Steve and I purchased a very large and very dark leather sofa/love seat combo many moons ago. We spent a nice chunk of change on this furniture and it has held up like no other. It’s had it’s fair share of spills and couch jumps and climbing children, but it’s been our main seating source in our last three homes. The sofa is large enough for my 6’3″ husband to comfortably stretch his legs and between the two of them, they hold a lot of people. There has never been a tear, a scratch, and we’ve never had to do any maintenance on these sofas.
The catch is, I don’t really like them anymore! They seem heavy and dark, although they are cozy and comfy. They seem too matchy-matchy for my taste and a bit formal for our casual lifestyle. But, the reality is, we have kids and a large great room to fill up, and the leather is durable, soft, washable, lived in, and paid for! So, until I find two chairs to replace the love seat, both will stay in here. I’m in no rush, but I am on the hunt. Either way, the large sofa is staying for now.
To make these work for me, I simply change the things around the sofas to appeal to my decorating taste. I also like to keep everything else surrounding these dark behemoths light and bright, especially during the summer months.
How to Soften Dark Leather Sofas
A white shag rug, soft throws, and light pillows help keep the sofas from drowning out the space. I also have a white coffee table that is easily changed out with the seasons. This room gets a ton of natural light which helps me without having to actually do anything.
Light Walls
We have very dark hardwood floors and dark bookcases. A white fireplace and very neutral walls keep it from being too dark. I’ve contemplated painting out the bookshelves to the trim color, but can’t seem to pull the trigger. I’m going to restyle the bookshelves this summer and if I still don’t like them, I will paint them out. More to come on that!
Disguise the Back of the Sofas
Because we have an open concept first floor, we essentially have no walls. This also created a problem because the back of the large sofa is exposed to the kitchen. So, I painted a thrift store dresser bright white to hide the back of the couch. I change up the accessories and added a pop of pink, and you hardly notice the couch from this angle.
Eventually, down a long and winding road, we will finish our basement and these sofas will be perfect down there. Until then, I am learning to appreciate what we have and to work with things I can’t change at the drop of a hat. Love is in the details for me anyway, and accessories are a lot cheaper, so I will keep having fun with that!Â
I have absolutely nothing against leather furniture! It’s fabulous in smaller scale doses and there are so many perks to leather when you have kids. I actually think I won’t mind the large sofa at all if I can find neutral chairs to replace the love seat. It’s just too much in this space and too matchy for me to have both in here. Let’s love what we love and work around what we don’t! I hope you find this post helpful! XO
No, but I do have two leather chairs that I have to keep, so I try to camouflage them with throws. You can place a gorgeous white throw folded neatly over the back of the center cushion on the sofa and then use a lot of light colored pillows and you will be amazed, it totally changes things up. I do this with the largest leather chair and it makes it blend in better with the rest of the room.
Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me.
I love the way that you have styled the room, it looks open, airy, comfy and welcoming. The dark and light are in perfect proportions. I understand wanting to change, I work with what I have until I can find exactly what I want, takes time and patience, but in the end I am happy. Sounds like you've made it work, and I love the way it looks.
I am also the type that waits patiently until just the right thing comes along. I'd rather do it/buy it once and love it than rush into anything. Thanks for stopping by!!
I love the way you've decorated the room. I also have dark leather furniture, but I do like it. I just need to add a love seat, couch, or 2 chairs to the mix and I'm trying to find something "brighter" to lighten up the room. Hopefully we will both find what we are looking for soon. Found you over t Totally Terrific Tuesday.
Pretty sure my husband would do anything to have leather couches in our home! I'm slowly learning, sometimes function is more important than taste. We love our ikea Ektorp sectional, but it's not the comfiest couch around! I could nap all day on those leather beauties, and with your style, you've made the room absolutely gorgeous!
xo!
Kylie
Thank you so much for your sweet comments! Leather really is perfect when you have kids! Maybe your husband will get his wish after your baby arrives!!
Your spaces are beautifully done. We bought our leather couch when we moved here to our new house, eleven years ago. I don't like matchy-matchy, so no other matching pieces. It's a deep, dark burgandy, and have to tell ya it's as neutral as brown, black or gray! We love it and I've had no problem decorating with it. I just change out throws, pillows and room accessories. It's big, but our living area is open and good sized too, so lots of ways to arrange.
Thanks for stopping by Cheryl! I agree that leather is super neutral and with the right surrounding choices, it can be functional and work in most any space!
Beautiful! This looks so good. Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for bringing this to our party and we hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. Lou Lou Girls
Thanks Kimberly for sharing!! xo
Your living room is beautiful! I know how you feel… our living room furniture is amazing (and have never had to do any maintenance on them!) and soo comfy but I'm tired of it too (but don't tell my hubby, lol!) The white rug really brightens yours space! Thanks for sharing at Your Turn To Shine! Hope to see you back on Thurs. 🙂 xo
Kendra @ http://www.joyinourhome.com
Thanks Kendra and thanks for hosting!! xo
Andrea, where did you pick up that lovely pair of X stools?
I'm just getting to replies, sorry this took so long! I got the blue x benches at Target. I think they still sell them. I absolutely love the pattern and dimension they bring to the space!
Another great post-thank you for sharing your tips at the Sundays Down Under link up. I love visiting your blog each week!
Best wishes and hope to see you again this weekend
Natasha in Oz
Thank you Natasha for hosting and stopping by!! xo
Waiting until the perfect one comes along is definitely the best route. If you don't, man do you kick yourself. There's so many times that I've said coulda, woulda, shoulda…I think your space looks great though! loving all the texture.
I just want to say that I love your living room. We also have leather sofa that has similar color with yours in our living room. Though we love our sofa, I can't find inspiration of living room with leather sofa because the blogosphere seems to limit their sofa to white, or very light color. Thank you for being a great inspiration! Your living room is airy and bright, with the sofa giving it some heft to make everything grounded. -Sasha-
Oh, and I think the wood color of the shelves help balance the living room, making the sofa not the only dark component in the room. I don't think it makes the room dark at all.