Green and Navy

Our family room has been on the needy side for a long time.  I decorate the mantel and change it up seasonally, but the rest of it is pretty plain.  We were given a super comfortable, super cozy, super long sofa when our friends moved and couldn't fit it into their new condo.  We love watching TV lounged/sprawled all over it, but I hadn't ever got around to adding any cushions or art on the wall above it.  We also didn't have a rug in the family room (apart from the little mat that was needed to help Juno get some traction for jumping on and off the sofa).  

I debated long and hard about what colours to use in the family room given that everything is pretty neutral.  The sofa and walls are both a soft gray-green and the rest is white and wood.  

I was inspired by the photo that Kat from Low Tide High Style gave me, which you can see on our mantel in the picture below (you really should check out her website for this and other amazing photos that she has for sale).

I love the blue of the door and wanted to use something like that colour or even a bit darker - somewhere between cobalt and navy.  I wondered how it would look with green, but was reassured by the colour of the boat surrounded by gray-green grasses and trees in this watercolour in my friend's living room.

So I did what any sensible person would do - I went to Home Sense and bought every navy pillow they had.  I decided I would channel my inner Sarah Richardson and decorate the sofa with many different patterns as long as they were navy/cobalt and cream/beige.  I also remembered that we had a blue and cream striped rug from IKEA and it matched perfectly.

Now I need to work on the gallery wall that is going to go above the sofa and possibly a bench to go along in front of the sofa to put our feet on.

Here's one more before and after.

I think the deep blue is a little unconventional with the gray-green, but I happen to love blue so it works for me.  I can see a dark brick red working as well so who knows what things will look like down the road.  Are you a fan of pairing green with blue?  What colour would you have used with the gray-green sofa and walls?