Everything You Need to Know to Decorate Your Home with Throw Pillows

Everything You Need to Know to Decorate Your Home with Throw Pillows

Looking for a quick and cost-effective way to transform your living room or bedroom? Add new throw pillows to your sofa, bed or other furniture pieces! Changing up your decorative pillows can change the entire look of a room with very little strain on your wallet (or schedule 😉). Here is everything you need to know to decorate your home with throw pillows!

How to choose the perfect throw pillows?

When shopping for the perfect throw pillows, you’ll want to take into account the colors, textures, patterns, and fabrics in your home. You’ll also want to consider the shapes and sizes of the pillows, what filling you like, and finally, price. The perfect throw pillow should play up your style and tie your room together by using fabrics in complementing colors, and a mix of patterns, textures, and materials. 

Pro tip: Think of your throw pillows as accent pieces that can bring character to your space. Aim to mix and match a variety of colors, textures, patterns, materials and sizes. We’ll show you how to do this without making it look like a jumbled mess.

What is the right color for your throw pillows?

The number one thing to think about when picking new throw pillows is color. The wrong color throw pillows can wash out a space or even worse, clash with your decor making the design feel disjointed. It’s important to blend the colors of your throw pillows with the room by repeating the colors that are in your furniture and decor in your pillow scheme. For example, if you’ve chosen bold-colored drapery, make sure to have a few throw pillows in that same color. 

It can help to stick to three main colors that complement each other. Since throw pillows are usually one of the last things you or your interior designer will buy or have custom-made, this simple trick will easily balance colors around a room making it feel harmonious and complete.

Pro tip: You don’t necessarily have to match colors exactly. Opting for varying shades of an accent color can look just as lovely. To guarantee your space looks cohesive, stick with a pallet of a few colors that go well together and add in some neutrals for balance.

What patterns, textures and materials should your throw pillows be?

Patterns, textures and materials—oh my! There are so many options available that getting started can be extremely challenging. We’ll walk you through a few interior designer tips in each category to help you feel less overwhelmed. 

Patterned Throw Pillows

There are a few ways to mix and match patterns: 

1. Choose patterned pillows that are all within the same color scheme (example: all hues of blue). With this approach, you can choose as many different patterns as you like while still creating a cohesive look.

2. Pick up to three patterned pillows where each pattern incorporates at least one of the main colors in your space. To help get you going, pick a “lead” pattern that incorporates all of your main colors. Keep in mind that your “lead” pattern can have as many colors as you want in it as long as it contains all of your main colors. From there, you can add two more patterns that have at least one of your main colors in it. 

3. Use patterns of different scale. Example: a large floral could be combined with a medium scale stripe, and a small polka dot or a solid.

4. Repeat patterns. Example: does your ottoman have a pattern? Try repeating it with a pillow!

Pro tip: Get custom pillows made if you need to!

Textured Throw Pillows

Good news—textured decorative pillows are not hard to come by! A quick Google search will show you a slew of options for any home’s style. Adding in textured throw pillows is a great way to incorporate a tactile element that stimulates your sense of touch in addition to sight. So, how do you mix textured pillows with your patterned pillows? The first rule (really the only rule) of thumb is to stay within your color scheme. Other than that, make sure you love what you get! 

Fabrics for your throw pillows

Another way to spice up the look of your home with throw pillows is by mixing and matching materials. This is a way to add another level of interest. In fact, different materials have different textures, so by pulling in a variety of materials you can kill two birds with one stone. Try mixing a leather accent pillow in with other soft cotton pillows for a masculine element or add a velvet pillow in against some linen pillows for a classic lux look. Fabrics for your throw pillows come in many materials including: 

• Cotton 

• Microfiber

• Suede

• Chenille

• Velvet

• Leather

• Polyester

• Linen

• Satin

• Silk

• Faux Fur

• Wool

Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to buy something bold! 

What sizes and shapes of throw pillows should you buy?

If you’re aiming for a more modern interior design style, you’ll want to mix and match the sizes and shapes of your throw pillows. You can choose from:

• Round 

• Rectangular

• Square 

• Tube/Bolster

Try using a long rectangular “lumbar” pillow or bolster pillow in front of some square pillows as an accent on your bed. If you want a more traditional style home, symmetry is key. Take your sofa for example. Whatever pillows you use on the left side of the sofa, you’ll want to make sure to recreate the look on the right side with the exact same pillows. And remember pillows should go from large in the back to smaller in the front.

What inserts should you put in your throw pillows?

Now that you’ve decided what sizes and shapes of throw pillows that you want, it's time to decide what inserts you’d like to buy. This will depend on your personal preference or any allergies among you and your family members. Some common options include: 

• Feathers

• Down

• Alternative Down (Polyfill)

• Polyester Fiber

• Memory Foam

• Shredded Memory Foam

• Gel

• Wool

• Kapok Fiber

For a full pros and cons list of the 12 major throw-pillow-filler insert options, check out Types of Pillows Inserts/Fillings – How to Choose the Right One? 

How much do throw pillows cost?

According to Home Decor Bliss, “Luxury throw pillows may cost upwards of $50 to $250 or more, especially if custom-made. Throw pillows are often expensive due to the fabric used, shape, and design. It is possible to find inexpensive throw pillows, but the quality of construction, level of design, and comfort may be sacrificed.” 

We couldn’t agree more. While spending $250+ on a throw pillow may seem expensive, it is important to remember that quality pillows will last longer and can completely transform a room. 

Pro tip: Add in a few custom pillows amongst other more affordable ready-made pillows to elevate your design without breaking the bank.

Where can you shop for the perfect throw pillows?

You can easily find throw pillows in your favorite home-centered retail stores or online. However, if you’re having a hard time finding the perfect pattern or colors to tie your room together, or you still can’t quite figure out how to best mix and match, you can hire an interior designer to help you. 

At Viève Interiors, no project is too big or too small. We’d love to help you with any and all phases of your design project, including helping you to find the perfect throw pillows for your living room sofa or the final touches for your master bedroom bed. Give us a call at 949-610-7800 or email us at info@vieveinteriors.com. 

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Interior Design: Best Tips to Decorate Your Living Room

Interior design is all about layering and mixing things you love—colors, patterns, furniture, and decor pieces—in a cohesive way and if done well, it will draw you into the space. As one of the most multifunctional spaces in your home (a spot for friends and family to gather, a place to relax, etc.), the living room should be designed to draw you in. Our best design tips for decorating your living room can help make that happen! 

When you’re finished reading these interior design tips, don’t forget to check out our Best Tips to Decorate Your Bathroom and 7 Best Tips to Decorate Your Bedroom to pull your whole house together. 

Be mindful of the use of space.

Before you get started, think about what you’d like to use your living room for—Entertaining? Lounging? Define its functionality. Then you can start to think about what type of furniture you need to make that happen. 

In the picture above, we needed to create a place for the whole family to hang out, so a large sectional sofa was the perfect choice. But with a three-piece chaise sectional like this, there was very little space left for a coffee table. We paired the sofa with a round coffee table, so the family is not bumping into corners as they walk around it. We also took note of the furry family member and opted for carpet tiles that can be easily replaced if the dog ruins any of them instead of replacing a large area rug.

Decorate for comfort.

Our next interior design tip for decorating your living room is this: decorate in a way that feels comfortable to you! At the end of the day, you want to come home to a space that feels good to you, not just what is popular or trendy. The colors and the design style you choose set the mood for your living room, and the furniture you pick determines your physical level of comfort. For this living room, we intentionally picked chairs that not only look great and set a nice casual vibe, but that also feel wonderful to sink into at the end of the day.

Design around the fireplace. 

Brace yourself, we have some surprising news: the living room furniture does not always have to point toward a TV... You might find that your living room can be all the more relaxing without one. For the living room space shown above, we made the fireplace instead of the TV our focal point. We hung beautiful artwork above it and incorporated an amazing ottoman coffee table (found at a consignment store) to pull out the darker blues in the artwork and bring in just the right amount of pattern into an otherwise simple space. We also added some classy barrel swivel chairs to give our clients a cozy conversational place to hang out around the fireplace that could also be turned to watch TV when desired.

Get creative with your storage spaces.

One way to make your home look more spacious and sophisticated is to get creative with your storage spaces. For example, we absolutely love the way this custom floating cabinet turned out in our client’s living room! We felt it was the perfect modern touch to contrast with more traditional trim throughout the home. Here are a few other furniture pieces to consider selecting for additional storage space: 

• Multi-use bench with drawers or a seat that opens up

• A storage ottoman for extra blankets or pillows

• A coffee table with storage below for reading material or otherwise

• An end table with a drawer for remotes or pens, etc.

Mix up and balance your finishes.

A great way to make your home feel like it came straight out of a magazine is to decorate with a mix of finishes. Hold on, hold on—before you start mixing and matching furniture with abandon (which we do recommend over purchasing a matching set of furniture), consider the balance of the finishes around the space. For example, if you introduce a light wood like the dining table in the room above, use that finish again somewhere across the room like we did in the TV console doors. You can’t see it in the photo, but our client has a white console with a black top in their entryway, so we balanced that with the white frame of the TV console. We also added touches of black with the dark coffee table and the dining chairs to balance the black of the TV and the dark wood on the floors.

Make bold statements.

The living room is a great place to make a bold design statement and there are so many ways you can do this! 

Take our first photo for example. High contrast of the black brick fireplace in this beautiful white living room makes a bold modern statement which is softened by some pretty muted blues and punctuated with modern angular art.

Here we chose to hang very bold artwork and opted for a bold blue velvet sofa to match. 

If you’re looking to make a statement without going too bold, try giving your living room a little pizzazz by painting an accent wall. Here we chose to paint the back of the bookshelves to match the fireplace tile. Then we tied the rug in by adding some custom pillows that pull all the colors together. Which brings us to our next tip…

Use pillows to tie in other decor elements. 

Pillows have another important function beyond comfort.  Throw pillows can be used to tie other decor elements (like paintings and photographs) in your living room together. Incorporating throw pillows is one of the easiest ways to add style to your living room and can make a dramatic difference in creating a cohesive and complete look. Pro tip: let your throw pillows have their own personality, but make sure to coordinate the colors in the pillows with the colors around the room and vary the scale in the patterns you use.  Here we used a large striped mused with a solid as well as a small block print blue pillow.

Complete the look with accessories.

It’s amazing how adding accessories can make your living room feel complete. Here’s a snippet of a family room where we layered the coffee table with a tray, box to hide remotes, books and a few decorative objects that tied together the natural finishes and golden shimmer, all in the same spot. We topped it off with a little greenery to bring the home to life!

At Viève Interiors, it is our mission to help homeowners love where they live because happy homes are the most beautiful homes! If you need help creating a living room that you absolutely love to come home to, contact us! 

Save this blog post for later on your Pinterest Living Room Ideas Board!

Turn Your Orange County Living Room into a Winter Wonderland

[Insert instrumentals] “Sleigh bells ring, are you listenin'? In the lane, snow is glistenin', a beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland...” (If singing in your head is not enough, here’s a link to Michael Bublé’s version of “Winter Wonderland” 😉)

A lot of people dream of having a white winter—but living in Orange County, California, means a white winter is next to impossible. Unless...you bring your winter wonderland inside your home...

With the help of our interior design tips, you can easily turn your Orange County living room into an elegant winter wonderland this season! 

Here are our 5 tips to turn your Orange County living room into a winter wonderland:

1. Change your Colors for the Season

If you want to achieve that classy look of a winter wonderland, add as much white as possible into your living room. To accent, add splashes of cream, gold and silver. These colors help to and depth and dimension and elevate the interior design of your living room for the entire winter season. You can also opt for clear, shiny and/or sparkly accent pieces. 

Start by giving your sofa a makeover. Throw on a slipcover, change your throw pillows, and add a new cozy blanket. In fact, we found beautiful white throws and pillows at west elm. We also recommend warming up cold toes by adding a furry white rug this winter season. For more tips on how to make your home feel cozy this season, check out or blog. 

2. Make Use of Your Fireplace & Furniture

There is nothing like a roaring fire to help bring the outdoors inside, so be sure to make good use of your fireplace this winter. Display extra wood by the fireplace for both functionality and style. Decorate your mantle with frosted greenery or snow-dusted pine cones, or a collection of white candles on light wood, silver or gold candlestick holders and fake white trees. 

Bottom line: have fun! Decorate your coffee table, side tables, and entertainment units with pieces that you really love. This time of year, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding decorations that fit within the winter wonderland color palette. So, shop around. We love to incorporate winter animal figurines in gold or silver like these cute but classy 9" Silver Reindeer from Crate & Barrel to help bring the feeling of a winter wonderland inside.

3. Create a Snowy Space

To make your home feel like a true winter wonderland, create a snowy space. Use cotton batting or other artificial snow products for your tables, mantels and other areas in your living room. For a shimmering effect, spray your fake snow with a glitter spray. You can also frost your windows with spray snow for an extra wintery touch. 

For this tip, we’ve included a couple specific ideas. Lay down a sheet of fake snow and create a snowy village by placing white, ceramic homes down. You can put your village in the entryway of your home or across the mantel. Handmade Ceramic Christmas Village Houses from Pottery Barn could be exactly what your winter wonderland is missing. 

We got our next suggestion from eHow: “An option for centerpieces or vases is to use floral gel crystals. Look for them in the floral section of a craft store. Water mixed with the crystals turns it into a snowlike texture. Place it in a shallow bowl and arrange candles or glass Christmas ornaments in it for a festive centerpiece.” 

4. Dress Up a Fake Tree 

While we love the smell of a real douglas fir, our next tip for turning your Orange County living room into a winter wonderland is this: consider purchasing a fake tree that is white or snow-dusted.

Then, dress your tree to the nines! Remember, to keep with the winter wonderland theme, choose white, cream, gold and/or silver ornaments. You can also decorate with clear glass, shiny or sparkly ornaments to make your tree the real star of the show! Ornaments can also be snow-themed such as snowmen, snowballs, or snowflakes. We recommend these beautiful Hammond Ornaments from Anthropology. For your tree topper, consider either a silver or gold star.

Lastly, swap out your traditional-colored tree skirt for a solid cream or white, or consider one with gold or silver accents.

5. Add Twinkly Lights Everywhere

For the final touch, add twinkly lights anywhere and everywhere in your living room during the winter season. This will bring your winter wonderland to life and light up decorations so they really stand out. Sprinkle some glittering lights on the mantle in between your decorations, throughout your holiday tree, and inside the snow you have placed throughout your home. The Electric LED String Lights from West Elm will work perfectly to enhance your winter wonderland, especially if used throughout the snow.

If you’re looking to stage your home for the winter season, or a special occasion, we’d love to help! To get started, set up a consultation with Viève Interiors today.