Just like an ice cream sundae without the cherry or a salad without dressing, decorative pillows are a must when styling your sectional. Besides offering back support, throw pillows serve as a point of connection between your sectional and the rest of your living room. When done correctly, the color and pattern offered by throw pillows can tie together elements of the sofa with your home decor, creating a unified look.
But, how exactly do you style throw pillows on a sectional sofa? We asked our team of experts for step-by-step advice and design tips.
How Do You Arrange Throw Pillows On A Sectional Couch?
1. Choose Your Color Palette
While it can be tempting to place individual throw pillows that you like together, it’s important to create a cohesive look by choosing pillows that complement your color palette. This doesn’t mean you have to choose multiples of the same pillow for your sofa, but it does require playing with different patterns and textures in the same color.
Designer Anna Franklin suggests keeping balance in mind when choosing a pillow combination that works with your color scheme. “Don’t have one color on one side of the sofa and not the other,” suggests Franklin. “Instead, create balance by ensuring that the same color is represented on each side of your sectional.”
To take color even further, consider the rest of the room. Do you have a patterned area rug? If so, try to match colors from the pattern to your pillow covers.
2. Co-ordinate Your Sizes
Once you’ve established a color palette, consider pillow sizing. When creating a pillowscape, Erin Banta likes to start with two 22” sofa pillows as a base. Then, she layers in different sizes depending on how cozy she wants the couch to be.
“For a classic look, layer in two more 22” pillows in a complementary pattern,” says Banta. “For those that love a pillow-loaded sofa, add in an 18” square or lumbar pillow for an extra layer of pattern.”
Many choose to use square pillows on the edges of the sofa, and a lumbar pillow in the center. The rectangular shape of lumbar pillows usually mean that only one is needed, while square pillows are easier to use multiples of.
3. Vary Different Patterns
As mentioned above, choosing a color scheme doesn’t have to mean sticking with the exact same color or pattern. Pair patterned pillows together by choosing pillows that have the same color or texture.
Pillows of the same color with linear patterns often work well together. Many choose to combine patterned pillows with solid pillows of the same color, as this often creates the feeling that the two are a “set.”
4. Keep your higher goal in mind
While we think throw pillows are a must have in every situation, many have a specific goal in mind that they think throw pillows can help achieve. Goals can range from using pillows to create a continuous look to adding seasonal cheer to your home.
Whatever your goal may be, make sure to keep it in mind throughout your selection and styling process.
Different Ways To Arrange Throw Pillows On A Sectional Couch
Layering
Many choose to create pillowscapes by layering pillows. To do this, Anna Franklin recommends creating visual interest by layering multiple sizes together.
“Start with the back corner of your sectional, and place the largest pillow you have there,” says Anna Franklin. “Next, layer in the second largest pillow– you will want this one to be smaller than the first pillow placed in the corner. After layering in the corner, add two more 22” pillows on each end of the sectional, and smaller pillows throughout.”
Mix and Match
Christine Kobervig Munger's favorite way to style a sofa is to mix and match pillow sizes and shapes. “I find that a sectional is usually large enough to accommodate five to six pillows,” says Munger. “I like to start with a pair of 22” square pillows and mix in a combination of 18” and 20” squares, and one or two lumbar shapes.”
Additionally, Munger says that “because a sectional isn’t symmetrical, don’t feel the need to go with a symmetrical couch pillow arrangement… create balance with size and quantity instead.”
When mixing and matching, Yoselin Castro recommends “having fun with upholstery materials… pairing different textures such as boucle and leather, or faux fur and velvet, can add dimension to the overall look.” Don’t be afraid to mix in solid colors with patterns, as this variety can tone down the energy brought to your space through a loud pattern.
Go Symmetrical
While styling throw pillows asymmetrically is certainly its own strategy, many suggest going symmetrical when trying to achieve a formal or traditional look.
Christine Kobervig Munger adds, “for an extra formal, decorative flair, set the pillows up straight and give them a good karate chop.”
On the sofa below, Julia Dempster selected pillows from the same family of colors and alternated between solid and patterned pillows. She arranged the pillows by size to achieve a symmetrical, more formal, look.
Largest Pillow(s) at the Back
It just makes sense to style the largest pillows towards the back of the sofa. This ensures that the smaller pillows placed up front are seen.
Yoselin Castro adds, “In order to make the sofa feel balanced, add the largest pillow to the back middle corner, and arrange the smaller pillows around it.”
Many choose to replace stock pillow inserts with inserts that are a size up, as this gives the pillow a plump, full appearance, in comparison to the oft-slouchy look of stock inserts.
How Many Pillows Should Be On A Sectional?
When it comes to how many pillows to use on your sectional, there’s a variety of opinions. Julia Dempster suggests choosing an odd number of pillows above all else, as this ensures that there’s one left over to place in the center.
However, while throw pillows are a great addition to any sectional, going overboard can get in the way of seating.