The Power of Statement Designer Sofas

Find a colour or pattern which you’re constantly drawn to (for me it’s emerald green) and feel confident enough in your gut instinct to introduce it into your scheme in a big way. Keep other furniture and accessories slick—even sculptural—to allow the piece the limelight it deserves and give it a professional interior design air. And, although it might sound counterintuitive, for the less intrepid, a hue-on-hue palette isn’t a bad way to go—a vibrant blue sofa like the Aylott above would look just as striking against a coordinating wall colour without being as conspicuous.

"Find a colour or pattern which you’re constantly drawn to and introduce it into your scheme with confidence"

So, if you find yourself thinking of your next sofa design, it’s high time to step outside the box. Embrace the statement sofa and make it your own.

South African interior designer John Jacob succeeds in mastering the power of the statement sofa with the velvet emerald green offering in this opulent living room. Combined with charcoal grey hues, lashings of black and just a hint of green from the appropriately chosen artwork, the sofa exudes sophistication and cool. The use of a near-matching armchairs and coffee table set prevents the arrangement from looking too fussy.

Kelly Wearstler – the ever-daring maximalist – masters the look with an adventurous crimson red tiger print fabric which pops against the metallic backdrop of this Bel Air residence. Her use of a vibrant colour in addition to a great pattern puts paid to any doubts that this is a look for which the two design elements must be dealt with in isolation. Unique antique accents (like the Art Deco box and Egyptian bust table lamps) are Kelly’s accessories of choice which tie in with the room’s unexpected vibe.

"Subtlety can be achieved with a monochromatic colour scheme and simple lines."

London interior designer Tara Bernerd is also a fan of the statement sofa using the look in both her residential and commercial projects. This impossibly sharp L-shaped tuxedo sofa is given just enough of a playful twist thanks to its peacock blue colouring. Yet, showing that statement needn’t always mean something worthy of an eyebrow raise here and there, it remains surprisingly understated, ideal for the space – a handsome loft hotel penthouse – with the help of a blue-focused colour palette and a cool wood flooring. Cushions embroidered with hummingbirds and a slender marble-topped coffee table lighten the palette and offer a softness to the scheme.

Nate Berkus is the mastermind behind this space, one of the Signature Suites found in the Park Hyatt New York – a recent addition to the Big Apple’s hospitality scene. The celebrity interior designer chose a kelly green button tufted Chesterfield to act as one half of the focal area in this pared back space. Complimenting a gestural and monochromatic modern canvas, the sofa is offered a modernity despite its somewhat traditional aesthetic by embracing a vivid colour in a velvet fabric and being accented with a concrete coffee table, Modern Baughman-inspired armchairs and minimalist accessorising.

"Keep other furniture and accessories slick – even sculptural – to allow the piece the limelight it needs."

Another Kelly Wearstler design of show-stopping proportions, this deep, low-slung sofa – upholstered in one of the designer’s own mineral-inspired fabrics – makes for a striking element in an artistic New York Tribeca loft. The sensory piece is perfectly accompanied by a spirited artwork and sculptural accents (in true Wearstler style) simultaneously exuding a welcoming living room room vibe as well as a cultured gallery aesthetic.