{skirt it or show some leg?}

I am currently shopping for a pair of sofas for my living room. I have long loved a tight back English arm style for its ease and timelessness. Now the question remains do I want to skirt the sofa or do I want a sofa with exposed, wooden legs?

Exposed, wooden sofa legs give the room a more handsome, paired down elegance. Adding more feminine fabrics or other skirted upholstered pieces can balance the look of the room.

Jacques Grange often goes for exposed but upholstered legs, a unique and chic look.

Steven Gambrel also favors simply lined upholstered pieces with exposed legs. His interiors have a soft, serene but masculine look about them.

I equally prefer the look of a simple skirted sofa. In general I am drawn to a waterfall skirt to elongate the lines of the sofa. A skirted sofa feminizes a sofa and in many ways gives the room more flexibility.

A skirted sofa also has a very English, traditional feel which is why it is important to balance the room with some more contemporary pieces. Todd Romano and Emma Jane Pilkington do a nice job creating this balance.

A soft, traditional room with a pair of skirted sofas by Suzanne Kasler.

A simply beautiful skirted sofa in a bold golden hue by Jeffrey Bilhuber.

So what do you prefer? Do you like to show some leg? Or do you favor a more demure skirt?

{images: katie ridder via elle decor; 2- via baker; 3- jaques grange for aerin lauder via elle decor; 4- via steven gambrel; 5- jeffrey bilhuber via style.com; 6- via hickory chair; 7- via todd romano; 8- emma jane pilkington via elle decor; 9- via suzanne kasler; 10- jeffrey bilhuber via house beautiful}