What Goes With a Striped Sofa?

A striped sofa can be a welcome change from basic solid colors. But when your sofa is striped, what do you put with it? Do you play it safe with solids or go out on a limb with other prints? And what about pairing stripes with stripes? If you have — or are considering buying — a striped sofa, these decorating solutions can help.

1. Matching striped upholstery and solid pillows. Have your armchairs covered in identical striped fabric as the sofa, and finish the look off with a cluster of solid-hued pillows.


2. Natural fibers. Jute, coir, sisal and sea grass are casual and beachy, and go with anything — especially stripes. Try partnering your striped sofa with a jute or sisal rug, water hyacinth armchairs and a rope-framed mirror for a fresh, nautical look.

3. Lots of white. Just as with floral upholstery, if you have a bold stripe that is threatening to overwhelm your room, try whiting it out with crisp white walls and white slipcovered furniture.


4. Faded Oriental or floral rug. For a sophisticated twist, roll out a faded rug — the more washed out, the better. Keep the rest of the pieces in the room simple with solid-hued armchairs and pillows, and a soothing color on the walls.



With Oriental rugs, don’t worry about matching — they go with everything! In this example the dark painted bookcases and dark wood tables create a more formal feel.


5. Solid neutrals. You can’t miss with a pair of armchairs upholstered in natural linen and a light rug. Mixing patterns with the throw pillows brings a bit of interest to the room, but keeping them in the neutral range means they will all go effortlessly together.


6. Different stripes, same color. If you want something a bit spicier, try pairing your striped sofa with chairs upholstered in another striped fabric, but in the same hue. Varying the width of the stripes is easier on the eye, so aim for a mix of wide and narrow.


7. Mixed patterns, same color. Why stop with mixing stripes when you can mix in other patterns as well? When you keep the colors to a strict palette, the patterns will feel like an intentional mix. Try a wide stripe, narrow stripe, solid, and fun printed textile, like a batik or suzani, in a matching hue.

Wild card: Mix patterns and hues. For the adventurous decorator, mixing colors and patterns is what can make a room sing. To give your room structure, try starting with a main color and a neutral, then layer in one or two accent colors with textiles.

Decorating Secrets: How to Layer Patterns Right


8. Same stripes, different color family. Often a fabric pattern comes in several different color groups. If you can track down the fabric, an easy way to pick pillows for your striped sofa is to have them made from the same print in a contrasting hue.



9. Same material, different patterns. The weight and texture of a fabric is key — choosing a similar type of fabric for accent pillows, poufs and chairs can help make your striped sofa fit in. For example, in the space shown here, a rough, textured striped sofa is accented with a few equally nubby pillows and a kilim pouf. If you have a fine linen sofa, try pairing it with cotton voile pillows; a velvet sofa would call for something thick and luxurious, like wool (or more velvet).

10. Metallics. Gleaming silver, burnished bronze and shiny gold work as neutrals, and do a brilliant job of livening up a dull room. If you feel your space needs a bit of a boost, try pairing your striped sofa with a metallic leather pouf, sculptural metal coffee table, wire chair or gleaming silver pendant lamp.

Tell us: Do you own a striped sofa? How do you decorate around it? Share your photos and tips in the Comments!

More: What Goes With Floral Upholstery?

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