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Furniture designers are much more adventurous these days, giving you a vast selection of decor ideas.

There was a time when people kept things very traditional when it came to decorating and furnishing their homes; when they bought new sofas it would automatically blend in with their décor because furniture was only available in a very limited number of colours. However, furniture designers are much more adventurous these days, and it’s as easy to buy a new sofa in hot pink as it is to buy one in beige.

This dynamic change has meant that homeowners can stamp their own authentic mark on their living space, and this has led to some very unusual room settings.

The sofa is by far the biggest item to be found in any sitting room and, more often than not, will set the theme for the rest of the room. For anyone yearning for a change of style and colour in their home, a quick visit to a furniture retail store will provide plenty of inspiration.

A popular theme today is monochrome – black and white which may be ‘lifted’ with the addition of one or two other colours. Black sofas are available nowadays, as are plain white ones. Black and white looks very clean and crisp together; you can have a plain sofa and introduce pattern in soft furnishings such as cushions and curtains, or vice versa – there are some very boldly patterned sofas available now which would look great with plain soft furnishings. The addition of small items in a bright shade such as electric blue or citrus orange will make for a very stylish room.

The same rules can be applied to other colourways – keeping to a particular theme, then adding small items to give accents of colour is a great way of making a room up to date and stylish.

The colours available in furniture these days have only been surpassed by the choice of patterns but also by the choice of styles. In most good furniture stores you will find the traditional sofa in all shades of brown and beige; if it is patterned, the pattern will be subtle – maybe even just embossed onto the fabric. Alongside this, you will also find the ‘state of the art’ contemporary designs, anything from scarlet red tartan, to almost fluorescent pink floral patterns. The styles will range from old-fashioned Chesterfield to innovative minimalist leather and chrome – these days anything goes.

Long gone are the days when the homeowner would pick the colour for the walls first, followed, possibly, by the choice of carpet. These days the sofa is more likely than ever to be the one item that sets the theme for an entire room.