What to put on top of the sofa? Modern and original ideas

Modern living room: how to furnish the area around the sofa?

The living room is probably the most difficult room in the house to furnish. One has to start with one’s own habits. For many, it is enough to have a sofa and a TV in the living room. For others, however, it is necessary to make the living area cosy, decorating the free areas and the sofa itself with other furnishing accessories.

In this article, we will give you some tips on how to decorate the wall behind the sofa, what to put above the sofa and what to put beside the sofa.

Sofa in the living room: how to position it?

The sole protagonist of the living area, the sofa is the must-have of the modern living room. Every choice for furnishing the living room in a contemporary style depends on the position of the sofa. In fact, it is important to match and arrange sofas in the living room according to one’s needs and available space.

Wall-mounted sofas are the most commonly used solution because they save space and, in many homes, it is an almost obligatory choice. The sofa types that are well suited to this configuration are the models with chaise longues and corner pieces.

The sofa in the middle of the room is the ideal configuration for a very large living room where several sofas, at least two, can be placed in a frontal manner, leaving just the right amount of space, approximately 160 cm, for a coffee table. Here you can give room for creativity, allowing you to combine even different sofas and armchairs.

Then, for a modern living room with windows or more than one window, and therefore very bright, the solution is to place the sofa under the window or in front of the window, making sure to leave space for the door opening (about 60 cm). The perfect models for this layout are the dormeuse or the low sofa.

Wall sofas: how to enhance them?

The immediate solution for a rectangular living room where one wall is already occupied with a cupboard, wall-mounted sofas are the most common in living rooms.

However, there are essentially a few attitudes to decorating the wall behind the sofa:

• leave the wall empty
• furnish the wall behind the sofa with pictures, shelves, bookcases, mirrors
• use wallpaper or wood panelling

The only recommendation, whichever solution you choose, is not to go from one excess to another. A bare wall certainly gives more importance to the sofa. On the other hand, a wall that is too full can overshadow the sofa and overcrowd the room.

Wall behind modern sofa: useful tips

Whether it is a linear sofa or a corner sofa, the wall behind the sofa must be emphasised to give the sofa prominence.

A first idea is to decorate the wall behind the sofa with trendy wallpaper with floral motifs, geometric or abstract figures in contrast with the colours of the sofa covering.

If, on the other hand, you want to create an even more elegant effect, you can break up the wallpaper with wood or plasterboard paneling. Architectural elements are increasingly a favourite, as they are customisable and easy to implement. Boiseries are extremely versatile, as they fit perfectly into both baroque and contemporary styles.

However, it is very important to balance the proportions: when in doubt, the less is more rule always wins.

Then, also use a monochromatic hue that picks up on the wallpaper to indulge in colour and paint.

Furnishing the wall behind the sofa: ideas and tips

How to furnish a wall above the sofa? There are many objects or furnishing accessories to decorate a wall. Let us see in detail.

Absolutely furnishing the wall behind the sofa with pictures is a classic. You can use a single, double, multiple or split picture to create an optical effect. The important thing is that they harmonise with the rest of the room, playing tone on tone.

What to put instead of paintings? Decorating the wall behind the sofa with mirrors allows you to illuminate and make the living room more spacious, especially if it is dark and small. On the other hand, if the size of the living room is larger, you can create a wall with a series of mirrors for an extraordinary scenic effect.

Above the sofa, it is possible to put shelves, wall bookcases and minimal bookshelves. A solution for those who have a small living room and still want to take advantage of the wall to store various objects is shelves. While bookcases with cubic, hexagonal elements allow for storage of design objects and plants. The classic wall bookcase can only be positioned if there is space between the wall and the sofa, allowing the entire wall to be filled with books.

What to put next to the sofa? Design solutions

The sofa in the modern living room can be embellished and enhanced with furnishing accessories that also enrich the living room furniture.

Tired of the usual coffee table in the middle of the room placed in front of the sofa? The remedy is the sofa-side tables that provide an alternative support surface, sometimes commercially available for the chosen sofa model, in the most varied shapes and sizes.

Other complementary table tops are the ottomans, which, due to their versatility and functionality, serve as stools and practical storage units.

For an even more flexible solution, a trolley or bar cabinet is useful for storing bottles and liquor for evenings with friends.

For those who like to relax, watch TV or read on the sofa, placing a floor lamp beside the sofa is not only a functional but also a decorative choice.