7 No-Fail Tips for Decorating with Throw Pillows

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Want an instant makeover for your living room?

Throw pillows.

Want to change up the vibe of your family room?

Throw pillows.

Want to make your room feel lighter and brighter?

Throw pillows!

This post is all about, you guessed it – decorating with throw pillows! I researched the heck out of throw pillows, talked to designers, and read all the best interior design blogs about this topic.

I’ve distilled it down to 7 tips to help you decorate with throw pillows like a champ. Plus, I’ve put the Penny Modern spin on this topic – so you won’t see any $140 throw pillows here (unlike most of the blogs I researched on this topic!)! All my links to throw pillows are under $30!

By the end of this post, you will feel confident to hit the buy button, or make your way to the closest home decor store to make your room look brighter and more joyful.

Let’s toss this baby into first gear!

Tip 1: Pick an anchor color

The first tip on decorating with throw pillows is from a post on My Domaine, which showed some beautiful pillows – many over $100, one Gucci pillow was even $1250! Sorry, my sofa wasn’t even $1250, so I’m not spending that much on a single pillow…

Anyhow, the point of this tip is if you have a colorful accent chair or rug or something, pick a couple of pillows that echo that color. In the photo above, the pillows pick up some of the colors in the artwork.

The rule of 3 is good – if a color is repeated three times, it becomes a pattern. So if the color is repeated in an accent chair, pillow pattern, and artwork – it will help create a cohesive look to the room.

Tip 2: Do this to get a modern look

Since this site is all about modern and contemporary design, I had to include some advice specific to my aesthetic. Real Simple has a great slide show on decorating with throw pillows, with some actionable steps on getting a modern look:

• Pick odd numbers of pillows – like 3 or 5.
• Pillows that are square should be 18-24 inches. Lumbar pillows are a great add.
• Keep the color palette very limited, and keep fabrics smooth. Embrace geometric prints.
• If you love color – pull it from some artwork in the room (see tip 1).
• Trim should mirror the primary color on the pillow, to keep a “color block.”

Some examples below of pillow cover SETS you can buy from Amazon (click each image for affiliate links). They take the guess work out and are a good deal at $20 – $27 for all for 4 pillow covers!

Tip 3: Choose a color and change up the pattern (or texture)

Architectural Digest has some good advice that shows how you can take one color and use it in a solid pillow, then find patterned pillows w/ the same color. Examples from Amazon below (affiliate links) of different patterns using white, grey, & gold.

Alternately you can pick one color and find different texture pillows all in the same color. Examples from Amazon below, of three different textured beige/cream pillow covers (affiliate links).

Hint: this is probably one of the easiest methods to follow for decorating with throw pillows.

Tip 4: Size Matters

To get a more designer look when decorating with throw pillows, use pillows at least 20″. Pulp Design Studios prefers 22-24″ to get a more luxe look, for the biggest pillows in the set.

Having varying sizes, by throwing in an unexpected lumbar pillow with a cool material like leather/faux leather also helps create visual interest.

Tip 5: Mix and Match

I had a hard time feeling confident in mixing and matching when decorating with different throw pillows. To give me specifics, I found a great photo with specific examples at Little House of Four blog on mixing and matching. Hope it helps you too!

Tip 6: Try it out first

The beauty of buying stuff online is you can get pictures of everything. Then you can cut and paste photos to make a “pillowscape” to see if it works together with a couch photo similar to what you have. Just take note of the actual dimensions of the pillow if buying online. A lot of the less expensive ones are only 18″.

I’m still learning about decorating with throw pillows, and making a “virtual” pillowscape helped me out a ton. I just used Microsoft Powerpoint, and cut/pasted my couch, chair, key pieces of decor, and various pillow combinations. You can use any program that lets you paste pictures next to each other, and layer them.

Alternately you can just go to a retail store and buy a bunch of pillows, then save the receipts & keep the tags on. Next you can just put them all on your couch and see what works, then return what doesn’t.

Tip 7: Save your money

Some of the best sources of affordable throw pillows and covers include:

• H&M Home – So many modern & affordable pillow covers under $10!!
• IKEA – they have down pillow inserts for $6! Poly fill inserts for $3. You can’t beat this folks. They have a TON of pillow covers from $3 to $12.
• Amazon (affiliate link) – huge selection of pillow covers and inserts under $20.
• Wal-Mart – huge selection of both pillows and covers, many under $20
• World Market – they have some great “Always a Deal” pillows for under $10.
• Discounters like Marshalls’s, TJ Maxx, Ross, & Homegoods.
• Check out my resource page for other sources, tools, and inspiration for all things modern decor related.

Conclusion

Hopefully this helps you elevate your space, and you can feel confident the next time you are decorating with throw pillows. I gave you tips from experts, specific examples, how to make a pillowscape, and sources of affordable throw pillows.

Now it’s up to you to give your sofa a refresh by freshening up your throw pillow game. Hope these tips helped!

Do you have any tips for buying throw pillows? I would love it if you left me a comment below, to share with the Penny Modern community.