I have to be honest with you…..It’s a designer’s worst nightmare to walk into a consultation with a client, and be informed that their black leather sofa set from college has to be  a part of the new decor!

A few years ago I received a call from a newly wed couple in their early twenties. Such a cute couple they were. They had just bought a home, and of course just paid for wedding, so their budget was very limited. They wanted to have a nicely decorated home since they entertained a lot. Most of their furnishings were hand me downs in different styles from different design periods, garage sale finds, and stuff left over from college. Of course, my ultimate nightmare….a black leather sofa, loveseat and a reclining chair to match! Being the fabulous decorator I am, I accepted the challenge Since they were on a tight budget, I just helped them to come up with a decorating plan that they could tackle in phases on their own, and of course work around the black leather sofa set. I don’t have photos from that project, but I pulled some photos from various sources found on the internet to illustrate some of the ideas I shared with them to address their design dilemma.

So if you are the proud owner of a black leather sofa set, don’t lose hope…..Every design dilemma has a fabulous solution. Follow these five tips to making black leather look intentional and work in your home beautifully.

1. Offset the darkness of the black leather with lighter colors. Paint the walls a soft, warm white or a soft taupe or gray. Add lighter colored throw pillows in a nice mix of patterns and textures to breakup the large expanse of black leather. If you already have occasional tables in a dark finish, consider painting them a lighter color as well. Add a patterned area rug to pull some of the focus away from the leather goods. It also helps if the predominant color of the rug is a light color.

This sofa is a bit more elegant than the one we had to work with, but the same principles apply.

2. Playup other focal points in the room and shift focus away from the black leather. You can do this by adding large scale and colorful artwork on the walls, adding a tall bookcase that is styled very well, adding drapery panels in a great fabric, or highlighting the existing focal points in the room, such as a fireplace.

3. Consider using just one piece from the collection and moving the other pieces into another room. Not because they were purchased as a set doesn’t mean they have to stay together forever. It is very overwhelming to have a room full of matching black furniture. Breaking up the set will give the room a more collected and homey feel with a lot more personality, especially if you are working with hand me downs and pieces from different styles and periods. Just maintain a common color theme to tie it all together.

4. Consider re-covering the seat cushions. This solution probably won’t work with every sofa, but if you are going for a more traditional look, and the sofa isn’t too contemporary and streamlined, this might work great. Check out the remnant section of your local fabric store and choose an upholstery grade fabric with a color and pattern to complement the room. Find a good upholsterer and have the sofa cushions re-covered with a zipper opening for easy cleaning later. Re-covering the cushions will help break up the large expanse of black leather. Then add your throw pillows and a throw blanket to finish off the look.

These examples are dark brown and not black leather, but will hopefully give you an idea.

5. Color change or dye the sofa. Believe it or not, you can actually change the color of a leather or vinyl sofa to an easier color to decorate around, like dark brown or tan. I have never done this or commissioned this myself, but have found information than it can easily be done as a DIY project. (I am therefore not endorsing this method, but giving you food for thought). Here’s a link to a video I found that explains how.

Of course there is the option to completely reupholster the black leather sofa using a great fabric. From my experience, however, it can be just as expensive, or even more than buying a new sofa. If the sofa frame is of quality construction, then it may be a cost effective method in the long run and the options are endless to customizing the fabric. A master upholsterer can even change the shape and size (within reason). Care should be taken when selecting fabrics for upholstery. You can read my recent blog post about “How To Look For Quality Upholstery” here

As you have just learned, there are definitely clever ideas you can use to breakup the look of black leather and make it feel like it belongs in a beautifully appointed room. Leather does have great benefits like being easy to clean and comfortable for the family, so if function is high on your priority list – you can certainly have the best of both worlds!

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****Reposted 1/24/14

Be Inspired!

Veronica Solomon