Yes, in fact, there IS such a thing as too many throw pillows. Some signs that your couch or bed suffers from grandusthrowpillowitis include:
- You can’t sit or lay down without a full pillow removal process.
- Guests often stand, rather than sit, because they are afraid of ruining your pillow arrangement.
- You have a designated cabinet where the pillows live after you remove them…and there’s overflow.
Throw pillows are one of the most versatile accents around, but there is a point where ?? throw pillows is too many.
Do You Suffer From Too Many Throw Pillows? Tips For Reigning it In
Notice I didn’t site a specific number? That’s because there isn’t one. The number of pillows that’s right for your couch or bed is completely determined the size of the furniture, its use and even the set-up of the room it’s in. In some cases, the bed may not have too many pillows, but the pillows may be too many for the room – creating a cluttered look.
Here are some guidelines to keep your accent pillow population under control:
Be practical. Believe it or not, Houzz actually polled followers and readers regarding how many throw pillows were too many. Of course, the answers varied from none, to as many as you want. But most people seem to think that more than three to six pillows becomes excessive – mainly, because the pillows become impractical at that point. So, rather than choosing a number, think in terms of practicality and furnishing function. If the pillows obstruct a guest’s ability to sit or lay down without a rigmarole, it’s probably time to ix-nay some illow-pays.
Can they serve a second purpose? In some cases, a couple of extra throw pillows on a bed make for excellent bolstering if you are a bed reader, TV watcher, journaler or crafter. So, if you’re going to use the pillows on a fairly regular basis, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have an extra one or two looking pretty and at the ready.
Consider using 3. There is something about the number three. It’s everywhere in nature and is also visible in art. It’s sort of like a “magic design number.” This is why you often see throw pillows or couch accent pillows in sets of three. On a bed, you may have two that sit side-by-side with the third, extra smaller pillow that sits right in front – centered along the crack made by the first two. On a couch or love seat, this translates to one on each side and a complementary one in the middle. If you are a lover of throw pillows, this may be the perfect arrangement for you – enough to make a visual impact and boost a room’s style, but not so many that they become an inconvenience.
What overall impression do they make? Take an objective look at your accent pillow arrangement(s), or have a style-savvy friend come over to lend a constructively critical eye. You may find that eliminating one or too, especially if you’ve gone a little too bold or heavy with colors and patterns, may be just the type of downsizing you need.
When staging a home… If you are staging a home for sale or for rent, the accent pillow limits can be thrown out of the window, especially in the bedroom. A nicely proportioned arrangement of throw pillows – even if they are layered – can make a positive impression. Perhaps this is why designers were typically the fan of larger accent pillow limits in the aforementioned Houzz survey; they know what clients like to see.
Could your home design benefit from a positively critical eye? Consider consulting with a professional interior designer. A one-hour consultation can provide an amazing array of tips and tricks using what you’ve got to make your home look its very best.