Pillow Selection Guide

17.01.2019

In all our articles on interior design and decor, we emphasize that using only decorative pillows you can breathe new life into your room. And it is true! A set of pillows made from new fabrics or fabrics of a different color can give your interior a completely different look. However, this does not mean that it is an easy task - after all, from thousands of different in shape, color and pattern, you need to choose 4-5 pillows that fit perfectly into your home. The wide range and variety of choices makes the selection process complicated and confusing! Therefore, we want to make your task a little easier and have created your own guide for choosing the right decorative pillows for your interior. Let's start ...


First, there are several basic principles in the selection of decorative pillows, which you should always remember:

  1. Before going to the store, think in advance about the associated color palette of the room and, further, do not deviate from it. The interior will look much more harmonious if all your pillows are either in one shade or in several adjacent colors.
  2. Pillows should be laid out symmetrically, whether it be a sofa, a bed or a couch by the window. When you throw a few decorative pillows over each other, you risk creating a sloppy look. We recommend a symmetrical arrangement, because it maintains orderliness and elegance.
  3. One small pattern, one big pattern and one monotone. This is a basic formula that will help you narrow down your choices. The largest print should be on the largest pillows in size or on the pillow located in the front and in the center, since such a pattern usually sets the tone not only for the rest of the pillows, but also for the whole decor. The cage and strip work fine as a small pattern.
  4. As you approach the center of the sofa, the pillows should decrease. Visually, the largest cushions should be in the far corners, and the smallest cushion should be in the center. This is also reasonable from the point of view of comfort, since the large pillows on the sides do not need to be moved aside, and a small pillow in the center will not make you feel as if you are sitting on the edge of a sofa!
  5. Despite the fact that the pillows are decorative, in reality, they are designed to create a cozy and comfortable atmosphere while sitting on the couch, so do not overdo it! Try to sit on the sofa, which is lined with pillows, then you will feel as if you were stuck in a bag of marshmallows. This is not the atmosphere you want to create, so take one or two pillows on each side! That is quite enough.

Having dealt with the basic principles, you are ready to choose fabrics! This is an exciting part, but at the same time, even more confusing. After all, today there are so many options! To narrow your choices, think about the style you would like to create in your home.

Contrast colors

If there are already many patterns in your room, such as a patterned sofa, printed curtains or a multi-colored rug, take the pillows in a similar shade. Or, if you like bright colors, but you do not want to use them on large objects (for example, on a sofa or armchairs), simply use plain-colored pillows in very bright colors.


In this case, we chose two colors that are on opposite ends of the color wheel (the so-called complementary colors), spicy orange and cool blue. Shades look unusually rich and vibrant when placed next to neutral colors, which makes the overall look more contrast. Individually, they look beautiful, but together they really play!

If you are starting from scratch, find a fabric, art print or accessory as a starting point. For example, we chose a magnificent blanket on the back of the sofa and allowed him to inspire us to create the rest of the space. Spicy orange and dark blue are in the blanket, so we selected monochrome pillows for maximum color impact!

One color, three patterns


If you want a set of pillows in one color, choose three different fabric designs that will be combined together. We used a very bright and rich shade of orange as a starting point (floral pattern in the center), then we balanced the color on the couch with plain velor pillows in the corners and checkered pillows in the middle.

The main technique here is balance. Bright cushions in the middle and in the corners help to balance the almost white sofa and lighter cushioned cushions. The women's floral print in the center is balanced by a more masculine checkered print on both sides. And the pattern as a whole is a balance to a one-color basis.

Therefore, when you select different fabrics of the same shade, just ask yourself the question: “Does this pattern balance this pattern?”

Warm, neutral colors


Even if you want to maintain a neutral color palette, you still need a few decorative pillows to add texture and accent in your space. For this combination, we chose a color palette: milky, dark gray and chocolate shades.

We started with our most active animal print, and then used a larger print in additional color. Finally, to tie these two patterns together and create a background, we chose a monochromatic chocolate brown linen pillow with a contrasting flange.

Simple but fresh

If you like color accents, but you want a set of cushions that are not too bright, choose shades next to each other on the color wheel, or similar colors.


For the sofa above, we chose pink and orange. These two colors are neighbors in the color circle, but they are perfectly combined. We also chose two pictures to hang over the sofa, which reinforce the pink-orange combination.

For a more relaxed combination, we chose a very small strip of orange (in the center), two large milk pillows with orange medallions, as well as two pink monochromatic pillows.

Using plain fabrics as accents


Correctly located monophonic pillow of bright color can work, as accent on your sofa. In this case, saturated sapphire blue stands out most, although there are patterns and other colors. A monochrome pillow may seem like a boring choice when there are so many beautiful patterns there, but in the right place such a bright color pillow can become a center element and combine different colors and patterns together.

If you want to breathe new life into your space without much effort, use a pair of single-color pillows of bright color in your space. Pull the main color out of other patterns on the upholstery or accessories, and then use this shade in accents throughout the interior. This is the strategy that Susanna Kasler talks about in her design projects.

Streamlined stripes


If you are looking for an approach that does not require particularly careful selection, we recommend combining one bright color in textured fabric (here we used velor) with a classic stripe. Stripes are a great print for pillows, because they perfectly balance everything together. Our strategy here was quite simple: choose one rich color used elsewhere in your interior for three pillows, and then add two striped pillows with a small pattern.

And now about the filling ...

After analyzing all possible combinations of colors and patterns, it's time to move on to less fascinating details ... as a filler.

We all know that the inner filling is no less important than the appearance - it works even with decorative pillows.

Pillows are designed to create additional comfort, so it is important to use high quality materials. It does not have to be the most expensive fillers, but choose those that include both feather and down. The best option fillers, which contain 95% feathers and 5% fluff.

Here is another little secret when you choose liners for pillows. If you want a more crowded pillow, increase the liner size. For example, if you have a 40 cm case and you want a really thick pillow, use a 50 cm insert.


Well, now you are ready to change and improve your interior? Think you can mix patterns and colors like a professional? It really is!

And remember that you can sew a pillowcase from any of our fabrics. Armed with our advice, look through our catalog and find something that will inspire you.





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