Choosing Sofa Pillows: 6 Things to Consider
Throw pillows are an absolutely fantastic buy. They can dress up, dress down, energize or calm a room in no time. Want to brighten up a space for spring? Choose a few pillows in vibrant shades. Give your living room a holiday feel? Go traditional with red and green or blue and silver.
Throw pillows for the sofa are the perfect decor pick-me-up, in part because they require minimal investment. They're not heavy - no lugging them and if you want to change them out. They don't require a lot of closet space for storage. And best of all, they're not terribly expensive.
That said, it always pays to do some research prior to making any home decor investments, and buying sofa pillows is no exception.
Imagine your living room looked like this:
It's a pretty room, but could stand a little embellishment - a little personality. We think it could stand some great pillows. We also thought it would be a perfect way to explain the six items everyone should consider before investing in throw pillows. And they are:
1. Color
With throw pillow color, you can go one of three ways: match your space, stay neutral, or deliberately contrast with your space. In the room above, the palette is fairly neutral, with the only real jolt of color coming from the deep blue painting. With that in mind, we considered the Signature Leaves pillow with a cream background and leaves in three shades - Hampton Blue, Croissant, and Rust:
Choosing the Hampton Blue or Croissant options would preserve the cool, minimal feel of the room, while adding the Rust pillow would add a little spice. Any work - it's just a matter of preference and personality.
2. Size
Throw pillows come in all differen sizes - they're available from Alluminare in 14-inch, 16-inch, and 18-inch squares. Decisions about size depend on the scale of your room and your furniture. To test out different sizes before you buy, try stuffing bed pillowcases with t-shirts and pinning them to the approximate size of the pillows you're considering. That will give you an idea of how the pillows will work with your surroundings.
3. Pattern Style
Picking a pattern is serious business - and it can be more than a little overwhelming. A good first step is to decide whether you'd like all your pillows to be the same pattern, or if you want to mix it up.
Next, think about pattern style. In the room above, you could keep the peaceful vibe with something really simple, like the Duo pillow in Hampton Blue and cream:
Or add make the room into a party space with a pattern that's a little traditional, like the Maven pillow in Hampton Blue, Sage, and cream:
The pattern, on the "tiny" scale setting here, adds some warmth to the room.
On the other hand, if formal is the look you're after, a large, ornate pattern, like Traditional Damask in Hampton blue and cream, tells a different story:
6. Number of Pillows
The last thing to decide is...how many pillows do you want? Most sofas are perfect for two or three, but one really striking pillow works, too. Or, ditch your actual sofa cushions in favor of a bunch of throw pillows for a comfortable look - and feel.
And remember, there's no need to worry too much when you're choosing your throw pillows. You can always start over next season - it's fun!
[Photo credits: Pillow-less living room from Houzz.com; All pillows from Alluminare.com.]
That said, it always pays to do some research prior to making any home decor investments, and buying sofa pillows is no exception.
Imagine your living room looked like this:
It's a pretty room, but could stand a little embellishment - a little personality. We think it could stand some great pillows. We also thought it would be a perfect way to explain the six items everyone should consider before investing in throw pillows. And they are:1. Color
With throw pillow color, you can go one of three ways: match your space, stay neutral, or deliberately contrast with your space. In the room above, the palette is fairly neutral, with the only real jolt of color coming from the deep blue painting. With that in mind, we considered the Signature Leaves pillow with a cream background and leaves in three shades - Hampton Blue, Croissant, and Rust:
Choosing the Hampton Blue or Croissant options would preserve the cool, minimal feel of the room, while adding the Rust pillow would add a little spice. Any work - it's just a matter of preference and personality.2. Size
Throw pillows come in all differen sizes - they're available from Alluminare in 14-inch, 16-inch, and 18-inch squares. Decisions about size depend on the scale of your room and your furniture. To test out different sizes before you buy, try stuffing bed pillowcases with t-shirts and pinning them to the approximate size of the pillows you're considering. That will give you an idea of how the pillows will work with your surroundings.
3. Pattern Style
Picking a pattern is serious business - and it can be more than a little overwhelming. A good first step is to decide whether you'd like all your pillows to be the same pattern, or if you want to mix it up.
Next, think about pattern style. In the room above, you could keep the peaceful vibe with something really simple, like the Duo pillow in Hampton Blue and cream:
Or add make the room into a party space with a pattern that's a little traditional, like the Maven pillow in Hampton Blue, Sage, and cream:4. Level of Formality
The space above feels fairly formal, but a few well-placed pillows could dress it down a bit, making it more of a family room, rather than a living room. Casual pillows come in a variety of patterns, but we often gravitate towards small patterns when we want to make a room feel more homey - like the Rose pillow in Hampton Blue, Tutu, and cream:
The space above feels fairly formal, but a few well-placed pillows could dress it down a bit, making it more of a family room, rather than a living room. Casual pillows come in a variety of patterns, but we often gravitate towards small patterns when we want to make a room feel more homey - like the Rose pillow in Hampton Blue, Tutu, and cream:
The pattern, on the "tiny" scale setting here, adds some warmth to the room.
On the other hand, if formal is the look you're after, a large, ornate pattern, like Traditional Damask in Hampton blue and cream, tells a different story:
6. Level of Modernity
The room above is pretty modern, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work with some traditional elements. For example, the Serendipity pillow in Hampton Blue, Sage, Classic Brown, and cream, conveys an established look, without being stuffy or too conservative for the space:
The room above is pretty modern, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work with some traditional elements. For example, the Serendipity pillow in Hampton Blue, Sage, Classic Brown, and cream, conveys an established look, without being stuffy or too conservative for the space:
If emphasizing the modern is what you're after, though, the Avalon pillow in Hampton Blue and cream gives off a Kandinsky vibe that's very cool:
6. Number of Pillows
The last thing to decide is...how many pillows do you want? Most sofas are perfect for two or three, but one really striking pillow works, too. Or, ditch your actual sofa cushions in favor of a bunch of throw pillows for a comfortable look - and feel.
And remember, there's no need to worry too much when you're choosing your throw pillows. You can always start over next season - it's fun!
[Photo credits: Pillow-less living room from Houzz.com; All pillows from Alluminare.com.]
Labels: decor, decorating, Pillows, sofa
posted by Kit Pollard at
3:57 AM
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