some times you have to Just Say No to pillow madness, on beds and couches. use art on the walls to bring in the other colors.

I'm comfortable saying take off all the pillows until you can sit on the couch comfortably. Add no more. It should be quality, not quantity. Go big on color.

I have a friend that has a large wicker bin to throw pillows in when they sit on the couch and when visitors come they put the pillows back..It's preference.

If you are trying to perk up a very neutral room, and pillows are the main focus, you will end up with lots of pillows.

If you plan the room with a color scheme in mind from the start, and incorporate color in art, accent pieces, area rugs, etc - you can use less pillows.

In a very deep sofa, having extra pillows is helpful to people who aren't as tall, or uncomfortable lounging on a sofa - smaller people can fill the gap, where taller people are more comfortable in a deep seating sofa.

The fill of the pillows can drastically change the comfort level of a pillow. (I think that everyone has experienced that poly-filled pillow that sits like a hockey puck on the sofa) - that being said, even with the squishiest of down, there is a limit to how many pillows are comfortable. Varied sizes and shapes can also help to give you nice color and pattern, without being over whelming.

Thank you for your comments and thoughts. I think I like my first couch that I am showing you on the picture I have attached. The one change I am thinking of making is to replace the red pillows with burnt orange type color pillows - but that color seems hard to find. In this way, I am pulling the colors from the pictures above the couch. What do you think of this pillow arrangement?

With the pattern on your sofa, I like the solid reds (In the photo, they look to be a similar color to what's in the art above - the blue patterned pillow, while bringing out the color of the matting - is a pattern that fights the damask pattern of the sofa. I would probably suggest something like a stripe. and then a terra cotta/burnt orange solid. try squares at the arm and lumbar in the middle.

Hi Michelle, Thank you so much for your constructive suggestions. I also wondered if the blue pillow seemed too busy as well. I like your idea about the stripe, and the burnt orange pillows. I think the pillows really add a lot of color to a room. So getting the right colors is important. Thanks for your help!

You are welcome! If you find some fabrics and pillows, and want to get some input, post the images up here!

Just sit on the pillows!... To me, that's a lot more comfortable.

Have the pillows made with a down fill which will make the pillows softer and easy to sit up against!

With a sofa that size I think you could easily add a couple more pillows and still find the perfect balance between looks and comfort. 5 in total would be good. I would add another with a similar tonal balance as the blue you already have and then add 3 bolder brighter ones much like the boldness of the red ones. I prefer pillows to look randomly placed rather than formally placed. This makes the sofa look more inviting, encouraging you to want to sit there and makes you feel welcome do so. Happy pillow buying