16 Outstanding Colors to Pair With a Caramel Couch

Neutral but never boring, caramel is the ideal color for a couch. As a shade of brown, it goes with just about everything, but because of its warm, orangey undertones, it still feels like a color.

Caramel couches commonly come in leather or velvet, luxe materials that instantly elevate a space. They are a go-to for interior designers because of their ability to effortlessly inject sophistication and style into a room.

You can find caramel couches in many styles. Midcentury versions are often leather, and have the classic clean lines, low-slung backs, and squared-off arms of that era. Traditional, tufted Chesterfields in caramel leather are a classic as well. And rounded, sometimes bulbous contemporary variations, often in velvet, have more recently become the design darlings. With any of these as your anchor, you can take your room in nearly any style direction.

Caramel's orangey undertones may appear to make it slightly more difficult to build a color scheme around than a chocolate brown couch. But working with this color is nothing to fear. It's mostly just a matter of balancing warm and cool tones in the room. Wallpaper designer Samantha Santana is an expert in that department, having paired her caramel leather couch with many a variety of wallpapers. One way to do it is to "pick colors that are either complementary or within that same orangey family," she says. "Oranges do well with blues. Like right now, the way my couch is styled, it has green-blue pillows on it to complement that orange — because orange and blue are complementary colors — but then I still have it paired with some yellows and oranges [as well]," she says.

Scroll on to see some caramel couches in their natural habitats.

Clean, collected, and cozy is how we'd describe this little corner. The sleek lines of the midcentury caramel couch are offset beautifully by the fluffy sheepskin throw. Layered rugs in cream and cool blue add even more texture. The white wall provides a bright, neutral backdrop, and the green snake plant makes the perfect finishing touch.

Designer Brooke Wagner mixes warm and cool tones beautifully in this modern rustic living space. Patterned pillows in shades of blue and white bring out the coppery tones of the brown leather sofa. Armchairs and an area rug in the same color combination continue the cool theme, while exposed ceiling beams and other rustic wood touches add extra warmth.

This sleek, velvet number glows thanks to the natural light in this earth-toned room. Hardwood floors and terra cotta-colored exposed brick walls create a warm and inviting atmosphere. A muted green area rug and gold-colored throw pillow continue the sophisticated color palette. And note the quiet power of the single, jewel-toned lumbar pillow. It's all the pop the room needs to pull everything together.

Designer Dabito takes real risks in this room with stunning results. The upholstery on this couch leans toward the orange end of caramel, making it the perfect match for saturated jewel tones, like emerald and sapphire. These cool hues balance the warmth of the couch and the peach wall color, creating visual harmony. Finally, the black accents, including the coffee table, ground the room and give the eye a bit of rest.

A caramel-colored sofa is a tried and true choice when going for a boho vibe. The velvet sofa in this room styled by Julia Klose provides a subtle but stunning contrast to the other neutral colors surrounding it, including the soothing cream wall. The black and white artwork and black coffee table give some heft to the space.

Quirky and eclectic, this room plays with line, shape, color, and surprise. A mix of neutrals (including a patterned charcoal gray rug) provide a rich color scheme, while the caramel couch, with its traditional lines, grounds the room with a sort of formality that fits the traditional architecture of the space. But from there, the designers at Proem Studio start to have a little fun. There's a modern lucite side table, a jade green scalloped side table, a not-so-serious black wingback chair, and, yes, a stuffed sheep. Thanks to a more traditional color palette and furniture placement, the designers achieve a lovely equilibrium.

Another Goldilocks of a room, this one's not too hot, not too cold, but rather, just right. Warm neutral tones — in the form of the caramel Chesterfield sofa and accents in wood and gold (not to mention the adorable dark brown dog) — complement the cool black accent wall and bluish-gray ottoman coffee table and throw pillows. Even the tchotchkes on the bookshelves are color-coordinated with pops of hot and cool.

Did you know olive is a neutral, too? As a cooler hue, it's a lovely contrast to the sofa. Orange and green accents also show up in the rug, and the warm vibes continue in the dark wood coffee table. Finally, the cool white walls with black trim add an airy sophistication.

The straight lines and hard edges of this very modern space get a welcome infusion of warmth from a caramel sofa, deep red flooring, and natural wood beams. The woven rug, ottoman, coffee table, and egg-shaped chair match the earthy tones of the couch, creating a cozy nook. Who wouldn't want to curl up here for a little nap?

Caramel and purple make an elegant pair. In this room by Lucy and Company, the two deep colors come together, to create a beautifully moody vibe. A pair of patterned throw pillows provides some much-needed lightness, as do the gold lines on the wall. Black, gray and white accents cool things down just so.

Just how versatile is caramel? Well, removable wallpaper designer and artist Samantha Santana has changed the wallpaper in this room at least four times, and the caramel sofa works beautifully with each new color scheme. Here, she pairs it with a soft green print and cool white paint, plus warm-toned throw pillows, gold accents, and a pale pink floor pouf.

Warm and modern, this room by Laura U Design Collective not only embraces the orange undertones of this leather caramel sofa, it celebrates and accentuates them with a muted orange rug. The whole room is a wash of warm desert colors, from cream to beige, all the way to dark brown.

Described on paper, this room might not make sense. Between the large-scale wallpaper in saturated blue, the contrasting green gingham console, the orangey tones of the couch, and the deep red and blue accents, it's all a lot! But designer Ariel of PMQ for Two proves that sometimes more is more — especially when you have a caramel couch to ground your space.

This closeup from the lobby bar of The June Motel is a perfect study in how to pair a caramel couch with the warm neutrals that are so on-trend right now. The wall is a creamy white, the tapestry is a woven boho hillscape in sunset colors, and the surfboard is the prettiest blush. Also note the subtle contrasting note of chartreuse on the surfboard for just the right amount of visual tension.

Warm and earthy, this living room by Jake Arnold is like a big hug. The deep, plush caramel sectional with brown-on-brown pillows (and a couple of cool gray ones) was clearly designed for comfort. The tonal play in the natural rug, dark wood table, and creamy plastered walls feels effortless. And the whole room is like an unabashed throwback to the '90s — who can argue with that?

When in doubt, turn to complementary colors. The orange undertone of caramel places it across the color wheel from shades of blue, like teal. The two saturated hues provide most of the bold color in the space above, designed by Nate Berkus. Surrounded by neutral shades of white and brown, they add a confident burst of personality.

• Go tonal with neutrals like warm white and cream, and layer on the texture.
  
• Treat the caramel like a muted orange and pair it with complementary blue tones.
  
• Consider mixing accents in cool neutrals like gray, and warm neutrals like gold and wood tones.
  
• Embrace all the warm neutrals, from cream to blush to terra cotta.
  
• If you're going monochrome, play with contrasting textures, patterns, and tones.
  
• When incorporating wood and other brown elements, choose shades with a similar undertone to the couch but that are notably darker or lighter, so they contrast without clashing.
  

So what colors do go with a caramel couch? Say it with us now: All of them! Your caramel couch is the perfect neutral to use in your living room. Whether you go with a wash of all warm neutrals (like Irem Erekinci did in the room above), play it hot and cold with browns and grays, incorporate rich jewel tones, or make a splash with big, bold colors, your caramel sofa will make your color scheme sing. Here are some winning shades you can pair with a caramel couch:

• White
  
• Blue
• Terra cotta
• Peach
• Yellow
• Green
• Cream
• Charcoal gray
• Jade green
• Black
• Olive green
• Red
• Purple
• Light green
• Pale pink
• Orange
• Blush
• Brown
• Teal