Whether you’re starting with a blank slate or just wanting to refresh an existing room, the simplest way to makeover a room is to add some throw pillows, but once you see the selection of designer pillows to choose from, you may be thinking that buying and styling throw pillows may not be so simple after all.
The truth is, when you know just a few simple basics, you can refresh a room quickly and easily with fabulous throw pillows. Whether you want to completely change your look or elevate your style, this post walks you through the basics of styling to ensure your pillows look like they were placed by a pro.
1. Build a Basic Color Palette
Whether you’re adding pillows to your sofa, bed, or a simple window seat or entryway bench, you don’t need to sit down and formally design your space. You can efficiently and effectively select your designer pillows as you’re building your color palette. Although you can mix up textures and sizes, follow these basic steps to choose the perfect colors and patterns for the piece you’re styling:
- Select your foundation color. Regardless of what piece you’re styling, begin by determining what the main color of your piece is so that you can build a cohesive palette. Your foundation color, as you might expect is what you build the rest of your palette around.
Of course, if your sofa is just one color, you can breeze through this step, but if you have a patterned sofa with several colors or a sofa in the coastal grandmother aesthetic of cream or beige, you might feel like you’ve hit a dead end. However, if you have a patterned sofa, select either a dominant color or a color you love in the sofa. If your sofa is a solid neutral, select a color that already exists as a dominant color in your space, simply select a color you love if the rest of your space is neutral, or select the neutral color itself.
- Pick out a patterned pillow. Now that you have a foundational color find a patterned pillow you simply can’t live without that has your foundational color in it already. This simple step can get overwhelming when you have so many exciting designer pillows to select from, so don’t rush it. This step should be fun, and if you want to take time and really browse, go for it since this pillow drives the rest of your color palette.
- Select a solid pillow. Now check out all of the colors in that patterned pillow you love so much that you picked out in the previous step. Look at all of the colors in that pillow and pick one you love that isn’t your foundational color. Then find yourself a solid-color pillow in that color. This is your first coordinating color, and because it’s a solid color, you may want to select a pillow larger in size than your patterned one to act as a backdrop layered behind it.
- Choose a second solid with some contrast. Look at that patterned pillow one more time to select a third color you’d like to bring out and find a solid pillow in that color. Since this was the second color to pop for you, bring in some contrast by selecting a varying shape, size, or texture compared to the other pillows you’ve already selected.
Just like that you’ve created a basic color palette for your space and found pillows you can use to style your piece. You can buy your pillows in multiples based on your piece’s size or add more pro styling tips to finish your look.
2. Use Variation
While the selection of pillows may feel overwhelming, the upshot is that you can find endless ways to vary your look. Once you have a basic color palette to follow, you can vary your selections by choosing different sizes, patterns, and textures.
While a great formula is having one solid, one pattern, and one pillow with a different texture, you can use that formula to create even more variation. Consider these ideas:
- If you prefer monochromatic but want some color variation, go tonal with your look, but pay attention to varying textures in the fabric to add some variation. You’ll still have a tonal look and feel, but the fabric variations keep it from feeling too matchy-matchy.
- If you prefer a tailored and understated look, you don’t have to cover your couch in the same size, shape, and color pillow to maintain symmetry. You can layer sizes from large, medium, to small but retain the same color or subtle pattern and shape, or you can shake up the texture of identical-looking pillows.
3. Go Bold
Even if bold, vibrant colors and rich, luxurious fabrics aren’t your go-to style, pillows offer a safe way to test out a bold look on a smaller scale. Going bold with your pillows immediately elevates your look, giving you a polished and professional style that doesn’t upend your typical aesthetic. You can also be bold with the size, shape, or quantity of your pillows. While you want your bed or sofa to still be functional you can punch up your look with a unique shape or size.
Additionally, you can add boldness to your design by changing pillows throughout the year and making a match between your pillows and an element that speaks to the current season you’re experiencing. Cozy fabrics and colors might make you think of fall and winter while pillows with bright colors and lightweight fabrics can mirror the spring and summer months.
Regardless of your current style aesthetic, you can easily refresh the look of a room by adding or switching out pillows. While you have a wide selection of designer pillows to choose from, you can seamlessly add beauty and comfort to your space with high-quality pillows made for comfort, durability, and elevated style.
