Have you ever struggled to pick out the perfect set of pillows for your sofa? Does coordinating different pillow colors, fabrics, and patterns seem a little overwhelming or even downright scary to you? I can relate, because that is exactly how I used to feel! But then I learned a few easy tips and tricks that I’m going to share with you today, so that you will be able to coordinate sofa pillows like a design pro!

In this post, I’m going to share with you with my simple, no-fail method for picking out sofa pillows. We’ll even walk through several examples together so you can understand the process and why I chose the pillows. Before we start, let me just say that this isn’t the only way to coordinate sofa pillows, and the pillows I used in the examples are certainly not the only option, so consider this a “beginner’s course.”

General Tips

Before we walk through the examples, let’s go over a few general tips:

• Sofa pillows should vary in size and shape.
• Place largest pillows in the back (usually a solid color), and smaller pillows in the front.
• At least one of the pillows on your sofa should have texture. The texture can be from the material itself, or from a pattern that gives the illusion of texture. Texture creates visual interest!
• Use 2-3 pillows per side or corner of the sofa. You may find that larger sofas or sectionals could easily accommodate 4-6 pillows, but I would start with a smaller grouping and add more, as desired.
• You don’t have to have an equal number of pillows on each side of your sofa. You could have 2 on one side, and 3 on the other, for example. That being said, designers love odd numbers, and groups of three are a staple in the design world.
• It’s perfectly OK to mix different patterns together, so long as you stick to a consistent color scheme or pattern.

The Process

OK, let’s dive in! Here is my super-simple process for coordinating sofa pillows:

Step 1: Take a look at your sofa and note what color it is.

Step 2: Choose a pillow with a pattern that you love, that also has the color of your sofa in it.

Step 3: From your patterned pillow in Step 2, pick out 1 additional color from the pattern (not your sofa color), and choose a solid pillow in that color. It should be larger or at minimum the same size as your patterned pillow.

Step 4: Choose another color from your patterned pillow, and add a pillow in another shape, size, or texture to the mix.

That’s it! Straightforward and simple…just the way I like it. Now, let’s walk through some examples, so you can see just how easy this process is to implement.

Example 1

For this first example, let’s start with a classic sofa in a gray fabric (Step 1).. The patterned pillow I’m going to choose (Step 2) has some gray tones, so it will be sure to coordinate well with my sofa, and also has nice dark blue and reddish-brown hues.

For Step 3, I’m going with a dark blue, textured pillow that is larger than my patterned pillow. Since it is larger, it will go behind my patterned pillow. I love the way that dark blue color and texture instantly add interest!

For the final pillow (Step 4), I want to pull out those beautiful reddish-brown hues. I choose a brown leather lumbar pillow. The leather introduces another fun texture to the mix, and the smaller, rectangular size adds dimension.

Example 2

For our second example, let’s take a look at mixing some patterns. For this example, I start out with a white sofa, and choose a patterned pillow that has white and several other colors, most noticeably reds and teals.

For Step 2, I decide to pull out the teal color with a large, square, textured pillow in the back.

Now, let’s pull out some of those reds! But, let’s not use a solid red pillow, let’s try a new pattern! When mixing patterns, it’s good to stick with the same color scheme. Another trick is to squint your eyes when you look at the new pillow. You want it to look like mostly a solid color. In other words, you don’t want to add another pattern that is so busy it will interfere with your original patterned pillow. This red plaid pillow also has teal in it, and when I squint my eyes I see mostly red, so we’ve got a great coordinating pillow set!

Example 3

Let’s do something a little more formal, shall we? This wheat-colored, microfiber sofa, with nailhead trim already has a more formal look to it. Let’s start out by choosing a more formal patterned pillow that captures our sofa color. I love the geometric pattern of this little lumbar pillow, with its classic gray and gold tones.

For our second pillow, let’s go with something that pulls out that dark gray color. I also want to introduce some texture, so let’s find a pattern that gives the impression of texture, rather than adding in an actual textured pillow. The reason I’m doing this is because I’m going with a more formal look for this arrangement, and sometimes more heavily textured pillows can make the arrangement look more casual. I love this dark gray and white diamond patterned pillow. It’s large, so let’s put it in the back.

Now, let’s choose another color from our patterned pillow to tie it all together. Since contrast also creates visual interest, I’m leaning toward a lighter color like white, ivory, or light gray/silver. I also like the idea of adding in a lux fabric, like velvet. This light gray velvet pillow is perfect!

Example 4

For our next example, let’s play with a leather sofa with a rich brown color. I found a great pillow with a beautiful pattern that not only has plenty of that rich brown color, but also some beautiful slate blue and beige. Pretty!

I love that slate blue color, so let’s find a pillow to bring out that hue, and maybe introduce some texture. This is a nice one!

Now for our third selection, let’s pick up some of that beige. I love the casual feel of this grain-sack pillow, and it’s got stripes in brown that go nicely with both our leather sofa and our patterned pillow. A fun choice!

Example 5

Ready for our last example? This time, I want to do something a little more feminine. For this sofa, I found a sweet little pillow with some gray in it, to coordinate with my sofa, but also some pinks, yellows, and maroons.

That peachy-pink color is jumping out at me, and pink goes so fabulous with gray, so I choose a solid, velvet pillow in that color. If my sofa was small, I might just stop right there, because it looks great already!

But, because I know the “power of three,” I’m going to explore adding in one more large pillow for the back. Now, I could go with a yellow/gold, or a maroon, but I want to keep the overall look soft and feminine, so I think I’ll bring out the white in that patterned pillow. Love it!

That’s a Wrap!

The pillow struggle is over! Now you have all the tips you need, along with a simple process to follow for picking out some fabulous pillows for your sofas. I hope this easy process has helped you feel more confident about coordiating sofa pillows in your home, and hopefully now you are excited to go shopping for some pillows!