Velvet Sofa Inspiration

Velvet sofas have been a popular choice for centuries, going through peaks and troughs of popularity. Right now they’re experiencing a bit of a resurgence, and are bang on-trend again. It’s probably not hard to understand why; they’re comfortable and warm, but also eye-catching and distinctive, and fit into all sorts of different interior design styles.

Blue Velvet Sofa

Blue sofas come in all sorts of shades, from dark navy blue to green-tinted teal, or pale sky blue. Blue is a particularly popular choice for a velvet sofa and looks fantastic with the natural variation in shade from light to dark that velvet provides depending on how the light falls on it. Velvet teal sofas, in particular, have become an interior design icon over the last few years and their popularity shows no signs of slowing down.

Malvern Sofa in Varese Teal Velvet

Pale blue velvet sofas will go brilliantly with orange, or with darker tones of blue, so try a mix of scatter cushions to created a multi-layered effect. Teal, on the other hand, works best with grey or with warm brown and beige shades, particularly for larger areas of colour like walls, carpets and curtains.

Harrow Snuggler in Varese Smoke

Green velvet sofa

A bottle-green velvet chesterfield is another design classic, looking lifted straight from a Victorian drawing room or Edwardian gentleman’s club. That’s by no means the only option if you want a green velvet sofa, though. Light, leafy greens or even bright neons can look eye-catching and even pleasingly eccentric – in a good way of course. Velvet works well with these sorts of unusual colours because of the way that the pile catches the light differently at different angles and so creates patches of almost white and areas of near-black, breaking up what could otherwise be a slightly overwhelming amount of colour.

Stirling Sofa in Oscar Velvet Teal Green

Classic darker green sofas can work well with light colours like cream, pale yellow and pink, while very bright, vibrant greens could be paired with another strong, statement colour like hot pink.

Brighton Sofa in Hard Wearing Plush Velvet

Grey velvet sofa

For a sophisticated, subtle, almost Scandinavian look, grey velvet sofas are a fantastic choice. The natural richness and tonal variation of velvet wonderfully offset what could otherwise be a rather cold or drab colour, and gives it a welcome warmth.

Whinfell Sofa in Traviata Crushed Velvet French Grey

Grey velvet sofas can work perfectly as part of a very monochrome colour scheme of whites, blacks and greys. In this sort of style, without a variety of colours to create interest, its variety of texture is essential, and velvet is the perfect way to supply that.

Feather Standard Fabric Modular Corner Sofa in Grey Velvet

Alternatively, grey can play a part in a livelier colour scheme, placed with burnt orange, dark red, or pale blues. Amongst the most versatile options out there, there’s almost no colour palette or interior style that a grey velvet sofa can’t slot seamlessly into.

Pink velvet sofa

If you’re going to have a quirky and unusual sofa fabric, you may as well go for a really eye-catching colour. Pink velvet sofas, whether an understated salmon colour or a room-defining hot pink, are both beautiful and trendy.

Uppingham Large in Varese Velvet Cassis R3

Pink works best when surrounded by warm but neutral colours like beige or dark woods, or by natural colours like mid-greens. Having several shades of pink can create a lovely layered feel, but it’s often safest to let your pink sofa stand out and be the only pink item in the room. Instead, go for dark purple, aubergine or dark green; these colours will create a perfect backdrop for a vibrant, pink velvet sofa.

Paisley Sofa in Oscar Velvet Dusty Pink

Black velvet sofa

It’s rare for people to choose black as a sofa colour; although it can look stylish and sophisticated in leather, in most fabrics it runs the risk of looking dull, and areas of it that are subject to sunlight or frequent use quickly fade to grey. Black velvet is a whole different story though. It looks at its absolute best when it’s picked up a bit of a pattern of wear, and the natural variation in tone caused by light and shadow on the velvet helps to disguise and integrate areas that are no longer pure, deep black.

Heartwood Sofa in Stain Resistant Velvet Pitch 53

Black, of course, famously goes with anything. In general, however, it’s best to surround a black sofa with some lighter colours to avoid a look that is too dark or oppressive. Light blue, pale grey and pink all look fantastic around black velvet but, with no danger of anything clashing with it, you’re free to be as creative as you like.