Pillow Talk: When a throw pillow is so much more than back support

Throw pillows, everyday items found in almost every home, on almost every couch, serve the purpose of making the lounging experience more cushioned and supported. Who doesn’t nestle one behind his or her back when settling in for an evening of binge watching (or use one to hide behind during a cringe-worthy moment on the Bachelor or gruesome scene of Game of Thrones)? A throw pillow is definitely a functional item, and to serve the purpose for which it is intended, any old pillow will do. Oh, but throw pillows can be so much more!!! As I have mentioned before, I am a crazy throw pillow lady and believe that these everyday objects can have so much impact on the design of a room. This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read our full disclosure policy.

Throw pillows can add personality and color to an otherwise bland couch or chair, and really, to a whole room! We chose to get a tan sectional for our family/living room because it was super functional. It’s very comfortable, provides a lot of seating, and the tan performance fabric makes it stress free. But the couch doesn’t do much to dress up the room and definitely needed some pizzazz. Throw pillows, to the rescue!

Yes, I could have picked up some solid color pillows that matched the couch, or have been slightly more adventurous and chosen simple, subtle patterns. But that’s not my style! I wanted my pillow collection to make a big statement–to be a design element that stood out, not just be something to lean against.

First up, choosing a color scheme. Not surprisingly, I went bold. Drawing inspiration from the artwork in the room, I chose three of my favorite colors–bright coral, blue, and white. These colors were prevalent in the artwork, but also remind me of being by the sea. We moved to our current location because of Stew’s job, and I absolutely love our community and can’t imagine living anywhere else–but it’s a more bit inland than I’m used to. Lucky for us, the coast is not too long of a drive away, so we still spend vacations and a few weekends in the summer by the ocean. But these coastal colors allow me to bring the feel of the ocean into my house the rest of the year. I adore this crisp combination. Here is an example of this color combo in my current favorite easy-breezy summer romper.

Next up, choosing the patterns. Our couch and walls are solid neutral colors, so not only did I want to bring in color, but I needed to bring in pattern as well to give the space a little more visual texture. I’m a print-loving gal (see inspiration pic above!). I love big prints, small prints, organic prints, geometric prints, whimsical prints–I do not discriminate! So I didn’t want to go the solid-color route.

Now’s actually a great time to talk about pattern mixing, as this is where things can get tricky. While some may disagree with me, I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules when it comes to pattern mixing. If I like it, I go with it. That being said, a couple helpful guidelines to create a cohesive look are to mix larger scale patterns with smaller scale patterns, and stick with a color scheme. Once you have that color scheme, try to make sure all the prints contain at least one or two of your chosen colors without too many color outliers.

I like to mix “supporting role pillows” with “star pillows.” See, I told you I’m a crazy throw pillow lady!!! In my case, my supporting role pillows are two-color, repetitive prints (one is a HomeGoods score in a coral print in blue and white, and the other was made from a fabric with a geometric link print in coral and white). Next I had to bring in my stars. I found some great, large scale (both in size of pillow and size of print) blue and white pillows in a stylized botanical print (another HomeGoods score). Progress! But now I had two types of pillows in blue and white, and wanted something to tie in the coral pillows. Ideally, this would be a print that contained all three colors, which I knew would be a challenge.

On to the final step: completing the collection. My pillows, which definitely added punchy color to my couch (and the other furniture on which I had displayed them, scattered around the room), still weren’t giving me the personality I was looking for. And then it struck me. My art history background was whispering in my ear–pillows can be ART! Why should my walls have all the fun??? So I searched high and low, in stores and in catalogues, but nothing satisfied me. I wanted an artistic print with serious impact, but it had to fit into my color scheme. And then it happened. I was visiting a dear friend’s new house when I walked into her living room and saw pillows in THE print. The clouds parted and the sun came out, and knew I couldn’t live without them.

I love this print. The coral, blue, and white pattern by Lee Jofa (called Willow) ties in all the other pillows, but more importantly, this print is like art.

You don’t just pass your eyes quickly over it like you might with a stripe or a polka dot–you stop and look at all the wonderful details of the scenery. Also, chinoiserie is back in a big way (though it’s such a classic, one could argue it never left), so this print is very relevant in today’s interior design landscape. It also ties in a lovely blue and white chinoiserie garden stool I use as an accent table in the room–bonus!

Sometimes getting the exact pillow prints you want involves a little more work. These pillows couldn’t be found in a store or a catalogue–they had to be custom made from the Lee Jofa fabric. While the cost of making custom pillow covers varies wildly depending on the cost of the fabric itself, if you are having trouble finding pillows that complete your comfy collection, I encourage you to consider taking a trip to your local fabric store and find prints that speak to you.

Finally, play around with shapes, sizes, and fabric textures. I have various other pillows around the room–some are petite, some are rectangular, some are oversized–but all are fabulous!

Once, my husband saw me rearranging the pillows into their correct order after the kids had messed them all up. He thought it was amusing that each pillow had its own particular place, and made the mistake of saying to me, “Does it matter? They’re just pillows.” In a mock fury, I threw all the pillows off the couch and said, “Just pillows? JUST PILLOWS?!?!?” and let him soak in the boring vision of the naked tan couch. I was rewarded with a conciliatory smile, and a genuine “Wow, they really DO make a difference.” Yup, that’s me, making a difference, one pillow at a time.