Mix it Up with Throw Pillows

There’s something to be said for investing in neutral large furniture items. I mean, sure, a bold polka dot sofa might be a fun statement piece initially, but you’d likely tire of its “graphicality” before it wore out physically…and what an expensive replacement that is! Fortunately, there are other ways to infuse style, personality, and punch into a space without breaking the bank.

One obvious (and my personal favorite) go-to items to incorporate trends are throw pillows, particularly when they mix pattern and color to keep a space interesting, fresh, and fun.

Bright pillow design

This grouping of throw pillows playfully incorporates floral and geometric prints of various scales, with a solid blue thrown in for good measure. The palette is confined to two colors – red and blue – with some neutrals mixed in, which keeps the pillows looking cohesive and intentional but also not “matchy-matchy.”

Bright pillow design

This sparse, serene space certainly embraces minimalism at its core. But to keep that oatmeal-colored sofa from looking like, well, plain ol’ oatmeal, patterned throw pillows add just enough flavor without stealing the show. (We still noticed the sexy sofa legs, didn’t we?) Having small, mid, and large scale prints helps the pillows to work together and with the space as a whole.

Bright pillow design

If you don’t have chair envy after looking at this marmalade ikat wingback, well, I don’t know what to say. The chair itself is a statement piece, but it’s highlighted even more with this eye-catching fuchsia lumbar pillow. The bright pillow rockets the chair (and maybe even the entire space!) into its own sphere of equal parts chic and cozy.

Bright pillow design

Animal print, plaid (in a way), floral, and solid pillows are a perfect flourish to set off a hot pink headboard. (As if a hot pink headboard needs setting off!) With their mixed patterns, the pillows work to add sophistication to the bedroom while embracing an obvious love of the unexpected. The bright colors of the pillows work well with that fantastically b&w wallpapered bathroom.

Bright pillow design

Picking up colors from the contemporary geometric rug, this throw pillow grouping takes this look into the next level. The color palette ties everything together while allowing each individual pillow to “run wild,” in a sense. Again, we have diversity in print scale, which simultaneously delights and eases our psyches…ultimately allowing us to drink in the beautiful view from those gorgeous windows.

Bright pillow design

Last but certainly not least, this white slipcovered couch is infused with a sense of an outdoor garden with its mix of multi-colored floral pillows. Keeping the print contents and color tones similar, while changing up the size and actual colors of florals, is an eye-catching way to draw us in. Very casual chic.

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.