Expert Advice: Decorating With Pillows
The standard size of throw pillows needed is dependent on the size of the area where they will be placed. Pillows that are 16 20 square will work well on larger sofas and chairs. Choosing smaller pillow sizes for large furniture may make them look out of place. Smaller patterned pillows can work well when used along with larger solid pillows in the background.
For photographs, we often fill a bench or window seat with so many throw pillows that you would have to remove some to be able to sit down. Lots of pillows may look great in photos, but for home decorating, an excess of pillows is not functional when it comes to actual sitting and comfort. Many interior designers will tell you if you have to move pillows to sit down, you have too many.
Often designers will say it is best to work with odd numbers. Instead of two pillows, try three or five instead of four. On most standard size couches that seat three people comfortably, three to five throw pillows work best. But even here, there truly are no hard and fast rules. If you want to use two pillows or four pillows, do it. However, you may want to make pairs of pillows with the same fabric or design. Good design and preference can be subjective, so go with your instinct, and do what you think looks best for your room or situation.
Why Pillow Size Matters
The right pillow size provides a base or support for your spine alignment, thereby affecting your health. However, there is a chance you choose the wrong side of the pillow and wake up with a sore body the next day.
Especially if you move across your bed, you need a pillow to cradle your neck or shoulder. The support is needed to prevent back and neck aches, most often with the wrong bedding accessories.
Besides, not picking the right pillow can dramatically affect your bedrooms aesthetic. Therefore, you must be careful when picking the perfect pillow size for your sleeping needs.
Things To Consider While Choosing Throw Pillow Size
Furniture piece sizes and styles are essential elements you should take into consideration while choosing a throw pillow.
- Match your pillow to your furniture sizes. Bigger pillows look overwhelming on smaller sofas & beds similarly, smaller pillows look underwhelming on bigger sofas & beds. Both cases mentioned above would look slouchy & awful so always go with pillows that are proportional to the size of the furniture
- Creating depth and interest in the view looks very appealing. A combination of different-sized decorative pillows would trick the brain to produce more depth in the space. Adding depth to your space makes it look more open and welcoming. For regular couches or Loveseats layer bigger pillows with smaller ones.
ie. For smaller couches pair an 18×18 with 16×16
Use symmetrical sizes and arrangements. Using lots of shapes & sizes can ruin the look to be messy & awful, so go with a decent no of combinations and layering to look polished & presentable.
For better views and combinations, we have to use a throw or decorative pillows of different dimensions. We would also add plain & accent pillows to complement each other.
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Your Ultimate Guide To Throw Pillow Sizes
Do you want to reinvent the look of your living area? Throw pillows can make it very easier for you. Just by tossing these decorative pillows, you can achieve your desired look.
The colors, textures, and prints of these pillows are used to complement the environment. When it comes to pillow decor, besides colors and textures, picking proper throw pillow sizes means a lot for the look of a space.
For instance, if one would put a tiny pillow on a 4-seater, it would actually seem to be lost, isnt it? Throw pillows are available in all different sizes, choosing a perfect one from varieties makes it feel puzzled.
Here, we are giving you an insight into throw pillow sizes and methods to measure them so that you can come up with the right choice that would enhance the overall look of your space.
Standard Vs King Size Pillow 09/2022
The king size pillow is the largest of all the pillow sizes. It has a width of 20 inches and a length of 26 inches, or 51 by 92 cm. The pillow, designed specifically for the king-size bed, is not as popular as the other size pillows and many people use it purely for decorative purposes.
It is also ideal for broad-shouldered sleepers that need extra support as they sleep. It is also suitable for people with back problems and makes an excellent choice for a short body pillow. They also use more material than average-sized pillows, which may influence some peoples awkward sleeping positions.
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Use Larger Throw Pillows
When in doubt, go with fewer large pillows over several small pillows on a couch.
The larger pillows create scale and look complimentary to the couch whereas several smaller pillows just seem cluttery and overwhelming.
My favorite combination is one large 20-inch by 20-inch throw pillow paired with one small 12-inch by 20-inch lumbar pillow.
The two different sizes create dimension on the couch and still make the couch seem inviting to sit on.
Pillow Sizes: A Guide For Every Type Of Bed
Getting that well-deserved beauty sleep is hard enough, but now youre left figuring out what size pillows you need to complete your new sleep setup. Our guide to pillow sizes will help you choose a pillow so you can skip all the research and spend your time deciding on the perfect bed sheets to finish getting your bedroom sleep-ready.
Discover our pillow sizes chart and breakdown below.
No matter what size or type of pillow you need, Casper has a cozy cloud for you to rest your head on. Made with support and maximum comfort, our pillows are what dreams are made of.
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Pillow Talk: Sizing Guidance For Settees Loveseats Sofas And Sectionals
About a year ago, I wrote this post all about sizing pillows for your bedroom. I thought I could continue the pillow-talk series because lets be honest, pillows are just enthralling to talk about.
I admittedly have a lot to learn about pillows, so I thought I could include the thoughts and guidance of a pillow expert Hollie of StuckOnHue who makes absolutely stunning custom designer pillows. I recently used one of her pillows, Cowtan and Tout Rajah, in our bedroom refresh and I am blown away by the quality of her work and attention to detail. Im excited to be partnering with her on this series and sharing some of her guidance and expertise.
I took to the gram to ask you your questions about pillows and received quite a bit of responses. Unfortunately today we wont be talking about the challenging relationship between husbands and throw pillows, like a few of you asked about. Some included:
- how do I get my husband not to mash them to hell when he naps on the couch
- why doesnt my husband understand these are not for sleeping
- how to tell my husband they arent supposed to be thrown
But the rest of the questions that were asked will be topics for upcoming blog posts. How to mix patterns, what pillows inserts to choose, etc.
Size Up On Your Pillow Inserts
Use pillow inserts that are 2 larger than the size of your pillow covers. So if you have 20 square pillow covers, use 22 square inserts. For 24 pillows, use 26 inserts, etc. The bigger insert size will transform your pillows from all lazy and slouchy to plump and pretty like the ones on sectional:
and these in our guest bedroom:
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How To Arrange Pillows On A Loveseat
Because loveseats have slightly less space than couches, a loveseat’s pillow arrangement will only include 3 to 4 pillows. Place a base pillow in each corner and use one or two interest pillows centered between them to create a symmetrical look, or place a base pillow on one side of the loveseat and pair a medium-size and interest pillow in the other corner to balance the visual weight.
Styling A Standard Sofa
Before diving into how to style pillows on a couch, Fortin says to start with the sofa fabric. Once you have your base fabric, everything else follows.
To choose fabrics for throw pillows, Fortin says to look at the room holistically: what is the larger palette? What underlying colors exist in the area rug or upholstery? What pops of color exist in the drapery? With throw pillows, have fun mixing patterns, colors and textures. As an added bonus, its an easy way to try out a trend like the much anticipated release of the Pantone Color of the Year, for example without committing to permanence.
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Should Throw Pillows Be The Same Size
Its not necessary to have throw pillows of the same size on the sofa. Instead, the idea is to have most couch pillows of the same size and then layer them with another group of similarly-sized pillows. It will help you know how to mix and match pillows on the sofa because you can use the colors and number of the throw pillows for decorating.
An example is to have one 22 by 22-inch throw pillow on each end of the couch and then layer them with 20 by 20-inch pillows. For smaller sofas, you can opt for one lumbar or a bolster pillow for the final layer. Dont forget to consider where youll also place the throw on the sofa to ensure that youll still have enough space to use the couch comfortably.
How To Style Throw Pillows On Sectionals
When I style pillows on sectionals I use the same basic formula with a few adjustments.
For a chaise style sectional, I use the exact same pillow combination as I would on a regular sofa. I usually drape a blanket over the end of the chaise for extra coziness.
For a corner style sectional, I use the same basic formula but add a couple of extra pillows. I usually use two pillows at each end of the sectional and 3 in the center for balance. This is one time that I will sometimes repeat a pillow type at each end.
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Choosing Throw Pillows That Are Asymmetrical
While we typically prefer a more orderly arrangement, you can play with asymmetry, especially if your space is already very polished and cohesive. In the living room above, we chose simple solid pillows as our largest pillow and to set off a fun floral print. Since this space has a very buttoned-up color palette, a little asymmetry works well.
How Many Throw Pillows Should Be On A Sectional Couch
Sectionals and extra-large-sized couches that are 120 inches wide and up should use three 20-inch x 20-inch square throw pillows, two 16-inch by 16-inch square pillows, and one 12-inch x 20-inch lumbar throw pillow.
A sectional couch generally allows for more throw pillows than other size seats.
Of course, you want to avoid overdoing it and putting so many cushions that they just end up on the floor.
You also dont want to have so many that sitting becomes uncomfortable.
The best placement on a sectional is to place a 20-inch x 20-inch square throw pillow in each corner and in the bend.
Then take the two 16-inch by 16-inch square pillows and place them on each end of the couch leaning against the larger pillow.
And finally, lean the one 12-inch x 20-inch lumbar throw pillow against the bend of the couch.
Or you could use two lumbar pillows on each end leaning against the 20-inch by 20-inch pillows and a single 16-inch by 16-inch pillow leaning against the 20-inch by 20-inch pillow in the bend.
Again, a throw blanket can be draped across the back or over one of the arms of the couch.
Now that you understand the general placement and sizing of the throw pillows, lets talk about some color and pattern combinations and general rules of thumb for your throw pillows!
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Use A Throw Blanket To Tie Sections Together & Create Balance
Finally, use a throw blanket to tie sections together and create balance.
My favorite places to drape a throw blanket are:
- Over the couch arm
- Over the back of the couch
- Over the back and down the seat of one of the corners on the couch
These three places are pretty to look at and make it super easy for someone to access the blanket if they want to use it.
There you have it! Now you have all of the tools you need to make an educated decision when choosing throw pillows for your couch.
Throw Pillow Sizes To Use On Your Couch
Depending on the size of your couch, this will only vary slightly. The thing to keep in mind is always start with the bigger pillow size in the back and work your way smaller as you move to the front.
I love deeper couches, so I always go bigger with the back pillows, such as a 24 or even a 26 sometimes if I really want a pillow-filled arrangement, but the most common larger size is 24.
If your couch is not as deep, I would suggest making your largest pillow a 22.
When I say depth of the couch, I mean if when youre sitting on it with your feet touching the ground, how far is your back from the back of the couch? This is my non-technical way to decide how many layers of pillows I want.
The goal is to look pretty yes, but also be functional.
If you ask my husband, hell tell you we have way too many pillows on the couch. But truthfully, I use them all! Every layer. So, it really just is personal preference.
The bigger the back pillow and the more layers you add, the more youll have to move them out of the way to cozy up or the more cozied in youll be. You can decide this for you, but Ill point out my favorites below.
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How To Style Sofa Pillows
Now we get to the good stuff! Heres what you really came to find out, right? Here are my tips for creating a beautifully styled sofa using throw pillows.
Remember the rule of odd numbers when it comes to styling? That rule applies to flowers, bookshelves, pictures hanging on a wall, and it definitely applies to throw pillows on your couch.
Opt for groups of three, five, or even seven pillows if you have a large sectional.
Here are some examples of sofa styling arrangements using different throw pillow sizes to give you some inspiration.
How To Fluff The Perfect Throw Pillow
Did you know I have a pillow fluffing song?
Oh ya, baby!
I am by no means a singer, but I created a perfect pillow fluffing tutorial where I sing for you in my beautiful voice, as my mom used to call it lol.
You can check out the full video below and be sure to subscribe to my channel while youre there so you never miss another amazing DIY or decorating tutorial I may just sing again, or not, depending on if you like it haha.
And just in case you are of a reader, you can check out my tutorial post on how to fluff the perfect pillow too.
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Create A Color Palette
I think for many home decorators the hardest part of decorating is knowing where to start!
I know! Even though I have been decorating for decades when I start a new project I can still sometimes feel a bit anxious. But heres something to remember.
When you start a new decorating project you dont need to get it right. Decorating is part science and part art! You need to have time to play. To work with a design or arrange those pillows until you get it right!
I always start by defining my color palette. You must make sure
- the pillow color palette works with the rest of the things in the room
- works with the sofa
- adds beauty and harmony to both the sofa and the room
I like to work with three but not more than five colors.
Choosing Throw Pillows In Simple But Fresh Analogous Colors
If you like color but want a group of pillows that arent too loud, try choosing throw pillows in colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, or analogous colors. These are colors that have a lot in common but are different, which makes for a color palette that is quieter and more polished.
For the sofa above, we chose pink and orange. These two colors are neighbors on the color wheel, but theyre still a great pairing. We also picked two art pieces to hang over the couch that reinforce the pink-and-orange combination.
For a quieter combination of patterns, we chose a very small stripe in orange , two larger off-white pillows with an orange medallion, and two solid pillows in pink.
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