How to Decorate with Pillows: 11 Expert Tips for Every Room

If you’ve been searching for tips on how to decorate with pillows, you’re in very good company. Decorating with throw pillows is one of the hottest trending topics on Pinterest right now – and it’s easy to see why. Pillows may be the single most versatile, budget-friendly accessory in home decorating.

Decorative throw pillows – also called accent pillows or toss pillows – are essential accessories for almost every room in your home. They add color, texture, and pattern instantly, without a major investment or commitment. Want to refresh your living room for spring? Swap your pillows. Ready for a new bedroom look? New pillow covers can do it in minutes.

But pillows aren’t just pretty. They bring warmth and personality to a room, soften hard furniture lines, and make any space feel more finished and inviting. Whether you’re styling a sofa, a bed, an accent chair, or an entryway bench, the right pillows make all the difference.

I’ve been decorating with throw pillows for years. I’ve made pillows myself and purchased pillows. Over the years, I’ve learned some simple rules – “practice makes perfect” – to follow that bring out the best use of pillows.

The importance of these rules came back to me when we replaced our living room furniture. Suddenly, I had a blank canvas just waiting for the perfect pillows. That experience inspired this tutorial on decorating with pillows. Let me share what I learned!

The Inspiration for Decorating with Pillows

A few years ago, I wanted to replace the sofa in our living room. Our existing sofa was a custom-made sofa for our previous home. Before moving into our present home almost 13 years ago, we had the sofa and three other chairs reupholstered.

Why did I want a new sofa?

• Although the sofa was in good condition, it became apparent that the 92-inch long sofa was oversized for our living room space. It made furniture arranging a challenge.
• I loved the aqua color of the sofa when I originally selected it. I love coastal colors and it set the tone of our home. However, the aqua color did limit my accessory choices. Not every color works well with aqua. (Although I did use other shades of blue, apple green, and yellow.) It was a challenge to find pillows, throws, and lamps that worked well with the aqua. Most of the time, I used cream or white pillows.

In this post from several years ago, you can see our aqua sofa and how I used pillows on it.

• I have changed my home decor style in the last few years. I wanted my foundation pieces to be more traditional and neutral, with white as my anchor color, and my accessories to provide a pop of color for the room.

We also decided to replace the too-large easy chair in the living room. Instead, two smaller swivel chairs would serve us better.

I started visiting my local design stores. A month later, I still hadn’t found the style and fabric I wanted.

Then, Sweet Shark suggested we visit our local NFM (Nebraska Furniture Mart). It’s actually about 30 minutes from us.

Honestly, I didn’t even know an NFM was in our area. A friend of Sweet Shark’s at the Y told him about their positive experience.

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I won’t go into our shopping experience right now (It was wonderful.), but after working with a designer in the Design Gallery, we placed an order for a new custom-made sofa and two new swivel chairs.

It would take months for the furniture to be made to our specifications and delivered. We were willing to wait to get exactly what we wanted.

Right before Christmas, our new sofa and two swivel chairs were delivered – 10 months after we ordered them from NFM. I squealed with happiness as the delivery men brought them into the living room and moved the furniture (tables, rug, lamps, etc.) until I was happy with the arrangement.

I love the new white fabric and the style of the living room sofa and two chairs. The furniture gives our living room a whole new look. Plus, all three new pieces are so comfortable.

Two white pillows came with the sofa. I chose to have them made in the same fabric as the sofa.

We love having a better view of the backyard.

UPDATE: A year after I took the pictures above, we switched the sofa and the swivel chairs. The sofa is now in front of the picture window, and the swivel chairs float on the rug where the sofa used to be. This arrangement works better, and the sofa became a focal point when you walked into the living room.

You can also see the blue color combination I used on the sofa: solid navy pillows with a tweed texture and blue-patterned cotton pillows. I found those in the gift shop of the Swan Court Restaurant in Atlanta. They included the pillow insert and were made by MudPie. I had to stuff them in my suitcase! Here is MudPie’s current blue block print pillow – and it still includes the pillow insert!

this Idea.

I made these pillows with a fabric I found at a local designer fabric store. If you can sew a straight line, you can make pillows!

I combined the graphic throw pillow pattern with the blue and white Turkish towels – they make a great throw because they come in several colors, are lightweight, and very affordable.

The white furniture means I can now use any color accessories I want.

We still need a new rug, a new table to go between the two chairs and new lamps. We may rearrange the furniture. The first thing I’m looking to add is new pillows – one of home decor’s best friends. 

And that brings us to my search for new pillows.

Here are some simple tips for using pillows in your home.

NOTE: One of the best ways to decorate for the seasons and holidays is to add decorative pillows, but we won’t address that issue in this post. Consider these tips general, impactful “rules of thumb” for everyday use of accent pillows.

11 Guidelines to Decorate Your Home with Pillows

Pillows are perfect for adding comfort to any seat and for bringing texture, pattern, and color into a room. The best way to achieve a great overall look is to use these pillow tips.

source: Olive and Chloe

1 – Use Pillows with Inserts

There are two types of throw pillows: all-in-one options (cover and insert without zippers) or versatile zippered styles consisting of an insert and an interchangeable decorative cover.

Benefits of Using Pillow Inserts

• For more options and easy cleaning, I love the insert-and-cover variety. With an insert and decorative pillow cover, you can change up your home decor whenever you wish, without having to store your out-of-season pillows.
• Another benefit is that you can clean the covers as needed without putting the inserts in the laundry. You can reuse the pillow insert as often as you need to.
• Storage – storing just your pillow covers takes up little space. Lay flat in a drawer or a shallow under-bed-style bin.

Speaking of inserts – inexpensive pillow inserts use polyester batting as a filler. This is fine for purely decorative throw pillows since they don’t always provide a very comfortable feel. I just ordered this microfiber-filled pillow insert with a cotton cover, and I’m very happy with it.

For throw pillows on sofas and chairs, down/feather-filled is the way to go. They’re so much more plush, and they have a more solid, luxe weight than polyester. 

2 -Pillow Size to Pillow Inserts

For a full, plush appearance, choose a pillow insert two inches larger than your pillow cover. For example, an 18- by 18-inch throw pillow cover paired with a 20-by 20-inch pillow insert provides a fuller appearance and the best support for reading or watching TV.

If you’re not a fan of the super plump pillow look, you can choose the same pillow and insert size -for example, an 18- by 18-inch pillow insert with an 18- by 18-inch cover. Your pillows may not offer as much support, but you’ll have a softer look. The corners may stick up as points.

TIP: A little trick that will save you money: order the same size insert as your pillow cover, but stuff the corners with cotton batting. You’ll get the same full look.

Bottom Line: Don’t waste your beautiful pillow cover by using a cheap insert.

3 – Where to Decorate Your Home with Throw Pillows

You can toss extra pillows anywhere (Is that why they are called throw pillows?)

• bed

• sofa

• a statement armchair

• the bench at the foot of your bed – to add some oomph to your space

• a dining room chair – especially when side chairs are not being used: a pillow gives a pop of color and another focal point.

I always have a small accent pillow on the dining room chairs when they are not in use.

Here are several examples of how I decorated our bedroom with pillows.

4 – Pair Colors with Complementing Patterns

There are different ways to choose the colors, textures, and patterns for your throw pillows:

Pull inspiration from the other existing colors in your room, such as a patterned comforter, blanket, art or furniture.

Pair solid throw pillows with a statement pillow that features a floral print, embellishment, or trim. Using different patterns is one of the easiest ways to add visual interest to your home.

5 – Use a Monochrome Color Scheme

Choose a handful of your favorite shades of blue (or green or orange) or stick with neutrals and all-white pillow covers, but feature a different design on each, or choose a series of gradually darker pillows to create a contemporary light-to-dark gradient effect.

NOTE: The great thing about using pillows as accessories is that it’s easy to change your color palette.

6 – Pair Patterns with Patterns

Chevron, ikat, and polka-dots, florals and stripes, checks and plaids – the pattern-pairing options are endless. The only limit is your creativity.

To coordinate throw pillow patterns, decide on a primary color and choose complementing patterns that echo the hue. Mix large-scale patterns with small and medium-scale patterns for the most up-to-date and interesting look.

If you’re new to interior design, stick with patterns in similar sizes. When you feel more confident, experiment with bold choices like big polka dots, herringbone or grand-scale florals, and narrow pinstripes.

7 – Play with Textures

When we say texture, we mean type of fabric weave. Velvet, linen, embroidery, faux fur, cotton or tweeds – textures provide interest, so choose a variety and pair them up for stunning results.

Velvet and silk are a winning combination, but don’t overlook options that seem like complete opposites. 

For example, a chunky knit pillow cover offers bold contrast with a festive appliqué or elegant embroidered design. Mix different textures for more interest.

8 – Number of Pillows

 Choose a pillow arrangement that creates a comfortable place to sit or lounge and an interesting focal point. The size of your furniture can dictate the number of your pillows. While there’s no magic number of pillows, an odd number of pillows creates more interest and balance. 

• In the bedroom – When adding decorative pillows to a queen or king-size bed, a winning formula for a cushy layered look is two to three decorative pillows, two Euro shams, and two to four sleeping pillows. 
• For a large sofa, five decorative pillows (two at each end of the sofa and one in the middle) provide a balanced look. 
• For a smaller sofa (our new sofa is 78 inches wide), use one or two pillows at each end. A contrasting pillow in the center of the sofa is optional.

source: Nur Piilow Design

9 – Mix up the Shapes of Your Pillows

Pillows come in several shapes. Square isn’t your only option. Pair different shapes for more impact. Choose from these shapes:

• bolster pillow – long cylinder
• boudoir pillow – short cylinder
• long rectangles
• lumbar pillow
• round cushions
• square pillows

10 – The Size of Your Pillows

Like shape, you can vary pillow size. The larger your furniture, the larger your pillows should be.

The most common throw pillow sizes for couch pillows are 18″ x 18″ and 20″ x 20″. However, larger sofas and sectionals, especially those with deep seats or high backs, may be better off with 22″ x 22″, or even 24″x 24″ pillows.

Use the bookends method to frame an embroidered rectangular toss pillow or line up your throw pillows by size.

Mixing different-sized decorative pillows on your sofa will create more visual interest.

11 – To Chop or Not to Chop

A chop – an indentation in the center at the top of your throw pillows – can tie the whole room together. This step is purely for aesthetics and is totally optional.

The chop turns the pillow corners into points that sweep the eye upward, so you can highlight a focal point above the furniture.

Mixing patterns, sizes, shapes, colors and textures of pillows can elevate the style of your living spaces.

Now that you have these eleven tips for using pillows, are you ready to purchase new pillows?

Shopping for Quality Pillows

There are thousands of places to purchase pillows. Beautifully made pillows can be very expensive. What makes one pillow more expensive than an inexpensive pillow?

• The better the fabric, the more expensive the pillow will be. Silk and velvet will be more expensive than cotton and polyester.
• Down inserts will cost more than polyester inserts.
• Embellishments, such as piping, cording, trim, fringe, or an appliqué, will increase the price of the pillow.

• The better the workmanship of the pillow, the higher the price.
• Pillows with zippers will cost more than those without.

Remember when shopping for pillows to decorate your home, that it’s OK to bring pillows home to try different combinations. Keep what works and return what you don’t like.

Since I am in pillow-shopping mode, here are some great resources for decorative pillows.

Chloe and Oliver Pillows
Motif Pillows
Pottery Barn
Designer Mod Home
Cancelli Pillows
Lamps Plus

Your Most Asked Questions Answered

Here’s a reel from NFM’s Instagram about ways to use pillows.

Need more pillow ideas?

• 13 Best Ideas for Decorating with Pillows
• Easiest Way to Make Zippered Pillows
• Easy Way to Make Custom Trim for Decorative Pillows

Don’t forget that to get exactly the color, pattern, shape, and texture you need and want, you can make your own pillows or select your fabric and have them custom-made.

Here is how to make custom pillows for your home.

If you want to keep these tips for how to decorate your home with pillows, then PIN this post to keep these pillow tips handy. This Pinterest Board, Pillow Decorating and Accessories for the Home, may be helpful.