Two-Toned Upholstered Furniture

Two-Toned Upholstered Furniture

One of the greatest things about furniture is that, truly, the sky is the limit as far as what unique options are available in its design. This is particularly true for upholstered furniture. You can really do anything! One of the hardest things for me, as I plan my own reupholstery projects, is narrowing down exactly what fabric I should use for the pieces.

But the truth is, we don’t have to constrain ourselves to just one fabric all the time. Although this is the traditional (and most common) way to go, it isn’t the end-all in furniture upholstery. I’ve found some very inspiring “two-toned” fabric upholstery pieces that offer a huge impact in their spaces.

Bold pattern seat front + neutral solid arms and back. This space is a neutral- and natural-loving one, what large-scale light creams and medium-tone wood accents throughout. The wingback chair is, by its nature, an imposing piece of furniture. By making the chair neutral yet bold, it plays perfectly to all components of the room itself. If the chair were a solid cream, it would be blah. If it were all graphical, it would stand out kind of oddly. This is a pleasant and very pleasing stylistic compromise.

Similar sheens. In this very contemporary dining room, where items are few and therefore must make a bigger impact individually, sheen plays a very important role. The metallic feel of both silver solid and patterned chairback on these slipper dining chairs makes the two-toned factor more subtle, despite the stand-out factor (shininess) of the fabrics themselves. To me, the ultimate result is sleek and unique.

Two bold graphic prints in the same colorway. With similar colors, this combination may seem like a no-brainer. But the move is a bold one, not for the faint of heart. These patterns are kept to a similar scale, with the colors being inverses of each other (one is cream with red, the other red with cream), which makes the pairing unique but also less wild and crazy than one might think. The combination is vibrant and energetic but is grounded with sophisticated details, such as the nail trim and carved dark wood, to make the piece fit well into a grown-up space.

Divide the chair horizontally by two-toned upholstery. Pair unlike fabrics, such as salt-of-the-earth mattress ticking with luxe velvet, for a delightfully unexpected look and feel. Tied together by a common blue, these fabrics make the two-toned look feel intentional and, in a word, awesome. I love this!

Two bold graphic prints in a different colorway. The upholstery on this set of armchairs is doubled up on the ikat, one in a larger-scale avacado polka dot and other in a navy suzani. The combination of these fabrics is absolutely charming in a room where solids and traditional furniture prevail. It adds life and visual interest, but not overwhelmingly (especially because the chair backs are only visible from the sides of the room).