Pillows are one of the most important finishing elements in most rooms and a great opportunity to add personality and interest. While coming up with the perfect combination may seem intimidating, there is a pretty straightforward formula to getting a mix that works. Listed below are some guidelines for ‘pillow play’.
Begin by developing a color scheme. Pull colors from your rug, other prominent textiles in the room like curtains, or art. Your color scheme can incorporate multiple colors if the room is already saturated or be completely neutral. Then, use different size pillows. The size of your pillows will depend on the area that you’re planning for, sofa or bed, but in any scenario, you should use a couple of different sizes. For a sofa, for example, a couple of 22” squares, one or two 20” squares and a lumbar is a good size variation. Next, when selecting the patterns, mix it up. Use large scale pattern, small scale pattern, a stripe or a solid. A multicolored pillow with soft lines or block print will add interest and movement, a stripe or geometric print will give structure and balance and a solid pillow will give a break from the pattern. Finally, incorporate interesting textures. Good texture is important for all of the pillows, but most important for the solid. A solid pillow can have as much appeal as a pattern if it’s in a great texture like velvet, linen, faux fur, thick woven wool, hide or adorned with fringe or tassel. Put the larger pillows on the end or in the back, fill in with the smaller pillows, put the lumbar in front and, voila!
If you’re feeling bored with your bedroom or living room, pillows are a quick and affordable update. Play around with different options and styles. And as always, if it’s not quite right, throw in something unexpected! An offbeat color or something vintage is often just what your design needs. After all, these are only guidelines, and design rules are meant to be broken!
For inspiration, I’ve put together some different pillow combinations. Contact Amie for pillow information.
