How to style your cushions
Cushions. Some people love them, some people hate them, and some people struggle to style them. Here’s how to style your cushions and fall back in love with them.
I love adding the finishing touches to a room. I really struggled when we were renovating our home because money was going into buying tools or skirting board and not plants or cushions. It took us a long time to get our house looking as we wanted it.
Despite what some people might think, cushions are a huge part of your decor. A few simple cushions positioned around the place can provide a combination of additional colours and patterns, offering style and elegance that might have previously been missing.
This post is for people who struggle to style their cushions, whether on a bed or sofa, and how you can fix this.
Why choose cushions?
Cushions are one of the most popular soft home furnishings, offering an inexpensive way to provide some decoration and the finishing touch to a room, all with just a little bit of carefully selected fabric.
The average living room often ends up having a multitude of odds and ends dumped in it. With lots of use, wear and tear can leave things looking a bit boring and jaded. For some, the solution is to slap on a fresh coat of paint, lay new carpet and get a new sofa, all of which comes with a fairly hefty price tag.
A few cushions at a fraction of the price can though be equally effective and far simpler. Chosen correctly, the right cushions can bring life and harmony to your room, though getting the selection right can be a more complicated process than you might think.
How to choose the right cushions
People have a natural tendency to pick out things that match with what’s already there. I know I definitely do this. But when it comes to cushions, this is generally a mistake.
Your cushions should contrast from the colour of your sofa. This could be in style, colour or pattern. You’re trying to make them stand out, not blend in with what’s already there.
Kimberly from Swoon Worthy has just repainted her living room since moving in a few months ago. I’ve always loved her bold use of colour and patterns to create a glamorous boho home.
I think lots of people (I definitely do this) think that their sofa cushions need to be symmetrical. You’ll buy either two or four and make sure they match on both sides of the sofa. Kimberly proves that this isn’t always the best way.
She’s got three completely different cushions. They’re different in colour, pattern, texture and size, but it works. Pink and green is a combination I’ve always loved. It’s what I chose to use in our home office.
The ideal colours will match and complement those existing within the room already, while definitely being a different colour than the sofa itself. Whether buying retail from your local store or getting cushion pads wholesale, never be afraid to ask for suggested input from experienced staff.
How many cushions should you have on one sofa?
Once you’ve decided on a pattern or colour scheme, you need to figure out how many cushions you want.
Much of this is going to come back to the size of the room in question and the amount of furniture already in it. Part of it will come down to individual taste. If you find yourself having to move multiple cushions in order to be able to sit down, or that your guests remain standing as they don’t want to disturb your pile of cushions, you might have overdone it.
Obviously the bigger the sofa, the more cushions it can take. The photo above shows a large L-shaped sofa which will be able to take lots of cushions, and lots of bold patterns/colours.
If, like Kimberly, your sofa is a bright colour, then you can use the cushions to tone the colour down.
How to properly arrange your cushions
The next step is choosing how to arrange your cushions. How will you lay them out? What formation do you want to pick?
It comes back to not only picking more than one colour of cushion, but more than one size as well and coordinating them for maximum effect.
One popular option is to choose a couple of matching square solid colours and place them to the left and right of the sofa. Two additional smaller patterned cushions placed in front provide a good offset (as in the header image). More might work equally well, with an odd number of smaller cushions preferred.
Don’t be afraid to play around with your cushions. You can always buy them, take them home and see if you like them. If you don’t, simply return them or see if they’ll work in a different room, such as on your bed.
Cushions are supposed to be fun. They add vibrancy and colour to a room so don’t be afraid to go bold. Style your cushions with confidence!
