Throw pillows are the icing on the cake in any beautiful room. You can instantly transform a space by infusing color, pattern, and texture in a well-curated selection of throw pillows. It’s one of the items that almost all of my clients want help with, and it’s easy to understand why! In this article, I am going to share my top tips for mixing and matching pillows. Read on!
Choose Your Style
The first thing to decide when you are pillow styling is what kind of space you are designing for. As a general rule, traditional spaces have an even number of pillows, while more contemporary spaces group pillows in odd numbers. For example, if you have a traditional or transitional living room, you may want two throw pillows at each end of your sofa to create symmetry and a classic look. For a more modern or contemporary space, you should layer several pillows in an odd number (3, 5, or 7 depending on the size of your sofa or sectional) to give a more eclectic look.
The Rule of Three
When it comes to pillow styling, always remember the rule of three: three colors, three patterns, and three pattern sizes.
Use the other decor and furniture in your room to inform your color choices. You can pull an accent color from a favorite piece of art or a throw blanket or rug.
For patterns, limit the number of different patterns and select three different sizes. For example, you could select a large Trellis pattern, medium stripe, and a small geometric.
Size Does Matter!
It’s SO important to vary the size of your pillows when styling a sofa or bed. One of my go to combinations is to include 1-2 large 22″ pillows, up to 3 medium 18-20″ pillows, and at least one lumbar pillow for good measure. It’s also fun mixing up the shape of your pillows and throwing in a round pillow every now and then to make sure that all the square pillows are staying in line! [pun intended :D]
Mix It Up
As with any rules, the rules of pillow styling are made to be broken! If you come across a dynamite pillow at an antique shop and it doesn’t conform to the rule of threes or it doesn’t fit your even or odd groupings BUT it just feels right, I always say GO FOR IT! One of my favorite things about design is finding something unexpected in a space, something that gives that personal, magical touch that can’t be achieved by following any rules. An unexpected pop of color or a pattern that just can’t help but stand out from the crowd, you really just can’t beat that by following all the rules. And I’m okay with that. 🙂
Check out a few of my designs for inspiration for your next room makeover! Interested in my services? Get in touch with me HERE!
I pulled together a few throw pillows that are just begging to jazz up your sofa and I am including links below. I will receive a very small commission if you choose to purchase anything from the affiliate links, so thank you for helping to keep the wheels in motion here at The Karma Corner! 😀
