Think of Lara Spencer, and you will likely picture her in ABC's Good Morning America studio – but the presenter is no stranger to sharing snapshots of her personal life, too.
The New York native lives in a beautiful property in Greenwich, Connecticut – some of which she shares with followers via Instagram. Most recently, she posted an image of herself and her rescue dog on an oversized L-shaped gray sofa that complements her neutral-hued living room – and designers say it can teach us a lot about how to style this controversial furnishing.
While we can't see the space in its entirety, a look at Lara's sofa in relation to the window and the open-plan living room suggests that her furnishing is perfectly placed and proportioned – offering the benefits of cocooning oversized living room furniture without making the space feel overcrowded.
'When designing a space, one of the first things we like to do is create a floorplan to give us a practical sense of how much furniture can fit in a room and what scale that furniture should be. 'If you're hoping to fit a large-scale sofa in your living room, we cannot stress the need to measure enough,' say designers Maddy and Ashley from Morgan Design Studio.
'We completely understand the want for large furniture, but it's more important that the furniture fits the scale of your home. We don't want any sofas blocking doors, but we also don't want it to look like you temporarily moved your furniture in from an old studio apartment.'
In Lara's case, it's evident there is the appropriate amount of room surrounding her sofa – reassuring us (and designers) that space is fit for an oversized piece. As mentioned, the presenter has chosen a gray sofa as a companion to her off-white painted walls and darker-hued curtains that adorn the windows.
To complete the textured space, Lara has also dressed the sofa with a variety of cushions, including a faux fur piece that will be particularly cozy in the fall. For more inspiration, we're looking to the master of neutrals, Joanna Gaines, who also styled a similar piece above.
Colors and size aside, however, Maddy and Ashley remind us of one more thing to consider before following Lara's lead.
'It's also important to factor in your personal preferences when selecting a sofa – do you use it to lounge or to entertain guests, do you like to sit with your legs crossed or do you prefer to lay down, and so on,' the say.
'This will play a role in how deep you want your sofa to be. A larger and deeper sofa or sectional will naturally evoke the illusion of comfort and invites you to lounge around, which is especially perfect for a living room or movie room.'
We recommend buying into the look (if the space is right) with these buys below.
