How to Mix & Match Throw Pillows
We’ve said before that throw pillows are the secret weapon of interior designers—or anyone who wants to create a striking room in their home. They’re affordable and versatile, giving you ample ways to express your aesthetic creatively. Purchasing multiple sets of pillows is easy on the budget and offers supreme design flexibility because you can swap out pillows according to the seasons, a holiday or just your whims. A few well-chosen throw pillows can even achieve as much visual impact as a time-consuming and expensive remodeling project.
How to style pillows on a couch or bed, however, is more than just randomly tossing on a few pillows and leaving it at that. There is a certain art to pillow placement that, when done right, truly makes a room sing with a cohesive, elevated sense of style. Fortunately, this design art is simple to master if you keep a few concepts in mind. Here are some tips on how to mix and match throw pillow sets:
Siren-red decorative pillows can disrupt the serene ambiance of a monochromatic, minimalist space. Leopard-patterned throw pillows will clash with a traditional design focused on florals or plaids. Choose throw pillows that reflect and enhance your interior design style.
Many designers employ the rule of three when using throw pillows for a couch or bed. Of course, nothing is stopping you from using two or four pillows, either, as matched pairs of pillows create a stately, more formal look. The number of pillows you’ll place on a sofa or bed will also be determined by the size of the furniture. You’ll want to keep a grouping to scale. Too few (or too small) pillows on a California-king bed, for instance, will look off-kilter, while a love seat heaped with throw pillows tends to look overwhelmed (and won’t provide much in the way of comfortable seating, either). Finally, play with different shapes. One of the secrets to how to mix and match throw pillow sets is to combine round, square or rectangular shapes. Your decorative throw pillows look attractive in these kinds of diverse groupings.
Some people like to add throw pillows to a space to give it a pop of color, while others use hues that match the room’s colorways in the paint, wallpaper, rugs or other interior design elements. The latter makes it easy to choose your pillow colors because you’re following the room’s palette. For pops of color, choose no more than three colors to work with. It’s helpful to use a color wheel to find hues that work well together. If you want three colors in your decorative pillows, for instance, you may choose a triad colorway, using colors whose placement on the wheel form a triangle shape.
We love an elegant pattern, and you can use more than one in your collection. The key is balance. If you pick a wide, bold stripe or floral, juxtapose it with pillows in smaller patterns, such as a thin pinstripe or small plaid. The color scheme for your decorative pillows will tie them all together. You can also add a solid-color pillow, especially if it brings in a new element of texture, such as velvet or faux fur.
You may know how to mix and match pillows on a sofa, but if the pillows are of poor quality they will detract from the look you're trying to achieve. Look for high-quality fabrics, sturdy fills that won’t sag or require constant plumping to maintain their shape and impeccable craftsmanship in the pillow construction.
Unique throw pillows are like works of art. Find decorative pillows that add a special aura to your home environment. That could mean a pillow boasting tassels or graceful embroidery or an ornate pattern that catches your eye. Indulge in a texture or color that brings you joy. In the end, you want decorative pillows that make you happy and add warmth to your space.
Throw pillows are a great way to freshen up your home. Curating different collections of pillows allows you to swap them out whenever you crave a little design rejuvenation. For instance, choose pillows in deep, rich jewel tones that evoke the beauty of autumn for the fall, then rotate them out for dazzling metallics and winter whites that herald the holidays. Changing out your pillows regularly also gives you time to get them cleaned and ensures greater longevity.
Elegant Strand’s decorative pillow collection suits your refined level of taste with a sophisticated selection of pillows. Designer colors, fine fabrics and thorough attention to detail create the most luxurious throw pillows you’ll find for your home. Our collections are also crafted in complementary colors and patterns to make it easy to create coordinated pillow sets for your bed or sofa. Accentuate the beauty of your spaces and discover the perfect pillows at Elegant Strand.