COLUMN: Gail Mayhugh

DEAR GAIL: We ordered a sofa a couple weeks ago and it has finally arrived. The fabric was called peach chiffon and in the store it looked just like the skin of a peach. But now that it is in our house, it looks like a bright naval orange. We're not able to return it and we can't afford to buy another new sofa. What can we do? -- Betty A.

DEAR BETTY: The lights in the stores are so different than in our homes. They use fluorescent, high-intensity spots and often have more light coming in through their large store-front windows. The change in color caused by differing light sources is called "metamerism" and happens with all products.

Although this is not a solution for you, the best thing to do in the future is get a sample and bring it home to see how your light will affect the color. It also is important to see how the fabric coordinates with your wall coverings, flooring and other furniture in the room.

The natural light that flows into your room also affects the surroundings, as do items right outside your windows that light flows through. One time I had a redwood patio cover give a pink cast to all the colors in the room. So, I can't stress enough the importance of viewing all your color selections in your room and at different times of the day.

Since you are not able to return the sofa and understandably not able to purchase another, your solution is to place an analogous color next to the sofa or directly on it. An analogous color is a color near another one on the color wheel. With orange, its analogous or related colors would be tones of red, which are to the left of orange, and yellows, which are to the right of orange. This will help quiet down your bright orange.

Since I do not know the extra color of your sofa or other colors you have in your room, you'll have to experiment a little. Look for a print that has orange in it, along with the red and yellow tones. Right now Tuscan colors are very popular so you should be able to find a couple of different options.

Start with colors and patterns that are darker than your sofa, as they will help drain color, rather than anything as bright as your sofa which might intensify the colors. You can do this with blanket throws and accent pillows on the sofa, a colored lamp on the adjacent table, or into your coffee table accessories such as flowers, candles, vases or bowls.

If this does not soften it down enough, another suggestion is to slipcover the whole sofa or a portion of it. Give your sofa a two-toned look with different colored back cushions. This is a very attractive and fun look.

I would use a patterned fabric for the back cushions and then use that fabric in your room again. You could add some of the patterned fabric to your window treatments or as a topper on a fabric-covered table. If your dining room is open to your room, use the fabric as a table runner or on dining chairs.

Gail Mayhugh, owner of GMJ Interiors, is a professional interior designer and author of a book on the subject. Questions may be sent by e-mail to: gail@gmjinteriors.com. Or, mail to: 8170 S. Eastern Ave., Box 4-275, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Her Web address is: www.GMJinteriors.com.

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