Mastering the art of throwing pillows

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Published Date 9/1/2022

The Rule of Three. Interior decorators heartily believe when it comes to grouping accessories, such as items on an entry table, placing three differently shaped, differently colored and even differently textured items together achieves the best aesthetic. The Rule of Three says that things arranged in odd numbers are more appealing, memorable, and effective than even-numbered groupings. 3, 5, or 7 bar stools work, and if you’re not sure, flip on an HGTV show to see how often this rule is used. But did you know it applies to throw pillows as well?

According to The Spruce’s Valerie Ott, accessorizing with throw pillows is one of the easiest ways to inject style into your living room, family room, or bedroom — even if you’re a guy who doesn’t care about it but is at least willing to learn about it just to impress a date. “Since there are so many affordable, beautiful pillows available, it's a shame to play it safe with just two or three solid-colored pillows—or worse, to limit yourself to the set that came with your couch,” she says.

Matchy-matchy is boring-boring. Pillows don't have to match. In fact, you can achieve a more professional, stylish look if they don’t, says Ott. She offers a few tips if you're not comfortable with your ability to choose pillows, allowing you to quickly refresh your room with a look that is coordinated but not too sleepy. Ott says that it is possible for a room in which not a single pillow matches another in color, pattern or style to look incredibly polished and modern using the Rule of Three to narrow down choices and simplify the process.

First, choose three colors to tell your own "color story.” Pull those colors from other sources in the room, such as the wall color, the rug, your bedding or the curtains. “If you choose a variety of pillows in different patterns, the look will still be cohesive if they at least share the same colors,” says Ott, who offers a few color combos that always look great together, such as dark green + gold + magenta, or sage green + peacock blue + gold. Even black and white with a pop of color like a burnt orange can rock your decor.

Now choose three patterns that contain those colors within them. “It's often simpler to choose your ‘lead’ pattern first, which is generally the largest pattern and the one that contains all three colors in your color story,” says Ott. “Then, the secondary patterns you select can contain just one or two of the colors. It's considerably more difficult to work backward, choosing a lead pattern by using pillows you already have.” She offers the example of a floral + one geometric + one solid color, or a chevron + one dotted + one knit texture. If you’re not into patterns and adore solids, three pillows, one in each color, each with a different texture, such as one tweed, one leather, and one shiny cotton, can do the trick as well.

Ott says once you master the Rule of Three, don’t fret if it just doesn’t look right to you. All rules are made to be broken—especially in design. “If you start mixing and matching your selection of stunning throw pillows following the formula outlined here only to find that four colors work best for you, or that you like two large patterns instead of only one, that's okay. Ultimately, it's only important that you like what you see, so use this Rule of Three only as a jumping-off point for guidance. “You'll see stylish results if you follow the formula, but you need not be afraid to experiment until you find the combination that suits you.”

Ott explains how odd numbers tend to look modern and even numbers suggest traditional. “In most design aesthetics, odd numbers always look more artful, and remember that a smaller number of larger pillows looks fresher than a jumble of smaller ones.” If you’re a traditionalist however, balance is achieved through symmetry, so you can just forget you ever read this article. Just kidding. Interesting always beats boring.

TheSpruce, TBWS

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