How to make your living space pop with a green sofa and other green accents

A green sofa is a statement piece in any room. It provides a pop of color and style that can make your living room feel more inviting and relaxing. More than that, a green sofa adds visual interest to your space and gives the room character. And with a wide range of shades and tones to pick from, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. 

Whether you’re in the market for a new green sofa or you already have one, you’ll be able to create a stunning living room with this central piece. In this guide, you’ll learn some top tips for selecting your furniture, color scheme, and accents to go with a green sofa so you can build a look you love.

Why green?

According to color psychology (yes, it’s a real thing), green is a color associated with nature that may promote stress relief — it symbolizes growth, harmony, and safety. These associations make it a perfect shade for a sleeper sofa or sectional sofa where you can relax and unwind anytime. “You can decorate an entire room with greens and have contrast, drama, richness, and balance. It’s so versatile,” says interior designer Shannon Kaye. 

Picking a green color palette

If you’ve ever wondered why your home doesn’t have the polish you see on social media and in magazines, it might be your color palette. Or, in many cases, a lack of a color palette in the first place. 

Professional interior designers typically select a color palette of four to six colors per room. Interior design palettes include neutral hues such as white, tan, grey, and black with accent colors like green, red, purple, blue, or yellow. Ideally, the walls, furniture, rugs, carpet, accents, artwork, window dressings, and everything else in the room will adhere to the color palette. 

You can browse color palettes online and pick the one you love or create your own from scratch. If you’d like to create your own, take a look at the following steps and sample palette:

• Find a color palette tool that’s easy for you to use. We like Coolors or Paletton. 
• Pick your focus color, which will add life to your space. In this case, we used green in two different shades: “dark spring green” and “turquoise green.” 
• Add your supporting neutral colors that complement the focus color(s). In the example above, we picked “light grey” and “cultured.” 
• Consider adding an accent color. We’ve opted to use “peach puff” as a gentle accent color, but feel free to choose something bolder. 

Note: If you already have a green sofa that you’re decorating around, use its shade of green as the focus color.

When and where to add color

With the color palette figured out, you’re ready to start decorating your space. We recommend picking between one and three areas to add your focus color(s). The rest of the room can use the neutral colors on your palette to support the look. 

Below, we’ve highlighted excellent ways to add color to your room. You can decide what works for you based on your personal preference to create a living room you love. 

Sofa

If you already have a green sofa, you can skip this section. But if you’re looking to buy one, select a shade that draws you in and think about what you need from a couch. (We love the Gulfdale 2-piece cushion back set in dark teal.)

Consider which cushions, fabric, frame, size, and style will work best in your living room. Ask yourself important questions, such as: How many people will my living room need to seat? Will I be adding a loveseat and/or recliners? What kind of upholstery do I prefer?

If you need inspiration for your dream green sofa, here are a few ideas:

• Chesterfield green velvet sofa with nailhead accents
• Glam chaise lounge in teal with tapered legs and a solid wood frame
• Sofa bed or futon with reversible cushions for versatility 
• Microfiber fabric sofa with a matching recliner 
• Square arm sofa with green velvet upholstery and a matching ottoman

For an ultra-glam space, you can’t go wrong with the Bellaire Button-tufted Upholstered Sectional with teal velvet fabric upholstery, nailhead back, and chrome tapered legs. It features a storage chaise (perfect for small spaces) with elegant crystal button tufting on the back cushion and a portion of the frame. This sofa comes with two bolsters and an accent pillow to complete the look. 

Throw Pillows

Also known as toss pillows, throw pillows are a fun way to add color to your room without a dramatic change. They’ll look beautiful on both a soft or bright green sofa, and you’ll love the added style of a custom pillow arrangement. 

Choose pillows that match your room’s color palette. You might pick a pair of bold green throw pillows to mix in with neutral-toned pillows. Another idea is to choose pillows in two different shades of green, like “dark spring green” and “turquoise green” from our palette above.

The arrangement in the image above uses bright green accent pillows and lively patterns. The curtains feature a pattern that matches one of the pillows, bringing the room together and making the design feel more intentional. If you’re still on the fence about green in the living room, this combo is a great way to try it on for size.

Accent Chair

You can use a green upholstered accent chair to add color to your living space. This look will work whether you pair a green chair with a green sofa or use the accent chair as your primary pop of color. 

You could use a pair of reclining green velvet accent chairs or a lone green chair alongside a loveseat, sofa, or futon. Using accent chairs in the living room is also good for accessibility because they’re easy to move out of the way when necessary.

If you don’t want to go completely green, Coaster’s Padded Armless Accent Chair and Ottoman is a fabulous option set in grey and green upholstery. This look has arrowhead tufting and an eye-catching angular backrest. It would enhance any modern or mid-century modern living room, adding clean lines and gentle colors.

You can also add a pop of green as a luxurious statement in a room that feels drab. The Channeled Tufted Swivel Chair pictured above features vertical tufting, an elegant chrome base, and smooth swivel action. It would make for a stylish and sleek upgrade to any living space. 

Curtains

Curtains and other window treatments are an easy place to add a pop of green color to your living room. They’ll frame your window, provide privacy, and make the room feel more inviting. Many designers feel that no home is complete without them.

Try matching your curtains with your toss pillows, sofa, recliner, or rug to bring the look together. For versatility, pick green throw pillows and curtains. If you ever need a change (during the holidays, for example), you’ll be able to switch the entire color scheme in a matter of minutes. 

The image above features soft green ombre curtains that create an airy, luxe appeal. The curtains sit against an accent wall with a living room workstation in front, both of which follow the same green color palette. This approach is a perfect example of how you can combine three points of color in a room without making it overwhelming. 

Accent Wall

Adding an accent wall to your living room is one of the fastest ways to punch up a space. It might seem a bit intimidating, and the option isn’t always open to renters, but if you can paint your space, do it. (If you rent your home or apartment, check with your landlord as you may be able to paint the wall as long as you return it to its original color when you move.) Color on walls can bring your home to life, and you can always paint over it if you don’t like the look. 

The image above features a green sofa against a moss-hued accent wall with white and green accent pillows. This Scandinavian-style space is an excellent example of how you can base a room around your existing green sofa. The simple addition of a few pillows and an accent wall make the color feel intentional and natural. 

Make a green sofa work in your living room

Whether you’re going with an 8-seater sofa set in a large room or a versatile futon in a studio apartment, you can design a gorgeous (and comfortable) space that looks like it’s straight out of a magazine. Use the handy tips in this guide to pull your look together and you’ll have a living room you’ll enjoy for years to come. If you’re still searching for the perfect sofa, check out Coaster Furniture’s full selection of sofas and sectionals for more inspiration.

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