Once seen as an outdated style, brown sofas have recently seen a rise in popularity. The warm hues, variety of fabric options, and natural contrast that come with brown couches can lead to endless living room decor styles.

When paired with neutral or cooler tones, brown sofas can enhance the look of your living room in a cozy and inviting way. For people with pets or children, brown couches are great as well, as they are quite forgiving for stains.

In the list below, you can find a selection of the best modern living room design ideas featuring brown sofas to kick-start your inner interior designer and help you create the space of your dreams.

A Reddish-Brown Sofa With Light Grays and Soft Tans

Brown couches that lean toward a rusty hue add a certain level of richness to any room. Pair this with light tan and gray color schemes, plump throw pillows, and a few hints of greenery to produce a look that exudes a warm, welcoming vibe.

via Alvhem

A Velvet Brown Couch With a Black and White Palette

Brown sofas are an easy way to add warmth to a room that is predominately black and white. This living room example creates an air of elegance with its cozy decor in brown, black, and white tones. The inclusion of the small coffee table in a similar shade of brown balances the sofa well, creating a complete look.

via Bjurfors

A Soft Brown Sofa With Beige Accents and Tan Walls

For those interested in a fresh take on traditional styling, pair your brown sofa with furniture and decorations within the same color family. Pairing this soft dark brown sofa with tan walls, a traditional style rug, and beige accents ties the living room together into a cohesive look.

The subtle pops of light blue create visual interest and brighten the darker areas.

via Alvhem

A Very Light Brown Leather Sofa With Shades of White, Gray, and Hints of Black

If bold, dark brown sofas aren’t your style, a much lighter brown may be the right choice for your home. Living rooms that already have monochromatic styles can use a mild, soft brown sofa to create a subtle touch of contrast that builds upon the elegance of the space.

Decorate with understated artwork, small plants, light beige living room walls, and throw pillows with geometric patterns for an even more stylish look.

via Alvhem

A Medium Brown Sofa With Gray Tones and Similar Shades of Brown

Embrace many different shades of brown by pairing a medium brown sofa with other brown furniture in similar shades. This living room perfectly balances warm and cool tones utilizing the common interior design style of decorating a space with a blend of gray and neutral tones.

The white accents also help to bring a touch of contrast to prevent everything from looking too similar.

Styled by Grey Deco, photographed by Frederik J Karlsson for Alvhem

A Classic Brown Leather Sofa With Wood Floors, Peachy Walls, and Black Accents

This minimally decorated living room plays with a wider range of brown hues and pairs them with sleek black accents. The classic shade of brown on the couch sets the tone for the room as a whole and is echoed in the terracotta planters.

The color of the wood floor works well as a stepping stone between the brown of the couch and the peachy tone of the walls while the chevron pattern adds depth and texture.

via Historiska Hem

A Deep, Muted Brown Paired With Crisp Whites and Neutral Tones

Dark brown sofas with suede or microfiber fabric are an instant hit in any home. This type of sofa pairs beautifully with a wide range of furniture and allows for endless styling options with unique decorative pillows.

Showcasing a brown sofa in a living room consisting of accents in other neutral tones and crisp white furniture is an easy way to ground the intensity of the dark brown.

Styled by Grey Deco, photographed by Jonas Berg for Stadshem

A Velvety Brown Couch With Mostly Whites and Tans

Another instant classic when it comes to brown sofas is velvet fabrics. This type of fabric is known for creating a feeling of luxury, especially in a living room. By decorating with abstract art and fun pillows in similar colors to that of the sofa, you can lighten the atmosphere and showcase a bit of personality in the most used room in your home.

Styled by Bon Interior, photographed by Jens Eliasson for Bjurfors

A Dark Brown Sofa With a Red Undertone and Neutral Decor

Brown sofas with a red undertone can not only bring warmth into a living room, but they can also pair well with a variety of color schemes. This burnt orange sofa in particular provides perfect contrast to the light color of the walls and floor.

In addition, the hue of the sofa is echoed slightly in the darker wood accents of some of the decor while the light color of the pillows adds another layer of contrast to complete the look.

Styled by Grey Deco, photographed by Fredrik J Karlsson, for sale via Alvhem

A Brown Leather Sofa With a Matching Wood Coffee Table Center Stage

If you’re looking to make your dark brown leather sofa the focal point of the room, try placing it in the center of a predominantly white room.

This creates a bold look that also serves to make the sofa even more inviting. Choose a coffee table in a similar shade of dark brown and place them both on a plush rug to create a timeless, stylish space in your home.

Styled by Gabriella Fabien for Entrance Makleri

A Dark Leather Sofa in a Neutral Space With Pops of Dark Colors

For the ultimate striking appearance in your design, play with ultra-dark brown sofas in a very light room. A deep brown leather placed amongst a neutral space is something we’ve seen before, however, you can choose to make it your own by adding statement pieces or simple decor in similarly dark colors such as black and rich brown tones.

via Alvhem

An Ultra Modern Dark Brown Couch Paired With Other Shades of Brown

In our final example, we’re combining mid-century modern touches with ultra-modern styles. So far, brown sofas have been used in spaces that are mostly light and airy, but that style isn’t for everyone.

You can harness the sense of strength, reliability, and nature that comes with brown by creating a living room that uses an exclusively brown color scheme. This unique style is ideal for those who love to stand out.

via Audo Cph

A Brown Leather Couch adds Warmth and Character to a Modern Space

This clean and modern living room with white walls and grey flooring is warmed up by the brown leather sofa and the oak bookshelf in the corner. These furniture pieces make such a big difference in the color palette and overall appearance of this room.

via Fantastic Frank