How to Choose Accent Pillows for your Living-room

In today’s Decor and Style post I wanted to share some how to style advice that has helped me along the way with choosing accent pillows for a living room couch. I am happy with my current throw pillow set up, but it took a lot of trial and error to get there. I went to Homesense several times and returned pillows before finding ones that fit my color scheme at Target (pre-tarrifs). 

Living room with sectional couch and 5 pillows

Here is advice that helped me learn how to choose accent pillows: 

1. Start with a color scheme/palette: 

   • Use your couch color and accent pieces to decided this (rugs, drapes etc) 

For example, in my living room I used the dark gray of the couch, creams and blue of the rug and cream of the drapes to work with. 

The 60-30-10 rule can be helpful: 60% dominant color (couch), 30% secondary (pillows), 10% accent (bold pillow color or decor) 

2. Mix Patterns not just solids 

   • Example: on my couch I used 2 textured gray/blue cream geometric design, gray and white striped, cream textured lumbar, and solid light gray linen pillow

   • Essentially the formula comes down to:

     • a large patterned pillow (floral, abstract) 

     • a smaller scale pattern (stripes or dots)

     • one solid or textured pillow 

3. Vary Textures

   • use linen or cotton for a casual look 

   • velvet or chenille for a more luxe look 

   • cozy faux fur or chunky knits in the winter (my goal for next winter!)

     
     
     
     

     

     Cozy faux fur accent pillows, makes me want to cuddle up right there with a book!

     
     

4. Stick to Odd numbers

   • This looks more pleasing to the eye 

   • Rule of thumb is 3 for a small sofa, 5 for a large sofa 

5. Use inserts larger than pillow covers

   • My SIL told me this tip and it really does make the pillows look more designer! 

   • Example would be: a 22’ x 22” insert for a 20” x 20” pillow cover 

6. Use a variety of shapes and sizes:

My suggestions are: 

• 22x 22” or 20” by 20” pillow in back row

• 18 x 18” pillow in front 

• Lumbar pillow to add visual contrast 

• Use bigger size pillows for large couches, smaller pillows for love seats, chairs etc

7. Do a seasonal swap: 

   • You can keep the inserts but change the pillow covers to reflect each season 

   • Examples: linens or light cotton in summer, cozy knits and warmer tones in fall/winter

   • My goal is to be more intentional with this aspect of styling 

Finding accent pillows can be a surprisingly overwhelming task. I always think “this should easier!” but with all the choices out there it can be very difficult! When you are out there shopping, keep in mind your color palette. I also recommend having an updated picture of your living room available to refer to as you shop. There were several times I came home with pillows that did not work at all because I was going off of my mental picture and not a real one. 

I hope you found this content useful and I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to ask questions or share your accent pillow choices.