How To Mix Fabric Patterns For Throw Pillows

A couple of weeks ago I made all new pillow covers for my family room, and let me tell you, I have a lot of pillows in there. I wanted to mix things up a bit with a little more color and pattern for that relaxed, cottage look. Today I want to share with you how to mix fabric patterns for throw pillows. My first rule is, there are no rules! If you love it, you got it right. But I do want to share a few tips to help guide you to that look you love.

3 Types of Fabric Prints

First, I consider fabrics in three categories:

Large scale floral or geometric

Solid or small print that appears solid from a distance

check or stripe

How To Select Fabric Patterns For Throw Pillows

So how do you select the fabric patterns to mix for throw pillows? Start with a fabric you love, usually the large scale pattern. Mine was this floral. This was actually a vintage table cloth from an estate sale that I cut to make the pillow. If you have a large scale print for window treatments or a piece of furniture, that would be the fabric to start with. My curtains and furniture are all solid and neutral, so I did not have to consider them.

Pull out a color from this fabric that you would like to use in the room. I think the green or the red would be a good choice. I chose this green mini print for my accent color, this could also be a solid.

Then I searched for a stripe or checked fabric as my third fabric pattern. I found this greige ticking stripe that was just perfect.

So those are my three main fabrics. Now if you like, you can start layering in more fabrics. And that’s just what I did. This beige, small check fabric that matches the branch color in the floral fabric was perfect.

I had an antique grain sack that I had planned to use, and then added some flour sack fabric to use as my solids. I know the grain sack has stripes, but I still considered it a solid.

60/30/10 Rule For Mixing Fabric Patterns

Because I was going for a relaxed, less match-y look, I really didn’t consider things like this rule, but I can see how it would be useful. Basically you use 60% of one fabric (usually the large print), 30% percent of a second fabric, and 10% of an accent fabric. Let’s take a look my fabric selections and see how closely they follow this rule. 60% of my pillows would be 7 pillows, 30% would be 3, and 10% would be 1. The grain sack and flour sack could fall into the solid category for my 60%, but that is only 6 pillows. My greige stripe and plaid would be the 30%, and my floral pillow for the 10%. So not that far off from the rule, but I might have two accents, the floral and the green.

How Do You Find Coordinating Throw Pillows Or Fabric?

So now you have an idea of what fabrics you are looking for, how do you find them? I sewed all my pillow covers, so I went to the fabric store. If you are shopping for ready made pillows, the idea is the same. Find or take your inspiration fabric with you, carry it to the accent color area, and just walk and hold it up to different fabrics and see what appeals to you. When you find the accent fabric, search for another print, and so on. In the end, trust your eye, and choose what you love.

How I Styled The Throw Pillows

I tried a couple of asymmetrical looks for the sofa, it just feels more casual to me.

While I was trying not to be overly formal, I did anchor the sofa and the chairs with coordinating pillows. The two grain sack stripe pillows on the ends of the sofa, and the two flour sack pillows on the side by side chairs.

I would also love to put the floral on these two small pillows for a different look, that would change the floral fabric to my 30%.

The 60% fabric (grain sack and flour sack) was carried around the room by using it on each piece of furniture.

Tips For Mixing Fabric Patterns For Throw Pillows

1. Use at least 3 types of fabric patterns
2. Start with an inspiration fabric
3. Find at least two patterns to match the inspiration
4. Consider the fabric on window treatments and furniture if patterned
5. Trust your eye and choose fabrics you love together

How To Choose Throw Pillow Size and Type Of Insert

THRIFTY TIP: One of my favorite things to buy at the thrift store is down/feather pillows. I remove the cover and reuse the inserts. If the cover looks nice, I donate it back!

Down/feather is my personal preference for the pillow insert. You can fluff it up, give it a karate chop in the center, or flatten it for that comfy casual look. When someone leans against it, it will smush and be comfy, but can be fluffed right back up.

Standard size square pillows are 16″, 18″, 20″, or 22″. I used 20 inch inserts for my square pillows. Since this is a standard size, it is easy to find replacement covers to fit when needed. I did use a 24 inch on the leather chair. It has a very deep seat, and just seemed to fit better. So really I suggest choosing what is most comfortable for the size of the furniture. You want to be able to sit down. The accent pillows can be in the size and shape of your choice, however a few larger pillows look better than a lot of small pillows.

Conclusion

I kept it pretty neutral with my fabric choices, but added a lot of interest with the subtle patterns of the “solids”, adding a stripe and check, a pop of color, and a large floral print. It can be confusing to select multiple fabric patterns, which is why you will see a lot of people with all solid throw pillows. I hope these tips and seeing how to mix fabric patterns for throw pillows through my eyes, helps you select throw pillows you love!

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Thanks for stopping by,

Janet