Luxury Purple Sofas

Due to purple dye originally being highly expensive to manufacture, purple has had a long association with wealth, luxury, aristocracy and even royalty. In ancient Roman times it was worn by generals and eventually by Roman Emperors, and even today it is worn by bishops in some denominations and by circuit judges.

All of these historic associations make purple a distinctively luxurious colour that makes a bold statement in any living space.

Purple Velvet Sofas

Perhaps the ultimate luxury fabric, combining velvet’s richness and warmth with purple’s historic associations with wealth and power, a purple velvet sofa is bold and beautiful and can dominate and space into which it’s placed. Purple velvet sofas work in a variety of styles, from very square and modern, with clean lines that show off the richness of the fabric, to more classic curvy styles.

A Chesterfield or similar buttoned sofa works beautifully in velvet because the varied surface created by the buttons causes the thick pile of the velvet to naturally catch the light in different directions, creating an attractive visual texture. Equally, a simple Scandinavian-style sofa allows the fabric to do all the talking and prevents the sofa from being too dominant in a smaller or more crowded space.

Purple Leather Sofas

Unusual and colourful leather sofas are more and more popular with people who want the comfort and robustness of leather but don’t want to be tied to traditional colours like brown, black, and white. Purple leather looks particularly good in soft untreated leather, so it can develop a natural patina and variation in a shade that prevents it from being too overwhelming or looking overly artificial. A variety of different sofa styles work with purple leather, particularly those with rounded shapes, broad arms and plump cushions that suit the luxurious associations of the colour.

Purple colour palettes

Of course, purple isn’t a single shade, with the enormous variety available from pale, bright violet to deep aubergine, so you can choose a tone and style to suit any room.

Plum or mauve are rich purple shades with a brownish or even slightly grey tone that can help them to tie in with more muted and conventional colours used on walls, floors, curtains and carpets. Beige and grey work well with a plum or mauve sofa, so can be used for large surfaces, while green and yellow are perfect for highlights like cushions, lampshades or details on rugs.

Aubergine has a slightly more greenish tinge and is a very deep purple that can even be slightly glossy if you can find the right fabric. It works particularly well in velvet or smooth treated leathers and, like other purple tones, goes well with grey and beige, as well as with turquoise and some shades of dark green.

Purple sofa cushions

If you’re not quite ready to go for an entirely purple sofa, you can bring a splash of luxury to an existing colour scheme with some purple scatter cushions. These look especially good on grey sofas but also on yellow, green or brown. For example, try a couple of purple cushions to brighten up a classic brown leather sofa or a grey fabric sofa. Maybe you’ll like the effect enough to go for a completely purple sofa next time you need a new one.