How to style a sofa

If you are design-obsessed like us, here at Oswald & Pablo, you will know the importance of styling a piece of furniture within a room. There is a real difference between adding a new piece of furniture to a room and styling a new furniture piece to fit with the existing decor. We’re here to help you when it comes to styling your sofa, and we have a few tips and tricks up our sleeves that will help you when it comes to the process. 

Things to consider when styling a sofa

• Sofa positioning
• The positioning of other furniture (side tables, TV cabinets etc.)
• Cushions and throws
• Colours and fabrics

As we dive further into each consideration point, we hope that you will find what works for you, your room and your new sofa. So, let’s make a start on one of the most important factors when it comes to styling a sofa or corner sofa – positioning. 

How to position your sofa

The positioning of your sofa depends on a few factors such as the size of the room, the shape of the sofa, existing furniture in the room and even lighting. 

Size of the room – for larger rooms, the world is your oyster, and you can have fun with the positioning of your sofa. Whether you want to make a statement and place your corner sofa in the centre of the room or if you’re going to add multiple sofas to the area, you can do so as long as it doesn’t feel crowded and reduce the space for walkways. For smaller rooms, you need to be clever in your positioning, and you will need to consider other furniture pieces within the room. Some common areas that you can place your sofa include:

• Across from another sofa: this will give you a nice visual balance, encourage conversation and can help fill out large rooms. 
• Facing the mantel: rooms with a mantel usually focus all of their furniture towards this point, and placing a sofa towards a mantel can be the natural way to position your sofa.
• In front of a window: placing a sofa in front of a window can be an ideal choice if you have a low sofa. You will need to consider the material used in the design and if direct sunlight will make it fade. 

Position of other furniture in the room  

When styling your sofa, you will need to consider other existing furniture that is already in the room. This could be a coffee table, a side table or even your TV unit and choosing where your sofa will go is important and may require a little reshuffle of the room depending on the size. 

One important thing to remember when styling your sofa is that balance is key. Having one side of the room heavily furnished while the other side is empty, will not only look strange but will not be practical.  This is also true in terms of patterns and colours; you want to make sure that you strike a balance between full coverage of colour within the room and not just focus on one particular area unless it is a focal wall where you can slightly favour your colours and patterns (but only slightly). 

It may be the case that you have to remove some furniture from the room to account for walkways and breathing space or alternatively add a chic coffee table to centralise the room. 

Cushions and throws 

Although all of the Chesterfield sofas available here at Oswald & Pablo are stylish in their own right – every sofa can be enhanced with a throw or cushion. Here at some of the most FAQs we receive when it comes to cushions and throws for sofas: 

How to arrange cushions on a sofa

This depends on the size of your sofa and the number of cushions that you have. Scattering cushions can be an art form in itself. You will need to make sure that they are plumped regularly, positioned in the correct way and maintained. You could opt for a diagonal scatter of cushions, which takes regular maintenance to ensure your cushions are balanced at the correct angle. Alternatively, you could choose a paired arrangement to sit at either side of the sofa. This is a classic look and doesn’t take much maintenance.

Another method is to mix and match the style of cushion that you have. This can add charm and character to the aesthetic of the room and is a look that you can achieve fairly easily. With the mix and match style, make sure that you fully commit and go for a mixture of style – the key here is choosing fabrics that match. 

How to put a throw on a sofa

Adding a throw or blanket to your sofa is a great idea (especially in the winter) and there are many options for styling a throw on your sofa. 
You can tuck one side of the throw against the arm of the chair and drape the throw across the sofa. This is ideal for those who use blankets a lot and want to have access to their throw at all times. 

Horizontally draping your blanket across your sofa can add a new feel to the furniture piece. When draping your blanket horizontally, make sure that it is folded into equal parts otherwise it can start to look messy.
If you like the messy look, then you can drape an unfolded blanket across the back of the sofa. The trick with this method is to not overthink the positioning and luxurious, thicker throws look cosier and inviting.  

How many cushions does a corner sofa need?

With cushion choices, it is often up to you how many you choose to scatter across the sofa. There are however some things that you should consider including the size of the cushions in relation to the sofa, how practical they are to sit with and maintain and if they are even needed.

For a 2 seater sofa, we wouldn’t recommend adding more than 4 cushions to the furniture piece as it can start to feel overwhelming and you will spend all of your time karate chopping them to make sure they are plump. Follow the rule of 2 cushions per seat on the sofa; for example, the maximum number of cushions on a 3 seater sofa should be 6 and on a 4 seater sofa it should be 8 cushions max.

Colours and fabrics 

This is where your eye for design comes into play. The colours and fabrics that you choose for your sofa is often a personal preference and there are many ways to play with colours and fabrics in your interior design. 

Add a pop of colour to your space 

Here at Oswald & Pablo, we love to play with bold colours and we think that they can really complete the look of a room. Whether you are looking to add a Chesterfield sofa to your interior space that adds charm or gets the room talking during parties – our Worthing Patchwork Chesterfield Sofa is designed to spark conversation. 

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Other notable mentions of bright coloured sofas include the Hampton Chesterfield sofa is the perfect contrasting piece for midnight blue walls. The beautiful construction of the sofa stands out and you can use the piece as a central focal point to your room. Mustard and yellow sofas are bold in their own design and should therefore be softly decorated around with more muted hues.

Explore more sofa options at Oswald & Pablo today

Not that you know exactly how to style a sofa, put your methods into practice and explore the range of Chesterfield sofas available within our range. Our bespoke Chesterfield sofas feature bold designs that will upgrade any room that they are placed into. If you are looking for a singular charming furniture piece, then you should check out our range of bespoke Chesterfield armchairs which boasts bold hues, relaxed design and the highest quality craftsmanship available.