Bringing Colour to my Rooms with the New Spring Collection at Sofa.com

Do you ever want that little place of your own to escape to?

That little corner to hide out in, occasionally. For me, it has never been more important than during the current pandemic when everyone is living in the same space, unable to go far and getting more than a little “stir crazy”.

It doesn’t have to be much space. Just somewhere to sit and breathe for 5 minutes and catch up on a book with a glass of wine. Or to have a chat to family and friends- to maintain contact.

I’m fortunate enough to have a bedroom with enough space to have a sitting area and it has become my equivalent of a “man shed”- the place I hide out in.

I chose to create this space with my new Sofa.com addition-meet Rocky, a mid-century rocking chair. The perfect addition for relaxation, not least because you can rock your cares away.

The chair is the perfect size for a bedroom at 68cm deep, 52cm wide and 83cm high-not too large so as to overwhelm the room. It would also look great next to a fireplace, where you can sit and enjoy an open fire in the winter.

I chose mine in “dusty rose” cotton matt velvet. A beautiful rich pink. It brings the richer colour of my wallpaper across to the other side of the room and complements the other furniture.

Mid-century furniture has been a staple item of the 2000s with google trends showing an upward trend and interest for most of the last 20 years. While many interior trends have a “sell by date”, mid-century is still going strong with its natural wood designs as popular as ever-something Rocky encompasses with its beautiful natural wood rockers.

As we move towards more individual spaces we will still see a nod to this type of furniture but brought into play in a mix of settings. The concept of where people trust their own design choices, rather than buying everything straight out of a catalogue. Where mid-century will sit with old and new, a sense of history and part of the story of the people that live in a space.

For me, that is exactly what my design choices lead to. A space that some might say lacks cohesion, but for me is full of items I love. Items that I have found joy in sourcing, collecting and up-cycling. I like to be surrounded by colour, rich textures and patterns. Of course, you don’t have to go for items this colourful. The Rocky armchair comes in huge range of fabric choices if you prefer the more neutral end of the colour spectrum.

When I redecorated my bedroom a few of months ago (due to a leaky shower in the next room), the colour scheme was designed around my Audrey Bed from Sofa.com. I chose a deep brown on the panelled wall which makes the ochre bed stand out, alongside a dusky pink on the other walls which complements the yellow and brown. The colours give the room a lovely warm, relaxing feeling to it.

I knew I wanted some pattern in this room-I am a colour loving maximalist after all- so I chose to add this to the fireplace wall, but in the same colour pink as the rest of the room.

I upcycled my vintage bedroom furniture with chalk paint and rattan, as I’d been after some rattan furniture but wanted to create my own in a more sustainable way. If you want to read more about how I created this room you can head over to Sofa.com blog where I discuss how to create the perfect boudoir.

My boudoir now has two beautiful velvet furniture items from Sofa.com!

Having waxed lyrical about my little haven in our bedroom, I do also have a room of my own too. This is where the work happens. My study at the top of the house. It is where I am currently spending roughly 12 hours a day as I launch a couple of new businesses. It is definitely not a place to relax in, and yet it can be made more relaxing for the hours I am working.

I generally work at my desk, however my new addition from sofa.com-The Snowdrop button back sofa-allows me somewhere to move to, to sit and think, or to take telephone calls from. The opportunity to get up and stretch and move to another place is good for my sanity. It is also super comfy, so comfy the key is not to fall asleep!

This sofa is an update on the original and popular snowdrop sofa, given a little more opulence with a button back. It is a classic style with deep cushions perfect for relaxing on. I chose a two seater version in orchid matt velvet, the most gorgeous soft pink which sits perfectly against my wallpaper.

Opulent or more sophisticated interiors is a trend we are seeing at the moment-the ability to create that hotel vibe with luxury materials such as velvet mixing with the very popular fringing which we are seeing on everything from lampshades to cushions at the moment-is key to creating this look, alongside soft rugs and a hint of metal. This classically designed sofa is perfect for this trend.

Both items that I have chosen are in pink velvet. Pink as a colour is now becoming a staple neutral in interiors and is showing no sign of waning in popularity. The shade has shifted towards the dusky end of the spectrum as a trend-similar to the colour of my Rocky chair, but many people are still embracing softer pinks.

I’d also argue that velvet is not disappearing anytime soon. I started embracing velvet furniture if 2015. It is still as popular today! There are so many child-proof velvets on the market these days-this pink sofa being covered in such a fabric-that you can really afford to embrace lighter colours safe in the knowledge that little sticky fingers will not damage your investment piece. Velvet also lends itself well to both maximalist and minimalist interiors.

Sofa.com has launched a number of new items for this season: the Ernest chair, the Bella bed and Ringo a coffee table/footstool combo, in addition to Rocky and Snowdrop shown above. All products are handmade to order and delivered in 4-6 weeks with a lifetime guarantee on frames. I now have 4 items of furniture from sofa.com and I can absolutely vouch for the quality. Moreover, the choice of colour and fabrics really means there is an item of furniture for everyone.

This is a paid blog post but all opinions are my own.