Should I match the wall to the couch?

I'm in love - What do I do next?

March 22, 2011

Sayang from N9 asks...

I just bought an absolutely georgous REDleather sofa and chaise sectional! It’s bigger in my room than I expected – the Room is 12 × 10. Should I paint the walls behind the sofa a matching RED to help increase the visual space or – will that just make the room appear smaller? The two sections form an “L” shape that is 112" X 80". HELP – I can’t give it back – I’m in LOVE – but what do I do next?

NECD responds...

If you paint the wall behind the sectional red, that piece that you love will be “hiding” in the wall colour, which to me seems a shame! The approach I take in situations like this is to consider painting the baseboards and casings the same colour as the adjacent wall to make it appear as though there is more wall surface. The other trick I sometimes use is to lower the seating by replacing the legs with shorter ones. I also make a selection on the floor, such as a graphic area rug that brings the eye down to ground an oversized piece into the floor. Probably the most significant thing you can do is to remove scale small tables, chairs & chachkas from the room because they make the sectional look even bigger by contrast. Glass and mirrored tables take up less visual space. An oversized piece of art across for the sectional can help balance the room. Large scale table and floor lamps can also be effective in helping to visually shrink the sectional.