Throw pillows are a necessity. These design staples complete the look of any home, no matter its decor. With so many options, you can find throw pillows to complement all styles and color schemes. Place them on open seating areas, such as couches, benches, beds and chairs to enhance the visual appeal of your space. Beyond delivering that expert touch, throw pillows are essential for adding personality to any room.

Since these cushions come in various shapes, colors, textures, patterns and sizes, selecting and styling them can be challenging. Home and Texture created a guide to help you feel confident in choosing the perfect ones to complete your home. Keep reading for tips on pairing throw pillows with your decor for maximum design execution.

Selecting Throw Pillows

It’s best to take a step-by-step approach to buying throw pillows:

1. Choose an Odd Number of Pillows

Most interior designers typically suggest using an odd number of pillows. Choose a pairing of three, five, or seven pillows instead of two or four. The amount you will need depends on the length of your furniture. For pieces like desk and accent chairs, you will likely use one.

If you can’t decide or are worried about overcrowding, start with fewer.

2. Pick Multiple Sizes

The most common sizes are 18×18, 20×20 and 24×24 inches, but options widely range. So, you should also consider shape when choosing sizes. Throw pillows are square, rectangular, and round. Within those categories you have even more detailed picks, such as choosing a spherical or bolster round pillow.

We suggest strategizing by going from large to small. Decide on the shape of your most prominent pillow, usually square, and continuing building your layout from there.

3. Balance Colors

Throw pillows direct the eyes. While vibrant colors stand out, neutrals, darks and pastels are indistinct, unless color contrasting. You want to avoid disrupting the look of your space, so base your palette on your room’s color scheme.

Choose a main color and look for pillows in that particular shade. Next, pick at least two more colors that either complement your decor or match well with your main choice.

4. Create Impact With Texture and Patterns

Styling with texture and patterns adds depth to your look. Choose pillows in different materials such as velvet, faux fur, linen, wool, and chenille. Think about how these fabrics will look and feel against each other and your furniture.

Consider the same for patterns. If you picked an elaborate design for one or a couple of your pillows, opt for textured pairings that are simpler for a clean look. Similarly, if you chose solid colors, add flair with intricate textures.

Styling Throw Pillows

When it comes to arranging your throw pillows, the combinations are limitless. Mixing and matching is the essence of interior design. There is no better way to show off your skills than creating a cohesive look with varying pieces.

In our tips for selecting pillows, we emphasized the important of combination. While you can create impact by going with square pillows in multiple hues of the same color to create a striking, monochromatic look, pairing different shapes, sizes, and colors together is more interesting.

Use your largest pillow as the beginning of your layout. While it’s not necessary to place the remainder of your pillows in order from largest to smallest, they should be arranged in a way that adds to the depth of your furniture and overall space.

Choosing pillows of all one shape may lead to a harder time creating depth due to similarity. So, throw in another shape for easier styling. Breaking up your layout of squares with a spherical pillow or a lumbar pillow builds on the visual appeal of your space. If you set on one shape, add that texture: a white square pillow and a white square pillow with black tassels on each end have different impacts. Always remember to keep the number of pillows odd to design like a pro.

For those who love holiday and seasonal themed decor, it perfectly fine to switch out your throw pillows as often as you would like. Since you aren’t likely to entirely redecorate your interior around Halloween, when incorporating themed pillows try to stick within your color scheme and remove any from your layout that don’t match your newest addition.

With these tips and suggestions, you can effectively style throw pillows in any room in your home. Decorating is all about creativity, so curate a home you love by weaving your personal style into every little detail.