Pick up one of its colours somewhere else in the room, perhaps in a cushion, a lampshade or a rug.
That is what makes the Pembroke Stripe by Piglet in Bed such a lovely sofa fabric - lots of colour but not in a chaotic way. The rose and rhubarb tones feel warm, cheerful and easy to live with. It can work beautifully with linens, wools, wood, old pictures and all the useful clutter of a proper sitting room.
There’s no need for a striped sofa to dominate a room, but it can certainly make the room feel more alive.
Order a free fabric sample of Rhubarb & Rose Pembroke Stripe (and any other styles you fancy) now.