How to Choose Colors and Patterns for Throw Pillows
Your pillow collection should be complementary, not perfect copies. Here’s how to choose the right colors and prints for your sofa, chaise, chair or bed.
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Pick an Anchor Color and Create a Color Story: Look around in the colors in the room, like the wall color, the rug, your upholstery, bedding or the curtains. Notice what tones are paired together and try to pick those combinations up in the pillows you choose. Even if you choose a variety of pillows in different patterns, the look will still be cohesive if they share the same colors. Combos we love at Eloise Trading Co. include:
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orange, blue and turquoise
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navy, green and lime
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brown, red and gold
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Choose Patterns to Mix and Match: Patterns can be mixed if each pattern incorporates at least one of the colors you’ve chosen. Build off the pattern you love the most — generally the largest pattern and the one that contains all three colors. Secondary patterns can have just one or two of the colors. A few of our favorite pattern combinations are:
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floral + geometric + solid
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check + toile + stripe
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ikat + dotted + knit or faux fur
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Experiment with Texture: Texture is the perfect way to achieve a fun aesthetic outside of color, print or shape. Play with the juxtaposition of smooth and rough, soft and fuzzy. Think about fur or faux fur, leather, velvet, linen, knit wools, tasseled and fringe accents — or come experience them for yourself at Eloise Trading Co.! A shaggy fur or faux-fur pillow is a great option to stand on its own in a chair in a lackluster room.
If you start mixing and matching your selection of throw pillows and find that four colors work best, or that you like two large patterns instead of only one, then go with it! Ultimately, it's only important that you love what you see. Don't be afraid to experiment until you find the combination you love!
Go more in-depth:
See the overview: How to Nail Decorating with Throw Pillows
