Short answer: Start with your light, your floor and who uses the sofa, then pick the colour, and check the fabric last. As general advice, mid-tone shades such as warm tans and mid greys tend to hide everyday marks better than very light or very dark ones. If you have kids or pets, our own assessment is that Aquaforte Velvet is the strongest choice, and it comes in Aqua, Chocolate and Crumble.
A sofa is a large colour block in the room, and it is hard to change once it is delivered. This guide helps you narrow the choice with real colour names, the fabrics they come in and a simple way to test before you order.
On This Page
- Five questions to ask before you choose a sofa colour
- Sofa colours and the fabrics they come in
- Choosing a sofa colour for kids and pets
- Small rooms and large rooms
- Matching your floor, walls and the rest of the room
- How to test a colour at home
- Our recommendation
- Explore our sofas
Five questions to ask before you choose a sofa colour
- How much light does the room get? A bright room can handle deeper or cooler shades. A dim room usually feels better with a lighter or warmer colour.
- How big is the room? Light, low-contrast colours tend to make a sofa visually recede, while a dark or bold colour gives it more presence. We cover this below.
- Who sits on it? Kids, pets, snacks and sunscreen change which colours and fabrics are practical. Aim for a shade you will still like when it has a few visible marks.
- What are your floor and walls? Check the undertone of what the sofa sits against (warm or cool) so the colour looks deliberate rather than slightly off.
- How often do you redecorate? If you like to change your look, a neutral sofa is the easiest base. If you want a long-term statement piece, a bolder colour can work as long as you love it in daylight.
Sofa colours and the fabrics they come in
Each colour below is live on our site in Australia at the time of writing. The fabric in brackets is the fabric group shown on our product pages. Not every colour is offered on every sofa collection, so choose your collection first on our sofas page and check which colours it offers.
Sofa colours and the fabrics they come in
| Colour family | Colours and fabrics | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Light neutrals | Snowdrift, Sesame (Aquaforte); Sunset Beige, Latte, Silken Sand (Performance Fabric); Parchment (Performance Textured Weave); White Sand (Textured Weave) | Bright rooms and a calm backdrop. Light shades show marks sooner, so plan for more cleaning in busy homes. |
| Warm tans and browns | Mocha, Flax Haven (Performance Fabric); Crumble, Chocolate (Aquaforte Velvet); Espresso (Chenille) | Households with kids and pets, and rooms with warm wood or earthy palettes. |
| Greys and charcoal | Dream Grey, Storm Grey, Slate (Performance Fabric); Basalt, Limestone (Aquaforte); Cobblestone, Carbon (Chenille) | Neutral rooms where you want a forgiving, mid-to-dark shade. |
| Greens | Sage (Chenille); Leaf (Performance Fabric); Cypress Green (Corduroy) | Adding colour with a calm, natural feel. |
| Blues | Aqua (Aquaforte Velvet); Harbor Blue (Chenille); Cerulean (Performance Fabric); Night Sky (Chenille Basketweave) | Cool rooms, or a bolder statement against neutral walls. |
| Reds, oranges and yellows | Bordeaux (Chenille); Tangerine, Lemon Zest (Performance Fabric) | A statement sofa when the rest of the room stays quiet. |
Families are grouped by colour name for planning. Judge the colour on a swatch, because screens and rooms change how a shade looks.
Choosing a sofa colour for kids and pets
There is no sofa colour or fabric that stops stains or pet hair from showing. What you can do is choose a colour that is forgiving and a fabric that suits your household. As general advice, mid-tone and textured shades hide crumbs, hair and small marks better than white or black. A very light colour on a sofa used daily by kids and pets will need more regular cleaning.
Fabric is the second filter. The pet ratings below are our own assessment, not an independent test, and the Martindale numbers are abrasion test results where we have them.
Choosing a sofa colour for kids and pets
| Fabric | Martindale rubs | Our pet assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Aquaforte Velvet | More than 200,000 | Excellent |
| Aquaforte | 78,000 | Poor |
| Chenille | 48,000 | Good |
| Textured Weave and Performance Textured Weave | 54,000 | Not rated |
| Corduroy | 15,000 | Good, with limitations |
In short, Aqua, Chocolate and Crumble (Aquaforte Velvet) are the colours to start with if the sofa will take heavy daily use. Chenille colours such as Sage, Espresso and Bordeaux are a good second choice, although claws can occasionally catch chenille, so it is less scratch-resistant than Aquaforte Velvet. For the full fabric breakdown, read our sofa fabric types guide and what performance fabric is. For washable options, see our guides to washable sofas for pets and kids and pet-friendly sofas.
Small rooms and large rooms
In a small room, a light neutral such as Snowdrift, Sesame or Parchment is a common way to keep the sofa from dominating the space. A darker colour can also work in a small room if the walls and floor are light enough to give contrast.
In a large room, you have more freedom. A deeper colour such as Slate, Basalt or Bordeaux can anchor a big living area, and a modular layout lets you build the sofa to fill the space. If the room is open plan, think about how the sofa colour sits next to your dining and kitchen finishes.
For help with size rather than colour, see our sectional sofa size guide.
Matching your floor, walls and the rest of the room
Look at undertones first. A warm floor, such as honey-toned wood, usually pairs well with warm tans and browns, while a cool grey floor often pairs well with greys and blues. Contrast is fine too, as long as it looks intentional.
Choose one anchor and repeat it. If the sofa is a strong colour, keep rugs and cushions quieter. If the sofa is neutral, you can add the colour in cushions, a throw or a rug and change it later without replacing the sofa. Trends move, so a neutral base is the lowest-risk way to follow them.
How to test a colour at home
Photos and screens can change how a colour looks, so test it in your own room. We offer free swatches delivered within 3 business days, so you can look at the fabrics in your own light.
- Check it at different times of day. Morning light, evening light and lamplight can each change a colour.
- Place it on your floor and against your wall. The swatch should sit where the sofa will sit.
- Test the household. Our swatch page suggests trying swatches with pet hair and everyday mishaps to see how they wash.
- Live with it for a few days. If you still like it after that, it is probably the right choice.
Our recommendation
- Busy home with kids and pets: Aqua, Chocolate or Crumble in Aquaforte Velvet.
- You want an easy neutral: Latte, Mocha or Dream Grey are neutral shades that are easy to pair with many floors and walls. Choose by undertone.
- Bright, open room: Snowdrift or Sesame in Aquaforte if there are no pets, or Parchment in Performance Textured Weave, if you can accept more frequent cleaning.
- You want colour without going too bold: Sage, Leaf or Cypress Green for a deep, muted green, or Harbor Blue for a cool, deep blue.
- You change your look often: a neutral sofa, then add colour with cushions and throws.
Explore our sofas
Product specifications can change. Check the current colours and details on the product page before ordering.