So I’ve been on the hunt for pillows lately for some of my client’s homes. I feel like our guest rooms and garage are just overloaded with pillows for other people’s beds, couches, chairs, etc. If you read my previous post entitled: 5 Decor Essentials for the Makings of a Cozy Room, Pillows are an absolute essential to every room (except maybe your garage and bathroom).

Nothing makes a couch more welcoming and cozy than pillows. I can’t tell you how many times I go over people’s homes and there’s literally like 2 pillows on their super large sectional- and it’s usually the ones that came with the couch and they’re usually hideous. Side note: in all seriousness, who has the design job for these furniture companies of picking out the pillows that come with the couch?? Every single one of them is doing a terrible job. Please tell me I’m right.

My mom use to have a strange attachment to those type of pillows- as if she had to keep them because they “came with the couch”. Rule #1- get rid of them… (unless you had your couch custom-made and you got to choose the throw pillow pattern which is customary at design places like Bassett Furniture). Just because they came with your couch, doesn’t mean that they go with your house!

So in this post I’m simply going to break down how many pillows I typically buy for different couch combinations and bed sizes. I’ll also make suggestions on alternating patterns, solids, and fun pillows such as sayings, letters, numbers, or pictures.

Pillow Numbers

Here is an idea of how many pillows I typically buy for each of the following:

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Pillow Combination Suggestions

I like to alternate matching solids (usually with a button of some sort if it’s layered in the front), patterns (stripe or geometric, Ikat being my favorite), and sayings (Home Sweet Home, a personalized zip code pillow, lattitude/longitude pillow) or graphics (like a Santa pillow for Christmas or a plain cross pillow).

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Check out some examples below:

Some Tips when Purchasing Pillows:

Tjmaxx, Homegoods, and Marshalls, are great places to look for throw pillows and Euro Pillows. I spend anywhere between $16.99 and $19.99 on a pillow. Any more than that- and I usually put it back on the shelf. They also sell sets of solid pillows that can be used for layering for $24.99/ pair. Kohl’s is great for guest room regular size pillows- they sell them for $5 on sale all the time. H&M Home is great for pillow covers.
Buy down-insert throw pillows!! These types of pillows give the best “pillow-chop” and can be fluffed up again and again. Usually cotton-filled pillows get flat after a while and don’t look as great on your couch. If you find a pillow cover you like that doesn’t have a down insert, the cheapest down inserts I’ve found are from Ikea. Click on the link below to be brought to them.
Change out the pillow-covers seasonally- (if you’re in to that). If you buy down-insert pillows, you can just take the pillow case off in order to wash them and also to change them out. Then you can purchase just the pillow covers for your size throw pillow to change out your couches and sofa seasonally. I do this for Christmas, as pictured in one of the examples above.
Follow the 60/30/10 Rule as I mentioned in my previous post entitled: “Tips for Picking Paint Colors". 60/30/10 stands for the ratio of a perfect balance of color in your room. 60% of your room should be based on your dominant neutral color, which would be your walls. 30% should be your secondary color that compliments your dominant color, and this can be found in items like your couch, coffee table and rug. 10% should be your accent color done in pillows or small accessories. This is where you can introduce a bold pop of color. For example in my living room picture below: 60% would be my walls: beige, 30% would be my light couch, chairs, and rug that compliment the wall color, and 10% is my accent color: yellow, which is seen in my pillows, blanket, and coffee table flowers. Following this ratio will help strike a balance of color within any room.
Sizing: For couches I typically purchase 18x18 or 20x20 pillows. It’s ok if all the pillows aren’t the same size. However, you should never have the smaller pillow be the “behind” or layering pillow. Larger in the back, smaller in the front. Or the same size layered with one another. If it’s a large sectional I usually purchase a 24x24 pillow as the middle-corner back pillow and then layer with smaller ones around it. For lumbar pillows 12x20, 16x24 or 16x26 are typical sizes.