Mood Board: That Brown Sofa

I would LOVE to know how to style a room with builder-fresh beige walls and a brown sofa. And, based on the search terms that are bringing so many of you to my humble little house blog, so would you!

The brown sofa has continued to be a challenge because it can make this already-small room look even smaller. The "brown sofa room" is the one I just can't seem to figure out, no matter what I try. But lately, Pinterest has stirred up a few ideas... which I've pinned on my Brown Sofa Pinterest board.

West Elm and World Market gave me the inspiration for this mood board. I normally make mistakes on the side of too much color, too much of the wrong colors, or forget to include texture. This one balances out the white molding, white wooden blinds, and white frames. And since most of it is neutral, maybe I won't blow so much money on a colorific rug I'll get tired of looking at in a few months. Instead, I brought in a few color accents in the form of accessories, an art which I am still learning.

This mood board incorporates a lot of the pieces I already own, including a pair of lovelies, Cute-as-a-button Erin chairs from World Market. You'll also see dark woods, a textured jute rug, and some metal accents in the lamp and curtain rods. I softened up the look a little with a throw and some baskets. The jury's still out on the artwork that should go above the sofa... for me, I'm thinking a six-panel frame wall of outdoor lamps and light fixtures around town ('cause I love lamp.). I've been wandering the streets in our vacation destinations taking pictures of old painted brick walls and industrial-looking awning lighting. That might just work!

Source list coming soon.

Meanwhile, check out the nursery mood board I made yesterday.
Enjoy!

9/9/2012: Update --! Kate at Centsational Girl just wrote an amazing post on decorating with a brown sofa, here, on her Better Homes and Gardens blog.

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