Looking for decorating tips on how to mix and match pillows on a sofa? With a little guidance, choosing the right throw pillows for your sofa is easy.

Adding throw pillows is an excellent way to spruce up a plain couch and add extra comfort for you and guests. If you have a hard time pairing throw pillows together, don’t worry! It’s totally possible to seamlessly mix and match multiple throw pillows without giving yourself a headache!

Here are the best ways to arrange pillows on a couch and coordinate different types of throw pillows!

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How To Mix And Match Pillows On A Sofa

This post lists several helpful tips on how to mix and match pillows on a sofa. Once you understand the basics, pairing throw pillows is easy. Under some tips, I’ve also recommended a helpful product I felt had the most value for the price.

Let’s get started!

Best Throw Pillows + Inserts To Use At Home

1. Pick Colors That Complement Your Room

Before purchasing throw pillows, I recommend checking out your room’s color palette. What colors are prominent? To make your home to look more cohesive, aim for colors that complement the decor, walls, furniture, and rugs.

This is a great tip on how to mix and match pillows on a sofa without having them clash with the rest of the room. For example, if you have shades of blues scattered throughout your living room, consider including blue as part of your throw pillow’s color palette. This will help your pillows complement the room.

Need help choosing basic throw pillows for your sofa? I highly recommend these throw pillow covers from Anickal. These soft pillow covers have a beautiful rustic look to them. They are well designed and durable enough to use on both indoor and outside throw pillows!

2. For Better Cohesion, Select Up To Three Colors

To get started, select three colors for your throw pillows (for better cohesion, try using at least one color that complement’s your room’s color palette). When arranging pillows on a couch, it’s helpful to have a pre-existing color palette. Here’s an example of one: white, black, and brown.

A color palette makes it much easier to pair different types throw pillows with different patterns and shapes. Prior to selection, figure out your three colors. You can always go with more or less colors, but three colors is a great rule of thumb for home decorating newbies.

If you are struggling to find your color palette, a great example of mixing and matching throw pillows is this four throw pillow cover set. This cover set has three prominent colors: white, black, and brown. Even though each pillow has a different design, the basic color palette helps tie these unique pieces together.

3. Don’t Use Too Many Patterns (Three Patterns Max)

When coordinating throw pillows, one huge mistake is to use too many patterns. I highly recommend limiting yourself to three patterns max, otherwise your sofa might look messy and unflattering. For better cohesion, each pattern should incorporate at least one color from your color palette.

To mix and match patterns, I recommend choosing a bold, large pattern to start (like this floral pattern throw pillow cover). This is your “statement piece” on your sofa. Your second pattern should be smaller than the first and your third smaller than the second.

For beginners, this is an excellent guideline for choosing patterns. This method prevents patterns from clashing with each other and helps your throw pillows look more cohesive. Using this rule, you’ll be surprised how well different patterns go together!

4. Try Out Different Textures

Now that we’ve covered the basics on how to mix and match pillows on a sofa, let’s make things more interesting! When pairing throw pillows together, try out different types of textures and materials.

You don’t need anything fancy like furs and leathers. The texture can be subtle (like using these beautiful sage green pillow covers made of corduroy). Although there’s nothing wrong with using standard cotton throw pillows, using a single texture can look plain and boring.

I highly recommend coordinating different textured throw pillows for a more eye catching look on your couch. When choosing throw pillows for your sofa, keep an eye out for unique textures!

5. Mix Pillows With Different Sizes And Shapes

Beside textures, another tip to mix and match pillows on a sofa is to add in pillows with different sizes and shapes. Unless you want a traditional, uniform look, I highly recommend arranging pillows with different proportions. This is a great tip to make your throw pillows and couch look more interesting and unique.

There are no rules or limits to what shapes you can use. Try using unique decorative pillows like this super plushy and fun knot pillow. Stick to your color palette and any throw pillow should seamlessly match the rest of your selection.

6. Should You Use An Even Or Odd Number Of Pillows?

Not sure if you should arrange an even or odd number of throw pillows on a couch? Although it may seem insignificant, an even or odd number of pillows creates a different visual impact on a sofa. Here’s how to select which option is better for you:

If you own a large sofa or a sectional couch, an even or odd number of pillows matters less because the difference is less noticeable. In this case, just go for as much or as little throw pillows as you want!

7. For Comfort, Place Larger Pillows Away From The Center Of Your Sofa

When coordinating multiple-sized throw pillows on sofa, place larger pillows on the further edges. Not only does this look more visually appealing, but it also more comfortable when larger pillows are further from the center.

As a rule of thumb, I recommend placing smaller pillows on the inside and the larger ones further out on the edges. For comfort, don’t go for throw pillows larger than 24 by 24 inches. As a general rule, 24 by 24 inches is a great size for large throw pillows and will make your couch feel cozy without being too gigantic.

8. Don’t Go Overboard

As much as I love to mix and match pillows on a sofa, I try to never go overboard. For a small sofa, I recommend using only one to three pillows. On the other hand, a standard couch can use three to five pillows. For a large sectional, try using between seven and nine throw pillows.

If your decorative pillows are small, you might be able to squeeze in more, but less is generally better. Always prioritize comfort over quantity. There should always be plenty of room to sit comfortably!

To start out, try choosing three throw pillows to mix and match. If desired, add more pillows to your liking. This way, you won’t accidentally get more decorative pillows than you need.

9. Select Comfortable Inserts

Look for ways to make your sofa more comfortable? Adding throw pillows is a clever way to make your couch feel cozy and soft.

If your throw pillows are tough and unpleasant, don’t worry! You don’t need to replace an entire pillow. Instead, swap the pillow insert for a softer, plushier one!

A quality insert makes a huge difference! I highly recommend using pillow inserts from Leeden. These inserts keep their shape well and feel soft and luxurious. If you are looking for a high quality pillow insert to upgrade your throw pillows, check these out!

10. There Are No “Rules” To Mixing And Matching Throw Pillows

In this post, I’ve listed my favorite tips on how to mix and match pillows on a sofa. Let’s be honest here: there are no rules to mixing and matching throw pillows. Every decorating tip from this post is purely personally advice.

I wrote this post as a guide for beginners on how arrange pillows on a couch. For someone who loves home decor, throw pillows are an excellent way to bedazzle your house or apartment with a personal touch. If you are new to home decorating, I highly suggest adding a few throw pillows to cozy up and spruce up your home.

Need help deciding if your throw pillows will work together? Before purchasing throw pillows, I recommend making a mood board with your top picks.

Here are several ways you can make a mood board: paste images onto a Word document, make a Pinterest board, or print out physical pictures of the product. A mood board allows you to see your selections side and side, giving you a better indicator of how they will look in person.

Summarized: How To Mix And Match Pillows On A Sofa

This post lists several ideas on how to mix and match pillows on a sofa. Here are the main points summarized:

Rule Of Thumb: How To Mix And Match Pillows On A Sofa

My favorite general tips on how to mix and match different types of throw pillows:

Decorating Tips On How To Mix And Match Pillows On A Sofa

My favorite tips on how to make your throw pillow combinations look more interesting:

How To Make Throw Pillows More Comfortable On Your Sofa

Everything you need to know to make your sofa feel more comfortable:

Conclusion

In this post, I’ve gathered my favorite tips on how to mix and match pillows on a sofa. I hope this post gave you some helpful ideas on how to coordinate throw pillows in your own home.

When pairing throw pillows together, a general rule of thumb is to limit yourself to three colors and patterns. This is an excellent guide for beginners to harmoniously mix and match different types throw pillows without clashing.

Of course, there are no real rules on how you should arrange pillows on your couch. However, to help tie the room together, I recommend choosing throw pillows that complement the room’s decor.

If your throw pillows are uncomfortable and tough, I highly recommend switching out old inserts for softer ones. A high quality pillow insert makes a huge difference!

Good luck!