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Trending Now: See How Versatile Green Velvet Can Be On Seating

By Wendy Jacob On

Canadian chanteuse Alannah Myles had a huge hit with her song “Black Velvet” in the ’80s, but we think green velvet should top the charts today.

Many designers hearken back to Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic green velvet sofa in his Paris apartment as a touchstone that never goes out of style. When rendered in velvet, there’s a deep, jewel-like quality to verdant upholstery, ranging from bottle green, emerald, moss and mint. Scroll down to see why you need a splash of green velvet in your space!

During his renovation, designer Joel Bray created a banquette with Queen Anne-style legs and green velvet upholstery to add color to his Victorian kitchen, which ties in nicely to the greenery outside the windows.

  • Photographer Valerie Wilcox
  • Designer Joel Bray

House & Home April 2018

Drama abounds in designer Nam Dang-Mitchell‘s artful pad. In the living room, a curvy peridot sofa plays off the natural hues of the fiddle leaf fig tree and the botanical motifs of the chinoiserie wallpaper behind it.

  • Photographer Colin Way
  • Designer Nam Dang-Mitchell

House & Home December 2018

Green and pink are looking fresh again! Dark olive and millennial pink is the unexpected color combination we didn’t know we needed until we saw this cozy den by designer Anne Hepfer. A sleek tuxedo sofa in a mossy hue is taken to the next level with graphic geo-print pink pillows.

  • Photographer Virginia Macdonald
  • Designer Anne Hepfer

House & Home September 2020

A velvet stool is an inviting spot to prop your legs, or pile up books in H&H alum Morgan Michener’s petite country retreat.

  • Photographer Virginia Macdonald
  • Designer Morgan Michener

House & Home October 2018

A show-stopping green sofa plays up the warmth of the walls in this handsome library. Josef Albers’ chromatic abstract and Scott McFarland ‘s photograph are linked by a green palette that’s anchored by the lush velvet sofa.

  • Photographer Stacey Brandford
  • Designer Anne Hepfer

House & Home December 2012

A sofa reupholstered in green velvet echoes the leaves outside of this Tuscan-inspired villa in the Quebec countryside. The tufting highlights the rich texture of this fabric.

  • Photographer André Rider
  • Designer Alexandre Blazys & Benoit Gérard, BlazysGérard

House & Home October 2018

A generous bench fully upholstered in a swath of gorgeous green velvet is an inviting perch for pulling on shoes in this country home hallway in the Eastern Townships.

  • Photographer Maxime Desbiens
  • Designer Luke Havekes

House & Home September 2019

Fashion buyer Nicholas Mellamphy’s chic Toronto condo gets a double hit of green velvet in the living room, thanks to the armchairs and chaise lounge that bookend the room.

  • Photographer Alex Lukey

House & Home April 2015

Two side chairs are dressed up in olive velvet, which soften their metal frames.

  • Photographer Angus Fergusson
  • Designer Morgan Michener & Arren Williams

House & Home July 2008

This pastel sage hue is like a palate-cleansing scoop of gelato on this romantic antique settee.

  • Photographer Adrien Williams
  • Designer Alexandre Blazys & Benoit Gérard, BlazysGérard

House & Home December 2017

This fringed green chair was a lucky garage-sale find for jewelry designer Meryam Keyhani. It’s now completely at home in her Toronto dressing room.

  • Photographer Virginia Macdonald

House & Home August 2011

Because it’s inspired by nature, green can almost read as a neutral, so it doesn’t clash with a purple rug. Jewel-toned velvet makes a frequent appearance in this family home, from the sofa to a luxe toss pillow.

  • Photographer Alex Lukey
  • Designer Samantha Farjo

House & Home January 2016

In designer Git Gustavsson’s dining room, a vintage settee offers a pop of Kelly green to the neutral envelope.

  • Photographer Donna Griffith
  • Designer Git Gustavsson

House & Home December 2014

In the former Scarborough, Ontario, home of Kevin and Margot Austin, juicy green upholstery is a fresh way to update two formal chairs.

  • Photographer Virginia Macdonald
  • Designer Margot Austin

House & Home September 2012

This narrow space in a kitchen couldn’t fit an island, but a dining nook just beyond the kitchen was ripe for a re-do. Designer Joel Bray designed a custom banquette with moss green velvet upholstery and storage drawers, and added a cork-topped pedestal table for enjoying meals.

  • Photographer Valerie Wilcox
  • Designer Joel Bray & Stacey Smithers

House & Home October 2016

In hockey player Jason Arnott’s Dallas home, chevron floors and a curvy emerald velvet chair inject a European flair to the dining area, and pick up the colors in the artwork and flowers.

  • Photographer Nathan Schroder
  • Designer Michelle Lloyd Bermann & Christine Ralphs, Lloyd Ralphs Design

House & Home November 2016

A classic Eames lounger is given luxe new life with peacock green upholstery in soft mohair velvet.

  • Photographer Angus Fergusson
  • Designer Joel Bray

House & Home February 2018

Not ready to upholster a whole piece of furniture in green velvet? A luxe emerald pillow shakes up a neutral sofa, and is a grassy counterpoint for two floral armchairs.

  • Photographer Virginia Macdonald
  • Designer Andraya Frith

House & Home November 2017

A green chandelier echoes the saturated moss tone on the sofa and carpeting in this monochromatic 5,000-square-foot apartment in Montreal.

  • Photographer Monic Richard
  • Designer Jean Turcotte & Louis Pepin, Atelier de l’Opera

House & Home December 2010

If there’s any doubt about the softness of this fabric, look no further than this happily snoozing pet on a velvety jade sofa trimmed in bouillon fringe and gold cord.

  • Photographer Monic Richard
  • Designer Jean Turcotte & Louis Pepin, Atelier de l’Opera

House & Home December 2010