Cushion styling tips from the Pillow Lab
Want to know how to style a perfect sofa? How to compose a sofa symphony using your throw pillows and scatter cushions to compose a thing of beauty? Our decor experts (me, actually) have put together 5 cushion styling tips from the Pillow Lab to help you get it right.
Tip #1: Find a Hero
Ask the question: “Who is the boss of this sofa?” Who’s going to lead the way?
Once you’re identified the ‘hero’ print, or your leading lady to lead the way. Once you have identified this throw pillow, you’ll be well on your way with making choices around pattern & palette.
The particular colours and energies in the fabric design of the Hero cushion are where you start composing all your scatter cushion choices..
In this example, the throw pillow in our Roof Garden print in Cairo is the hero.
The persimmon, shell and cocoa palette in this fabric design, and the way all the shapes and colours vibrate with energy mean that this cushion is a focal point on the sofa. This is the print that will lead the way for the other colour and pattern choices.
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Tip #2: Stick with a style
Don’t mix cushions in too many pattern styles, and don’t add too many notes in your sofa symphony.
As you arrange the cushions on your sofa, you’ll start creating ‘conversations’ between patterns and colours.
In this example, We are using two shapes – round and vertical – and just two colours.
the Flower Fields throw pillow is the ‘hero’. The round flower shapes are having a colour and shape conversation with the round Colour Pop Pillow in lemon.
The vertical stripes of the other fabric designs – the Tall Protea and Brancusi Stripe – provide a steadying vertical energy to counterbalance the round shapes of Flower Fields and the round Colour Pop.
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Tip #3: Balance Energies
Patterns have different levels of energy that impact on how well an arrangement of scatter cushions works. The same with colour. Having a lot of patterns that set up all kinds of directional movement or colour can create visual disruption.
Horizontal & vertical lines in a pattern bring a stable, steadying energy, as the eye gets a chance to rest. On the other hand, patterns with diagonals, circles or lots of different shapes keep the eye jumping around, and raises the energy.
In this example, a calm energy is createc by the strongly restful use of scatter cushions with vertical and horizotal lines, and the palette of blues is soothing and calm. The two solid blues of the two Colour Pop Pillows anchor the colour scheme.
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Tip #4: Sizes Matter
A row of throw pillows or cushions all lined up in exactly the same size is the visual equivalent of muzak. Boring! Use different shapes and sizes of cushions to add visual rhythm to the arrangement. Remember, this is composition!
In this example, we’ve used a mix of sizes and shapes to add rhythm to this sofa symphony.
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Tip #6: Ignore Advice
Trust your gut and experiment wildly with throw pillows and scatter cushions in whatever palette and pattern choices that make your heart sing!
