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Advice for Homeowners

Shouldn’t your Sofa be Raspberry or Blue?

By 05/31/2014February 21st, 201717 Comments

Inside Luonto Furniture

Construction of Luonto’s organic furniture

*This is a post sponsored by Luonto Furniture and High Point Furniture Market.

When the Finns do something, they do it right and they do it well. (That’s what my Mom says cause we’re Finns so we know a little about them ; )

tuntematon

One of the conversations Ville (the Sales Manager at Luonto Furniture) and I had about their totally customizable furniture when I was at High Point this Spring, was that while the rest of the world pretty much orders neutrals, the Russian market is different.

They are about full-on COLOUR! It’s common for North American’s to think that our major pieces of upholstery should be neutral.

Russians want need to make sure their sofa is DIFFERENT from their friends and neighbours.

It seems like the rest of us think the opposite. That our tiles, kitchens, renovations, things that are permanent and way more expensive to remove should be DIFFERENT from everyone else.

I just received my latest Architectural Digest magazine in the email. I just about died when I saw Bette Midler’s garden in her penthouse apartment in New York City. I just sat there, gazing at the photos.

And, by the way, she had a white kitchen and her master bathroom had hex tile floors and subway tile walls. And that’s the way it should be, we should all get more neutral in the rooms that really aren’t going to change every 7-10 years like a sofa would.

So go for a custom blue denim sofa with contrast stitching and a fully motorized corner bar, with a built in shelf and end table (below).

sofa 1560

Or a combined leather and fabric sofa if these are the colours you love:

Sectional

When Harley Davidson commissioned Luonto to make a sofa for their showroom, they were up to the task, and here it is in the factory before it was shipped.

Harley

And if you want a white sofa, they make plenty of neutral ones as well in all kinds of configurations:

Oslo-300x225

 

Here’s a video where you’ll see just how their quality furniture is made:

[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iWGYOEPY5g” rel=”0″]

Last week, I received two of these fun pillows all the way from Finland.

Pillows from Luonto Furniture

I really need to buy some new office chairs! Irene and I were so happy to get these pillows because we need them for these knock-off Eames chairs we have in my studio. Although they sure look good, they are super uncomfortable. Thanks Ville!

Email Luonto Furniture here to find out where they are located near you.

*This is a High Point sponsored post: All opinions are my own.

Related posts:

Three Best Colours for your Leather Sofa

What Colour Sofa Should you Buy?

Do’s & Don’ts on Decorating an Empty Room

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in the door, become a client. On-line or In-person.

To get your exterior colours right, download my How to Choose Exterior Colours with Confidence webinar and get my go-to list of colours.

Download my eBook, How to Choose Paint Colours – It’s All in the Undertones to get my complete step-by-step system on how to get colour to do what you want and to make sure the undertones in your home are right, get some large samples!

If you would like to learn how to choose colour with confidence, become a True Colour Expert. 

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17 Comments

  • keira says:

    love my teal sofa from west elm!

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  • olga says:

    They are right. I am Russian and my aunt used to have bright emerald green Finnish sofa. It was the most comfy and beautiful sofa ever. I always wanted to get one just like that. Your post brings back memories.

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  • Lorri says:

    I want a soft chartreuse sofa … a fresh yellow-green. It’s as neutral as plants are.

    I’ve gotten tired of brown upholstery that just matches all the wood furniture.

    A colorful sofa stands alone even before the throw pillows go on.

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  • Kathy says:

    I wonder if raspberry pink is popular in Finland. It reminds me of a popular trim color on old cottages and cabins in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where there is a large Finnish immigrant population. It was often paired with dark green (sometimes a form of tar paper), white or grey, sometime swimming pool turquoise. We used to call them “Finn colors.” Aho is more common than Smith there.

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  • KNJ says:

    What timing! Literally yesterday I went to look at Schillig sofas & mentioned that I thought I’d like a shade of dark blue leather for my limestone floored, walnut wood library room. The sales lady looked at me and said something like “you know that browns are the most classic choice.” All I could think was that the sofa would blend in with all the walnut wood. Thanks for this post! Going to stick with a more accented color.

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  • Wendy says:

    My peacock blue velvet couch is stunning and really makes the livingroom. I’m so glad I dared to be different!

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  • Kathi says:

    Good post,Maria-I used to buy expensive furniture,that had a lifetime guarantee and woke up one day and thought, holy moly, I don’t want this couch forever, and as a matter of fact, i am pretty much sick of it after 7-10 years, so now I buy mid-price furniture and don’t feel the least bit bad about giving it away ( to my kids or their friends) My 84 yr old uncle picked out a comfortable, inexpensive yellow sofa and I must tell you, it makes the whole room-love walking in there,it instantly cheers you up!

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    • mairi says:

      Well said! I totally agree with this approach…so much the better if you have someone to pass the furniture on to. Perhaps more people would choose colourful sofas if they knew it would get changed in 7 years or so anyway?
      I apply the same philosophy to clothing and keep the closet purposely spare. In the end it saves time.

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    • franki says:

      THREE CHEERS for Kathi’s comments…why not!! franki

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  • sandyc says:

    Timely post for me to though not immediately. Kept the queen sleeper sofa my late husband and I had because I needed something and it works OK with my living room now but it looks a couple of inches too low compared to my chairs and it is uncomfortable to drop down that far when you sit. So I’ve decided when I redo my floors throughout (hopefully the end of this year or early next) and I have to move everything, I’ll rehome it and get something I love. I’m with you, Lorri, about yellow-green or one of the other. The neat thing is that I’ve got plenty of time to dream and search. I especially appreciate your point, Maria, about a sofa being something relatively “easily changed” every 7-10 years whereas other elements of a room or house (flooring, for example) are relatively “forever”. I’m having terrific difficulty finding inspiration for flooring in my Sun City West, AZ home where just about everyone gets it so wrong!!! Thinking about a new sofa is a welcome break and a fun challenge!

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  • Jennifer says:

    I’m not russian, in fact most of my decendants were pioneers and settlers, but I love color. I have deep forest green counters and burgundy walls with honey maple cabinets and white appliances and white trim in my kitchen. Not what everyone loves, but what I love. The burgundy extends into my family room where I have a deep red chair and a couch with a bold geometric pattern that includes the deep red and green colors along with deep purple and blue and tans and whites. The colors that I love have not changed much over the years and because I used colors that I love throughout my home I don’t have to replace anything because the trend has changed. I also have pink undertoned tile and a purple undertoned taupe as my neutrals. But my closet has no yellow or green undertoned tans either.

    I am constantly asked by friends and family to help them pick colors for their homes and I was told by several realtors (were thinking of selling our home) not to repaint or change a thing. It isn’t the trendy, but everyone seems to loves it just the way it is.

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  • Dorothy says:

    The built in corner bar on the sofa made me laugh. I tried to imagine sitting to it’s right or left and trying to mix a drink, or pour a glass of wine–and couldn’t do it. I think, perhaps, it is not a bad thing to have to get up from where one is sitting to replenish one’s drink!

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  • rebecca campbell says:

    I ordered a teal velvety couch for one room, a navy corduroyish couch for another room. And I would love a sunflower yellow sectional for the basement, but I’m going to have to save up for that one. haha!

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    • rebecca campbell says:

      let me add that I used to pick neutral couches, but I could never get the neutrals right (undertones, as you know). so now I just go for colorful couches. It’s a lot easier to pick them out.

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  • Barbara says:

    Hmmm, replacing your sofa at 7 years?
    Better to buy a good quality one that you can keep much longer, unless you like adding to the landfill.

    Or you know lots of students who will take your cast-offs!

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  • KJ says:

    I don’t even like pink but that sofa is fabulous! How fun!

    I agree with Kathi 100%: I am sick to death of my furniture after about 7-8 years and make my purchases with that in mind. Barbara, the sofas don’t go to the landfill, silly, they are passed on to someone else who is thrilled with them! Isn’t that the best type of stewardship? Sharing your bounty?

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