You are in the process of designing your space and want to try out two different colours or styles of sofa in your living room, but not sure how to pull it off? I’m glad you’re here.
This post will cover in full detail how to style your living room with two different sofas and still look incredibly intentional and stylish.
When you’re not a designer, it can be difficult to style two completely different sofas in a space and make them look cohesive. Trust me, there’s nothing worse than mismatched furniture that look like they don’t belong together.
Whether your living room is small or large, I will show you different layout options, colour combinations, and design inspirations to achieve that look in your own space.
Tips For Arranging Two Sofas In Living Room
Here are some of my top tips for mixing two different sofas in your living room. I am in the process of designing and picking out furniture for my own living room so I am currently doing a lot of research on the subject.
These tips are based on my personal preference as well as a lot of extensive research into the ways that other designers have experimented with this design style.
Tip #1 Use Colour To Your Advantage
Colour plays a huge role in creating a cohesive furniture placement. Identifying the colours you love early on can really help with your decision.
The sofa colours should work with the colour of the living room. You might think your empty living room has no colour. Believe it or not, the colour of your flooring, and wall colour all add to the overall colour and tone of your living room, and inadvertently, the colour combinations to use for the sofas.
So it’s worth knowing the colour combinations you like and how much contrast you like or are drawn to. You can create various textures of the same colour.
If you are intimidated by the colour wheel, here are some colours that pair beautifully.
Tip #2 Determine Your Living Room Size and Layout
Before you choose the furniture layout for your living space, you first have to consider the size of your room. Are two sofas really the best option for the size and flow of your living room?
I am not here to discourage you but rather to encourage you to assess the space before you pick a furniture layout.
A large living room with a lot of open space might be perfect for two large sofas, but on the other hand, single sofas with a few accent chairs or even a sectional sofa might be the best way to design some small living rooms.
How To Arrange Two Sofas In A Small Living Room
When your home is on the small side, your living room might need to play multiple roles so choosing furniture and layout that considers that is key.
Hope is not lost, it’s possible to arrange two sofas in a small living room with a bit of strategic planning. Here’s how to make it work.
- #1 – Go Big or Go Home
When people want to design a small living room, they often think buying small furniture is the solution. Don’t be tempted to go smaller.
Remember the 2:3 rule; the sofa should be about two thirds the size of the entire room. Instead of small sofas, go for large sofas with low lines as they will be less dominant and create a better flow in a small space.
- #2 – Go Neutral
Another tip is picking sofas in the same or similar white, pale or neutral colours to reduce visual bulk. Easy for me to say, I love neutrals.
Truly, neutral colours will allow you the opportunity to create the look you desire in a very small space. Remember you can go bold on the walls or with large scale art.
- #3 – Consider the layout
A parallel arrangement in a small room where the room opens in centre of the layout can make a small room look cozy. The same can be said of two sofas placed perpendicular to each other in the space furthest from the door as this creates generous seating.
Seating that blocks the natural flow of a room will not give you the look you are going for.
Two Different Sofas in Larger Living Room
There are so many different ways to arrange two different furniture pieces in a large living room. Many people think pushing the furniture closer to the wall helps, but it only makes it look out of place.
In order to successfully design large spaces, it is critical to move the furniture closer to the middle of the room.
Thanks to the size of the room, you have the opportunity to use as many pieces of furniture as the space will allow. You can create multiple seating areas and place the furniture away from the walls to make the room feel more intimate and cozy.
Rectangular Living Room with Two Different Sofas
In order to pull off the multiple sofa look in a rectangular room, you can place the sofas to face each other with a coffee table in the middle.
You can also place the sofas perpendicular to make the most of the space available.
Two Different Sofas in Open Plan Living Room
When it comes to open plan spaces, it’s important to create zones with furniture. If your living room is connected to your kitchen, you want to place the back of the sofa to the kitchen area to create a clear division.
You might also want to create a sense of balance with additional seating like accent chairs. If you have two sofas placed perpendicular, two chairs placed opposite the sofa can create a sense of balance.
Here are some examples.
Two different sofas in a living room with a TV
When decorating a living room with two different sofas and a focal point like a TV or a fireplace, it’s crucial to arrange the sofas around the focal point. This will support the natural function and flow of the space.
However, you can add one or two ottomans in front of the fireplace to create an intimate conversational area.
Tip #3 Consider Sofa ‘Weight’
One interior designer that has mastered weight distribution in furniture is undoubtedly Studio Mcgee.
She believes that in order to distribute weight evenly in a space, you should balance out the weight of the sofa legs. So a one legged sofa might pair excellently with a solid heavy sofa with no legs.
Tip #4 Consider Fabric
Unless you are going for identical sofas, you can balance out two sofas in the room by choosing fabrics in different weights and colours. A brown midcentury leather sofa might pair really well with a light grey linen sofa.
But wait, before you pick any fabric, it might be wise to consider the best colours and textures for your family. A white linen sofa might not make sense for a family room with a lots of kids and pets.
Here’s a sofa fabric combination that pairs really well.
Tip #5 Experiment With Styles
Now it’s time to decide what sofa to get. You might be tempted to stick to one design style, but my guess is you may not even know the different styles that exist.
The style of the sofa doesn’t really matter. You are free to use identical sofas or mix traditional with modern or mid-century. What matters is that the sofas work together visually and create a cohesive look.
Tip #6 Choose the right accent pieces
The colour and texture of the accents you choose can either make the sofas look like they don’t belong or tie them together.
So carefully consider the textures and colours of the throw pillows, area rugs, side tables, end tables, art and coffee table as these can anchor the room and tie it together in a beautiful cohesive way.
Look how this rug ties two different sofa colours and seats together.
Tip #7 Plan it all out visually
Hopefully, the tips I have shared so far have armed you with some ideas for to find the perfect living room furniture arrangement.
Don’t rush to plan your space, rather take your time and plan it out. You can create a mood board on Canva or Adobe Express to see what your choices look like. If it doesn’t look good on a mood board, chances are it might not look good in person.
Make sure you are happy with your living room layout and choices before you buy anything. You can also use free online layout planners, I mentioned a few in this post on how to design a room.
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Final Thoughts
Designing your room with two different sofas is not difficult if you follow a few simple rules. Consider the layout, use colour and fabric to your advantage, distribute the weight, tie it together with great accents and plan it all out before buying a new living room sofa.
There are no rules to design. Experiment with a few sofa arrangements that work for your living space. Something that doesn’t traditionally work might work well in your unique space.
Take your time to let it reflect your style, not something you see online. It doesn’t have to perfect, it simply has to work for you.
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