Magnolia walls and pale oak floor - what colour sofa?

[Mummy578485]

Our one bedroom flat has a very neutral palette that we thought we could match anything to. For furniture we are a bit limited by budget and time, but we've sourced lots of lovely painted ivory and oak pieces. For sofas we've short listed are light greys, light duck egg blues, and a very light natural beige.

We both like the blue ones, but I read about how magnolia is a warm, yellowish colour and should be matched with other warm colours. Does that mean that blue or grey would be wrong? Beige or cream would match the walls and the rest of the furniture, but DH is fed up with the various shades of white, and thinks blue would be a nice contrast. It's he right?

If it makes any difference, we are letting out the flat for two years while we work abroad, so it should have universal appeal. It's a very small flat in a really nice expensive area, so we're hoping to impress potential tenants with quality (but not hugely expensive) furnishings that we've sourced.

Rent it unfurnished - if the area is as expensive as you say then anyone who can afford the rent will have their own furniture. You run the risk of losing tenants because they have their furniture and can't/won't pay storage costs for it or you run the risk of your tenant asking you to remove your furniture because they have their own and then you have to pay for storage costs. You will not want (or need) all that hassle if you are abroad.

The furniture is mostly bought, we're just looking for a sofa. We've gone with the advice of our local agents who said that potential tenants are more likely to come without furniture - wealthy students, young academics and professionals who want to be close to work. The flat is fine for single occupants, can squeeze in a couple and a baby, but not families. DH bought the flat furnished as a student. Of course we'd rather rent it unfurnished, but the agents said it would probably take longer and would offer a lower rent.