It’s been two years since our last pillow combo post and I have to say it was extremely fun to get those pattern-mixing muscles working again. I also have to say that this may be my favorite bunch yet. They flowed together like buttah, feel fresh yet timeless, and of course are still affordable. Most of them are under $75 in total:) I was actually planning to write a whole new post but when I look at this one it really had all the info I was planning on including. So let this be a refresher for your pillow refresh. Sometimes a quick reminder of the rules is all we really need. So please enjoy and if you need some new pillows I really hope this helps:
I think that throw pillows get kind of a bad rep sometimes. Even we, proclaimed pillow lovers, fuel the disrespectful fire. When Emily talks about searching for her greater purpose she says, “Surely I’m here to do more than just play with pillows.” And when people used to ask me when I first started at EHD and I would respond, “I basically pick out pretty pillows and put them on the internet.” But what did pillows do to deserve such treatment? What, make our rooms prettier and our heads more cushioned??? Exactly. So I am here today to show you how crucial throw pillows are to your life (but mostly remind you of the rules for making a perfect pillow pairing and to show you my 20 new favorite very affordable combos).
Ok, so to clear we are pillow lovers. They make spaces look more layered, textured, and cozy. They are basically these magical plush objects that can add the perfect amount of personality to a room. Plus, as we are about to prove in this post, they can be really affordable and by simply switching out some pillows you can make your old space feel brand new (I know it sounds not possible but we promise it is).
Since this is my 3rd time writing about pillow combos I am going to bestow my EHD learned wisdom upon you… again. Practice makes perfect, right??
OUR NO-FAIL RULES
1. Keep a cohesive color palette
Look, it’s our favorite rule again (because it’s important). If you don’t have a cohesive color palette then you are setting yourself up to fail (or at least making the job much harder and full of second-guessing). We get it, we love color too, but choose only a few colors you want on your sofa or bed then buy tonally within those colors. Just make sure to leave room for neutrals and deeper/lighter hues from your palette, meaning it doesn’t all have to be the same exact shade of blue or green. If your palette is teal, yellow and rust, feel free to pick a punchy yellow then maybe a pattern with a lighter shade…same goes for all the other colors. This will help give dimension right off the bat.
2. Vary sizes and shapes
Mix it up with size. Buy large squares, medium and smaller rectangles/lumbars, circles, half circles… You get it. But remember, regardless of the shape, just make them different sizes (having three pillows in three different shapes and sizes is a good place to start/build upon). Again, it’s key to give you that sweet sweet visual dimension.
3. Add in different textures
If you are mixing solids or wanting to stay pretty neutral, go for a variety of textures or some pillows with interesting details. That could be anything from the material (like velvet, linen, canvas), interesting hems, tassels, pom poms, or weaving variations. FYI, a neutral color palette can be just as exciting as a bold color combo if the textures are varied.
4. Balance out colors evenly
Spread the love people. This rule applies mainly to sofas and benches. Don’t have all the blue pillows on one side and all the cream pillows on the other. Make sure the colors you have chosen are balanced on both ends. Your eyes will be much happier.
5. Vary the scale of patterns
Don’t pick all large-scale patterns like bold stripes or all small scale like tiny flowers. Mix those up and maybe throw in a solid and you will look like a pillow pro.
Class dismissed. JUST KIDDING. Let’s now get into some examples for those who are visual learners (i.e. me)
Arlyn really nailed her pillow combo on her blue sofa. Let’s see why…
Color Palette: She kept the color palette simple with creams, dark muted blues, mustard, and dark copper which stood up beautifully to the rich velvet blue (but didn’t try and steal the show). Basically, your eyes aren’t on color overload. It’s warm but sophisticated.
Vary Sizes and Shapes: Notice that with each side, she varied the pillow sizes and shapes that were next to each other. It makes it look layered and interesting.
Different Textures: Since the sofa is velvet, Arlyn chose to use only one velvet pillow very intentionally with that dark copper number. Since the colors contrast, it doesn’t just blend in. Then mixing linen, cotton, tassels, and pom-poms make this sofa look SO welcoming and very well designed.
Balance Out Colors Evenly: Arlyn made sure to spread out the colors evenly. Both sides have a dose of cream, blue, and a warm tone.
Vary The Scale Of Patterns: On the left side of the sofa, you have the slightly larger scaled triangle pattern on the mustard lumbar paired with the more delicate and smaller ticking stripes on the large pillow. Then on the right, you have a large-scale floral print, a solid tone, and a smaller weaved pattern in the lumbar. No one is competing and it all looks balanced. You and your eye are very happy, right?
A living room is not the only room where these rules apply. Yep, same goes for the bedroom so let’s jump into this Parisian Suite we designed in Pasadena and pretend we are all in Paris right now.
Color Palette: Ginny was the main designer on this project and she chose to keep things very neutral with black, white, gray, and a hint of red:) We always love a pop of color.
Vary Sizes and Shapes: As you can see, she only used lumbar pillows (even on the bench) but varied their heights and lengths. Because of this, you don’t even really notice at first glance that they are all rectangles. Very smooth, Ginny:)
Different Textures: She kept it simple with cotton, linen, and canvas. BUT those wonderful Rebecca Atwood pillows have a hand-stitched detail that really brings the whole combo to life.
Hot Tip
Having a pillow with a 3-D element like embroidery, poms or tassels will really amp up the style factor in your combo.
Balance Out Colors Evenly: Since you can see the bench in nearly the same sightline as the bed, Ginny made sure to give each moment a bold dark-toned pillow. Then let the rest be lighter toned so as to not make it all look too visually heavy.
Vary The Scale Of Patterns: Both of those dark-toned pillows also have bolder patterns than their pillow partners. Those pillows have smaller, very busy patterns to bring more life to the whole design. Otherwise, the room could have looked stuffy fast.
Ooook! Now that you have the rules and examples you can throw them out the window because I did all the work for you with these 20 combos UNDER $100 (Disclaimer: A couple of these are cushion covers so you might need to buy an affordable insert). Ok, check out what I’ve cooked up for you…
1. Oversized Embroidered Block Print Square Throw Pillow | ÅSVEIG | Striped Square Throw Pillow
2. Oversized Blocked Woven Square Throw Pillow | Chunky Knit Pom Pom Square Pillow | Libb Pillow Cover Throw
3. Oversized Teddy Boucle Square Throw Pillow | Colorblock Verging Stripe Pillow Cover | Round Gusseted Velvet Pillow
4. Embroidered Floral Decorative Throw Pillow | Woven Geo Striped Square Throw Pillow | Velvet Throw Pillow
5. Linen-Blend Cushion Cover | Double Cloth Printed Decorative Throw Pillow | Tufted and Braided Lumbar Throw Pillow
6. Affordable Combo Combos Fresh NoFail Pillow Rules