Interior design professionals see great potential in throw pillows. This small square of fabric can be incorporated into any setting to highlight a piece of furniture or bring out the beauty of an interior. However, choosing the right throw pillows is essential for a successful design. This involves selecting the material, size, patterns, shape, and color of the pillows based on their intended use.
Color is indeed a key factor in choosing cushions, since they are decorative accessories in their own right for essential rooms like the living room and bedroom. So, to choose the right color for your cushions, you need to consider the color of the sofa or armchair, as well as the type of bed. You can also take the decor style into account. In any case, you’ll need to choose between cool, warm, and neutral colors. Let’s talk about that.
Which cushion color goes with which decor?
The atmosphere in the living room or bedroom can serve as a guide for choosing the color of your throw pillows. When we talk about atmosphere, we’re also referring to the dominant color in a room, since it’s directly related to the decor style. In fact, while brown is the quintessential color for wood-based decor, modern decor places greater emphasis on neutral colors, particularly various shades of white, beige, gray, and black.
Therefore, the right color for throw pillows is one that blends seamlessly into the decor, creating an overall harmony with the wall color, the colors of other furniture (chairs, dressers, tables, beds, TV stands, etc.), and decorative accessories (curtains, tablecloths, paintings, etc.). There are two options to consider:
- Create a set of cushions in a monochromatic color scheme, taking into account the room’s dominant color, and vary it with similar shades. You don’t have to stick to the same level of brightness. This technique guarantees great results every time;
- Play with contrasts by choosing cushion colors that complement the rest of the interior decor, such as shades that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, orange is the complementary color to blue.
The atmosphere of a room is undeniably a key factor in avoiding a fashion faux pas when choosing the color of your throw pillows. However, that alone isn’t enough to guarantee a flawless look. To choose the right colors for your throw pillows, you also need to consider the color of your sofa or armchair.
What cushion color goes best with what color sofa or armchair?
It’s very common to choose the color of throw pillows based on the color of the sofa or armchair, because not only does this highlight the furniture, but its vibrancy also brightens up the entire room. It’s important, however, to make the right choices, because the wrong choices can have the opposite effect.
To do this, you can choose either the monochromatic technique or the contrasting technique. The choice is yours. However, it’s best to follow the guidance provided by professionals on this subject:
- When it comes to a sofa or armchair in a neutral color, there are plenty of options. In fact, colors like black, brown, white, gray, or beige make excellent backdrops for bold, vibrant colors such as orange, lemon yellow, pink, or cherry red. While for a beige, gray, or white sofa, it’s recommended to add throw pillows in dark shades of navy, brown, green, or burgundy, for black and brown sofas, it’s best to choose throw pillows in shades of sky blue, gray, or pastel for a subtle combination;
- On a brown sofa or armchair, the choice is a no-brainer. Cushions in primary colors with cool undertones are particularly recommended. Since brown is also considered a neutral color, the most natural solution is to layer neutral colors. However, you can also experiment with bright colors, such as turquoise blue or olive green, or even warm colors, such as fuchsia;
- With a red sofa or armchair, you have plenty of flexibility. This type of sofa pairs well with black cushions or ones in shades of gray, blue, white, pink, gold, and silver. With a darker red, you can also opt for cushions in shades of navy blue, purple, or charcoal gray;
- With a blue sofa or armchair, you can create many different combinations. Blue is, in fact, a versatile color. However, depending on the shade of blue, your options will vary. For example, many colors go well with teal. Cushions can feature neutral tones (gray, beige, taupe, or white) or brighter hues (orange, pink, red, purple, gold, etc.). The same goes for navy blue, as cushions in neutral or bright colors will complement it elegantly. However, you should avoid colors like hunter green, black, brown, and eggplant purple, as they may diminish the impact of navy blue.
Sofas and armchairs come in many unexpected colors. The possibilities for combinations are therefore endless—you just have to dare to take the plunge.
To enhance a home’s interior decor, throw pillows are perfect for the living room. But they’re also suitable for other rooms, starting with the bedroom. Therefore, the choice of color depends, to some extent, on the type of bed.
What cushion color goes with what type of bed?
When decorating a bedroom, pillows should be thoughtfully arranged on the bed. But in reality, it’s their color that will give the room its character. Depending on the type of bed—and taking into account the colors of the bedding (sheets, blankets, bedspreads, etc.) and other decorative accessories—the options will vary.
When decorating a baby’s crib, it’s especially recommended to choose pillows in warm colors. This category includes, among others, the full range of yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks. Doing so not only brings more cheerfulness to the room but also promotes the child’s psychomotor development. Of course, the best choice of colors is one that blends seamlessly with the room’s decor. In this regard, you can either opt for a variety of shades or highlight contrasts.
When decorating a child’s bed with pillows, you can always opt for warm colors, focusing on light shades that will brighten up the room. However, it’s important to pay attention to the child’s preferences to create a decor that better reflects their personality. You should therefore expect differences—some more significant than others—depending on the child’s gender, whether it’s a little girl or a little boy.
Conversely, when decorating an adult’s bed with pillows, opt for neutral colors and dark shades to create a trendy, modern look. However, it can be interesting to arrange pillows in bright, vibrant colors (red, green, purple, yellow, etc.) to give the room a bit more originality. It’s also important to coordinate the pillows with the colors already present in the decor for an even more satisfying result.
We recommend these other pages:
- What shape should you choose for your sofa cushions?
- What shape should you choose for your chair cushions?
- Rectangular, square, or round cushions: Which one should you choose?
- How do you choose the right size for your pillows?
- What kind of cushion material should you choose?
- Why choose a linen pillow?