The Secret Formula for Perfect Pillow Arrangements

birdaweez Love it, but what can you do with a sectional. I am looking to revamp my basement and don't have any good ideas for how to arrange the pillows.

gknee Wow..the 'pillow chop' is still in heavy use!

smoore I knew there had to be some secret to great pillow placement! Makes me feel silly for not figuring this out on my own. Great article!

trasgorshek Gknee, I always think of War of The Roses when I see strong pillow chops...lol I love that movie. Birdaweez, for my sectional I usually do 2-3-2 (3in the middle). But right now I'm doing 2-2-2 with a larger pillow in the center. Don't know if either is right or wrong but they just get sat on and squashed no matter what I do. Some days I feel like taking them all off because I get tired of fixing them....

midmodfan I appreciate the advice on how to mix colors and patterns, but at least for my European eyes the arrangement is stiff and artificial. We ridiculed my grandmother's 'pillow chop' - and that was 40 years ago.

Diamondflame Don't overthink it and just experiment with various combinations of size, color, patterns, textures and arrangement. It keeps things fresh. :)

olldroo This is great, thank you. I am not a fan of cushions, they actually annoy me, but I feel my new lounge will need them and I had no idea where to start. This will suit me perfectly.

Marie Meko, Allied ASID Rachel thank for a great selection of pillows in great colors and fabrics.
Marie Meko

patricia beharry the thing about all these pillows. It seems that an expensive sofa or chair was bought to store pillows on. When guests arrive, what to do with all these pillows? The sofa really only can sit one person in the middle, unless you throw all those pillows on the floor; or is the sofa something to look at and not sit on.

olldroo Afraid I am the worst at tossing cushions aside but I have come across many people who are glad of them as extra support for their backs. To each his own I guess. Maybe if a group of visitors is expected, they could be removed in advance and stored.

The Centric Home Too matchy matchy for me

olldroo Centric Home - I can see your point there, some examples do look better than others. Any suggestions to be less structured but not look like 'anything goes'

jrickhoff Too contrived for me as well. I think what is more important than a number-scheme is mixing large print with a smalller print and solids. Since I lean more towards a simple look, I keep the patterns to a minimum. But, I always start with one fabric that I love to pull colors from. Such a personal style statement. Love the differing opinions!

Lene Bargisen Tranberg We never use neither the cushion chop nor the totally symmetric cushion layout anymore. We mix different sizes and shapes and also mix colors, but with a common colorscheme. In my own home I have chosen the cushion colors from a Picasso poster, that adds color to our white sofa.

andieeh Way too contrived and I must be the only one on earth who hates the chop.

olldroo I'm assuming "the chop" is an Americanism - can someone enlighten me please??

trasgorshek Hi Groovygranny, it's referring to the large crease in the middle of the pillow. Many pillows will naturally form one while others need a hand chop in the center to create. There have been a couple of movies that have showed women making the drastic karate chop to their pillows. Great way to let out steam... Lol

trasgorshek I guess I shouldn't call it a crease but more of an indent, the V action happening.

judiepat The picture of the white sofa with blue and white pillows and pumpkin colored throw has a pillow arrangement that has solved the issue of finding enough room for two people to comfortably sit. Previously, I had the 2 smaller pillows near the center of the sofa which made it necessary to rearrange the pillows in order to get comfy. I put a colorful bolster pillow in between and Wow! what a difference. Such a simple solution really!

olldroo Thanks for that Trasgorshek, I thought the cushions looked a bit limp and put it down to the filling. I actually think it makes the cushions look cheap, like the fillings are a bit meagre. I haven't seen that look before and tried it out on a couple of my cushions this morning, they kept bouncing in the air and coming back down quite square. You are right about the workout, definitely has possibilities, LOL!!

I have never decorated with cushions before and am loving all the suggestions here to the point I am almost confused but I think I will keep everything in mind and just let things evolve. Fortunately the fabric I have chosen for my lounge comes as a 4-fabric story, great way to cheat. The lounge will be plain seaspray colour, a co-ordinating floral in shades of seaspray and blues on cream I am having made into an ottoman/coffee table and I was going to use a two tone cream with a tiny seaspray spot for some cushions. The co-ordinating stripe goes into the deeper blues and looks a little top heavy with it all. I have found a matching cream in a silk look fabric for my curtains and am thinking I might get some extra and do a couple of cushions in that. I would like to repeat the floral in some cushions also but it might be a bit much. The guy making the ottoman will give me any left over fabric so I can play around with it and decide. Also considering maybe throwing in a yellow to liven it all up. No wonder my brain is in overload at the moment. Keep the ideas coming.

trasgorshek That sounds beautiful Groovygranny!! You will have to share pics when all is done. I've been contemplating an ottoman/coffee table, I love them, and your fabric colors sound define! Our current table is about ready to bite the dust. There are so many options out there that it makes the mind swirl just trying to choose a simple table.

olldroo Trasgorshek - I am trying to be a bit trendy but not so much that I will get sick of it in a couple of years. I want this to be my last redo before I will probably be forced to downsize. My second daughter really pushed the ottoman as she worries about her kids 6 and 4 doing facial damage if they fall and hit the corner or edge of a coffee table. At the moment too, the timber coffee tables are so huge and heavy, I want something that I can move around easily. I really wanted the lounge colours to be a pretty sky blue, something fresh, but there is just nothing available in this colour fabric at the moment. Hate our lack of choice here, it is either go with the trends or go away. I will have to work out how to download photos for you, maybe a few months yet, I have bathrooms happening to get all the dirty work done while I paint every room an then get carpets laid. Thanks for your support, I really appreciate it.

trasgorshek Groovygranny, you have a lot going on! That's got to be exciting! I know what you mean about fabrics. We have a lot to choose from here but I try to keep within a certain $ per yard (depending on the project) which narrows the selection quite a bit. There's so many beautiful ones, I'm just not willing to spend the cash for them and end up compromising...unfortunately.

I've noticed your posts on other ideabooks, you are always well spoken and sweet. We have friends that retired and relocated to Perth. I don't know if that's anywhere close to you but their pictures are always absolutely gorgeous. Such a beautiful country.

olldroo Oh, thank you Trasgorshek, that is a lovely compliment. I am really enjoying this website and have gained so much from it, I like to return the help when I can. I live in Sydney which is on the other side of Oz to Perth. Hope you do get to visit your friends sometime - now is a great time of year for the wildflowers WA is famous for.

I'm trying to focus on the 'fun and excitement' all this is - some days I wonder, but it is keeping me amused and off the streets. Know what you mean about fabric prices, I have recently found a great discount fabric place near me that looks like a junk yard but is a lot of fun to rummage and the savings are amazing. Good old fashioned service too, they are very generous with swatches and don't mind me taking photos. I am trying to do everything on a strict budget but I am really enjoying the challenge. Don't you feel at times that those who can just buy whatever they want are missing out on a lot??

trasgorshek It's funny you say that Groovygranny, I think that all the time. In my mind it's easy to make something beautiful if you have unlimited resources, but a lot more difficult if you have to work within a budget. It forces you to get creative and not cookie cutter, which is a huge bonus. When I see some of the huge estates on Houzz I truly do feel like they missed out. Personally, I would have never sewed a single thing, painted a canvas or tiled a floor if I could have paid someone else to do it. But, I've learned so much and have had so much fun. Hopefully I'm illustrating something to my children. We live in a very high falutin community where many children (and adults) feel their entitled to certain things. My prayer is through watching mom do certain things they will realize you have to work for what you want and creativity comes in many forms...or, maybe they just think mom is crazy but one can hope, right?:)

The store you mentioned sounds like a hidden jewel! I love coming upon them, you never know what you will find. So much fun! I, too, love this site and find it interesting how the smallest things spark certain debates. Thank you for taking time out to chat, it has been a joy talking with you!

mrsben Very informative Rachel! Thank you. (Have it bookmarked.) Accent cushions to me has always been an economical resource to add colour, pattern and texture to what might be an otherwise monochromatic colour scheme speaking of which, if one has any old feathered bedding pillows; accent throw pillows are a great way to recycle them. In respect to 'the chop' I say, 'to each their own' however by those who sew, they were "once-upon-a-time many, many years ago" referred to as dog-ear pillows and a 'no-no'. Ü

olldroo And you too, Trasgorshek, kindred spirits I think. My girls are all in their 40s now and despite high ideals in their 20s and 30s are coming down to earth now and appreciating the satisfaction gained from DYI - even ask me for advice!!

Definitely, this afternoon after I had put 2 coats of paint on the ensuite ceiling and my shoulders and knees were screaming for mercy I could have gladly called a painter but then I looked at the ceiling and got the warm fuzzies of satisfaction, my pains quietened down and I'm ready for the walls tomorrow.

I'm afraid I look at the grand estates and think one word "Cleaning". I know people in these places can afford staff, but I'm a little weird - while I am physically capable, my home is my personal private space on earth and cleaners are an invasion of that privacy. To me a home is only a house if it needs staff to maintain it on a daily basis.

Look forward to the next article.

njgf Please stop the karate chopping of helpless cushions! It is cruel. And besides that it makes the place look over designed and unlived in. Some asymimetry would be nice too.

peterjh1964 This cracks me up! I am so grateful for this article. I have a friend who has so many pillows on his sofa that there is no place to sit without removing some of them first. I wanted to send him to Pillow Anonymous but this might save him instead.

Bravo!

amdillerdesigns I love the fabrics and the arrangements of pillows! but I hate the karate chop look.

trasgorshek Groovygranny we are kindred spirits on opposite sides of the earth! I'm around your daughters age and know that you are me in the future. I don't think I will ever change and will continue to insist on doing certain things myself. You made my day! Take care of your shoulders and knees, and cheers to you!

astraea I think that "pillow chop" is the most ridiculous affectation I've seen in a while! I remember watching "Million Dollar Listing" on Bravo, where the realtor with OCD (no longer on the show), insisted on "karate chopping" every pillow in sight .. even after his co-lister told him enough was enough! How silly; why should pillows have to have a crease or "sag" like that?1

Joanne Valenti Do the same thing with a sectional. I use a longer lumbar pillow in the center and two square pillows at each end, 16" and 20". Forget the pillow chop, just get down pillow inserts and plump them up!

smynchi I don't agree, but I am not a designer, just a pillow fanatic. This formula can look static and boring. Arrangements should complement the bed or sofa shape, and pillow sizes can vary, depending on fabric and pattern. more imagination is needed here!

Joanne Valenti I don't think pillows on a sofa are the focal point of a room. They're just another accessory.
I agree they should complement the style of a sofa and the room, but the 2-2-1 is just a guideline. It won't look boring with the other accessories and decor in the room.

Laurel Ennis I will never understand why people pile up pillows on a sofa so that in order to sit down you have to remove them and put them on the floor. It is is a place to sit, why pile stuff on it? People say it looks "inviting". What would look inviting to me is to see that there is somewhere to sit without a collection of things on it. Silliness.

olldroo It is definitely all about finding a happy medium, as you say Laurel, moving cushions to find a place to sit is crazy but a couple of cushions to add some colour or interest to a room is not unrealistic. Remember too, it is fine for stylists and decorators to add piles of cushions for staging a room, they do look great in photos, but in reality, cushions are not cheap, how many of us can even afford to spend hundreds of dollars more on a room for such a basically useless item. I would rather spend the money on a nice lamp or a piece of artwork.

I have really enjoyed this article, thank you Rachel, it has helped me enormously with my new lounge room.

Mackenzie Austin Design I had just finished reading the houzz article '9 Pointers for Perfectly Styled Pillows' ..."rule #9. Don't Karate Chop. Whatever you do, don't karate chop your pillows. No exceptions."




lol

olldroo That is bizarre!! I only found that article last night, I like the "no need for martial arts", gave me a good laugh. I did enjoy the simplicity of some of the arrangements too.

gillianne I see the logic and benefit of symmetry, and it's nice to have rules to make decorating easier. To my taste, though, that's often just too many pillows for comfort and actual use, no matter how attractive it may look. Depends on the size and style of the sofa and the family's lounging preferences. (I was glad to see the absence of karate chopped pillows in some images. Allergies make down and feather pillows a no-no around here, and firm foam or batting pillows don't "chop.")

jojo132 I normally wouldn't post a negative comment but really can't resist just this once! I reckon this should read how NOT to arrange cushions, found most of the examples boring and uninspiring, and, as for the pillow chop..... Enough said!

The Pillow Studio I recently used your suggestion of asymmetrical pillow placement for a window seat- it was a magical change! Thanks so much!