A Comprehensive Guide to Decorating With Throw Pillows
A Comprehensive Guide to Decorating With Throw Pillows
A few thoughtfully placed and well-chosen throw pillows are the secret to upgrading your living room, bedroom, or outdoor space. They are simple, cost-effective decor features that take any room to the next level.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn how to decorate with throw pillows the right way by choosing the right designs for your space, arranging them, and matching them for the most aesthetically pleasing result.
How to Choose the Right Throw Pillows For Your Space
If you’re ready to make your space feel more like home, freshen a room up, or just want to add a pop of color, decorative pillows are the way to go. Whether you’re working with faux fur pillows, print pillows, solid color pillows, or pillows with crazy patterns and textures, it’s not hard to learn the basics of designing with throw pillows in your home.
Unfortunately, there are so many colors, prints, shapes, and textures that it can be tricky, even overwhelming, to get started.
This throw pillow guide is designed to help you select and place your throw pillows in such a way that your guests will be begging you for the number of your interior designer.
Step One: Choose The Right Throw Pillows for Your Unique Style
Color schemes and patterns are everything in interior design, including the colors and patterns of your throw pillows. Here are some of our favorite tips for choosing the right pillow color and print.
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Start with bold solids.
Consider choosing solid colors if you already have many patterns in your room, like comforters, quilts, sofas, or curtains.
That doesn’t mean your pillows have to be boring. You can still find statement-piece pillows made up of solid yet bold colors.
When choosing colors, looking into other pieces in your space, such as a rug, blanket, or painting, is the best place to start. Pick a color from one of these items as a jumping-off point. You may even choose to go with two or three solid colors inspired by an existing feature in your room.
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Mix patterns, match colors
If your sofa or bedspread is neutral or solid colors, you can get more creative with your throw pillows. Try looking for pillows that have the same color but come in multiple prints.
For example, you might pair a solid red pillow with one with small red flowers and one that is plaid with the same shade of red. Don’t be afraid to mix and match prints. There are starting points but never hard and fast rules when it comes to interior design.
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Warm, neutral colors still add drama to a room.
A neutral color pallet is a timeless classic that can still be fun and daring. If you stick with warm browns, taupes, and off-whites, avoid the bland look by opting for fun prints in those colors.
Animal prints, checkerboard, plaid, and stripes add personality to your space and stand out when paired with a darker neutral color.
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Play with textures
You might opt for a lighter or more neutral color palette, but you can still have plenty of fun with textures.
Looking for pillows made from velvet, wool, faux fur, cable knit, leather, or silk-like materials adds drama and intrigue to a space without the extravagance of bold colors and exciting prints.
This can be a great option if your sofa or comforter is already bright colors with busy prints.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t play around with textures if you do like bold colors and prints. By all means, don’t be shy with textures.
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Vary the Size, Shape, and Number of Your Pillows
Keep in mind the size of your sofa, bed, or chairs when purchasing throw pillows. A throw pillow should complement your space, not take it over. It should also be a manageable size for a room, or it will look out of place. For instance, a large sectional sofa will need more decorative pillows, while a loveseat can quickly become crowded.
Choosing pillows of a variety of sizes and shapes make pillow placement more natural and even makes them more practical from a comfort or support point of view.
Different pillow sizes also make a room's decor look more effortless and will keep your guests at ease since they won’t worry so much about moving a pillow out of place.
Step Two: Arrange Your Pillows
For a more traditional look, think of symmetry and balance. If you place a larger pillow on the far right of the couch or bed, do the same on the far left. Then repeat with smaller pillows until they meet in the center.
Another tip for traditional throw pillow styling is to stick with even numbers. Two, four, or six pillows per couch create that balance you’re looking for in a room.
If your style is more modern and eclectic, forget symmetry and think more about framing your space with pillows. For example, you might place a long throw pillow on one end of the couch and a large square pillow with a smaller square pillow directly on top of it on the other side.
Modern style will be the opposite of traditional in that you’ll want to stick with an odd number of pillows, like three or five per area.
Also, don’t miss out on the opportunity to add pillows to chairs or benches in the room. This pulls the space together and makes those sitting areas more comfortable for you and your guests.
Step Three: Enhance the Comfort of Your Pillows
Throw pillows aren’t all about style. They make hanging out in any chair, couch, or bed much more comfortable. Looking for pillows with different fill levels and shapes is a great way to ensure you get the most out of your lounge time.
If a pillow looks great but isn’t quite doing it for you on a comfort level, consider adding quality inserts to your pillows. For fuller pillows, you can even get an insert that is a few inches larger than your pillowcase resulting in a firmer pillow overall.
Looking for More Pillow Ideas?
Regardless of the size, print, color, or texture of throw pillow you need, you can find it at 25 Mackenzie Lane, along with bed covers, art, and more to make your space more you. Home decor has never been easier with the right decorative pillows. Check out our throw pillow collection today!
