Decorating your living room should be a pleasurable, fulfilling experience, but shopping for a sofa—the most significant design element in the room—can paralyze even the most intrepid shoppers with paroxysms of fear.

For one thing, although sofas are considered the fashion statement in any living space, we can’t easily move them to the back of our wardrobes when next season’s hot new look arrives. For another, even if we could justify the extravagance and expense of doing just that, the sheer size of most upholstered pieces would overwhelm all but the largest walk-in closets!

Seriously, what's a fashion maven to do?

First, conquer those fears. Dressing a room in style is not much different from dressing yourself for an important meeting. When the boardroom calls, you don’t reach for that trendy little number you picked up on the last jaunt to Milan. Instead, you opt for that fabulous, well-fitted, “investment suit” you purchased in a neutral color, which you then accessorize to fit the occasion and your mood. In the same way, when shopping for a sofa, look for a quality piece with clean lines, exceptional fabrics and leathers, and superb tailoring. Then, take your choice home and dress it up in a manner that expresses your personal style.

On these pages, Excelsior Designs Director and fashionista extraordinaire, Bobbie Burns Hughes, demonstrates how simple it really is to take one very classy piece—the Rotolo sectional from Casa Novalia Leather—in four very different directions stylewise.

Covered in a sumptuous, top-grade leather, noteworthy design details on the Rotolo include a rolled back and arm, biscuit tufted stitching on the seats, and moveable accent pillows that can be arranged and re-arranged for comfort as you wish. As distinctive as this sofa looks, however, the basic black-and-white color story is like a clean page awaiting your pen. While at first glance it “reads” classic contemporary, with just a few changes in accessories, the Rotolo can move into a home in the Hollywood Hills or on the Carolina Coast, as seamlessly as it can an urban loft or an artsy Soho scene.

Got that acceptance speech ready? Here the Rotolo goes moviestar gorgeous in a setting that would do any Best Actress nominee proud. Notes Hughes, "The sectional looks particularly dramatic with Art Deco-inspired accents. I chose a rug with an iconic Deco pattern that reminds me of the kind of grand old movie theaters they used to build back in the '30s. Then, I added framed art to the walls in a motif that speaks of Hollywood in that era. Mixed in with these newer pieces are genuine antiques from the period, like the sculpture on the coffee table, and the wonderful tea set. The contemporary, San Remo Round Bar by Casa Novalia is a perfect, and very functional, addition to the room, as is the torchiere. Both are modern-day pieces that are currently available in our line, but they blend beautifully with the antiques. The overall effect is stark, clean and very glamorous.”

Tribal is no trouble for Rotolo, especially when its soft, sensuous leather-covered frame is paired with a textured rug and pillows made from antique kilims for multi-dimensional texture. Hughes carries her exotic ethnic theme through to the walls with the addition of an abstract canvas juxtaposed against sleeker art pieces framed in tortoise shell. Achieving this look also called for the addition of nature-inspired motifs like the bamboo shades on the windows, woven baskets and pottery that appears as though it may have been “collected” from village craftspeople when the owner passed through en route to safari. The primitive tabletop pieces are the perfect foil for the curvy, cool contemporary lines of the coffee table and Cristallo Tulip console.

Setting the stage for a coastal contemporary story doesn’t necessarily require that a sofa first be covered in nautical blue. Using the black-and-white upholstery as a base, Hughes paints a serene seascape by accessorizing windows, walls and floor—adding accent pillows to the sectional in underwater motifs and shades to create a veritable pool of color. Water-colored waves of blue and green are splashed across the abstract canvases, draped across the windows, and undulate underfoot in the area rug. Wicker baskets, a rattan trunk doubling as a coffee table, and a paddle fan turning slowly overhead are as natural as walking barefoot on the beach, while the mirror-backed, Cristallo étagère, artfully arranged with a treasure trove of shells, shimmers like sun on seaglass.

With its vibrant color, cool curves and expanses of metal and glass, this take on Rotolo fits the classic definition of contemporary design, and proves once and for all there’s nothing sterile or hard to live with about the style. Playing off the black-and-white piece, Hughes makes the room practically percolate with her use of primary shades on the accent pillows and the graphic pattern of the area rug. She celebrates her love of modern art by adding an interesting mix of accessories that look culled from juried fairs and downtown galleries. Overall effect? Youthful, fun, and as energizing as a jolt of java!

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