How to Select the Perfect Color for Your Decorative Throw Pillows

Expert Interior Design Tips on Selecting the Perfect Color for Decorative Throw Pillows

Mustard yellow and stripe decorative throw pillow set of 5 on sofa — Learn how to select the perfect color for your decorative throw pillows using a variety of methods.

With decorative throw pillows being a home decor must have, many would love to know the key to styling with them. The main question is, “which color should I go with?” After all, color is the first feature you notice with any accent. As much as we would love to give a standard answer on what color you should pick for your decorative throw pillows, the reality is it’s not that simple. There are so many factors. This is why we came up with an expert guide that shows you how to select the perfect color for your decorative throw pillows. You can decide based on neutral tones, bright colors, your home decor style and more. Take a deep dive into our amazing guide to see which route is best for you when deciding the perfect color for your decorative throw pillows.

1. Neutral Colors

The most popular colors for decorative throw pillows are neutral tone such as black, white, gray and beige. This is because these colors have the ability to match with any style or interior design. However, simply selecting a neutral tone for your throw pillow won’t quite complete the look. Let’s take a deep dive into these different shades, what they represent and which one is best for your interiors.

Black Decorative Throw Pillows

Black decorative throw pillows are a great choice for selecting the perfect color for decorative throw pillows for multiple reasons. They’re universal, versatile and complements any home decor theme you can think of. However, some interior design styles work better with black throw pillows than others. If you’re looking to create any of the styles listed below, a black throw pillow would be a great pick for you:

Modern home decor = All black throw pillows or predominantly printed black throw pillows.
Sophisticated home decor = All black throw pillows are ideal for this look.
Elegant home decor = Either all black throw pillows or black throw pillows with a secondary color such as white.

White Decorative Throw Pillows

White decorative throw pillows are a very common and a universal color for decorating with throw pillows. Like black throw pillows, they go well with any home decor theme and can be combined with any color or undertone. Some of the best home decor styles for white throw pillows are:

Traditional home decor = All white or predominantly white throw pillows.
Modern home decor = Ideal with all white throw pillows.
Elegant home decor = Predominantly white or white throw pillows with 1-2 secondary colors as well are great for this theme. A white and black throw pillow blend is the most ideal look for this theme.

Black and white decorative throw pillow handmade with black button in center — A white and black decorative throw pillow print is perfect for a modern or elegant home decor theme.

Gray Decorative Throw Pillows

Gray Decorative throw pillows are another neutral tone that’s very popular amongst decorators. Similar to black and white, these decorative throw pillows goes great with any interior design style or tone you want to set in the home. If you’re interested in selecting gray throw pillows to help spruce up your home, below are a list of the home decor themes they work with the best:

Traditional home decor = Great for dark or standard gray throw pillows.
Minimalist home decor = Perfect with light shades of gray decorative throw pillows, but also work with darker tones.
Coastal home decor = Predominantly gray with one other soft tone works best for this look

Beige Decorative Throw Pillows

Like their neutral tone counterparts, beige throw pillows are a favorite amongst home owners and decorators due to their amazing versatility and timeless style. You can add beige throw pillows to any interior design style one can think of. It’s really all about the look and message you desire to create in your home. Some of the top home decor styles you should consider if you want to go with beige throw pillows are:

Modern home decor = Ideal for solid beige tone decorative throw pillows that are apart of a set. Preferably a throw pillow set of 3 since that’s the standard number, especially for a modern home decor theme.
Elegant home decor = Great for a predominantly beige throw pillow or a beige throw pillow with a print on it, such as a floral or stripe pattern.
Sophisticated home decor = Works best with beige throw pillows that are paired with 1-2 other tones, but not too many additional colors.

Floral print beige decorative throw pillow — A predominantly beige throw pillow with a soft pattern like this floral design is perfect for an elegant interior theme.

2. Earth Tone Colors

Earth tone colors are another group that are popular when selecting a color for decorative throw pillows. A lot of home decorators and interior designers like to use these type of shades because they add depth, character and beauty to the home. They also complement a lot of neutral tones and help to bring many design themes to life. Read our list below of the most common earth tone colors and which ones works best for you when selecting the perfect for your decorative throw pillows.

Brown Decorative Throw Pillows

One of the most popular earth tone colors is brown. If you’re looking to bring the beauty of nature to your living space brown decorative throw pillows are a great choice. They complement a variety of home decor themes and interior styles. However, there are some themes that were simply made for brown throw pillows. They include:

Luxury home decor = Looks beautiful with a multiple shades of brown or brown throw pillows mixed with gold.
Rustic home decor = Works best with darker shades of brown or two-tone brown throw pillows.
Sophisticated home decor = Great for brown throw pillows that are lighter shades or brown throw pillows that have another color styled with it

Green Decorative Throw Pillows

Green decorative throw pillows is another earth tone color that many love to style with. The relaxation and beauty this beloved color brings to indoors makes it a favorite among home makers to style with. When deciding which color you should choose for your decorative throw pillows try going with green to create the following home decor styles listed below:

Solid tone green throw pillow set of 2 — Green throw pillows are beautiful earth tones that help to set a variety of tones in the home including a natural theme, calming effect and more.

Natural home decor = Perfect for standard and/or darker shades of green decorative throw pillows since they help to align with natural elements such as leaves and plants.
Farmhouse home decor = Great for light to medium tone green decorative throw pillows such as lime or mint green. Also great for green throw pillows that have a soft pattern on them.
Cultural home decor = Works best with any shade of green that has multiple colors attached to it. This could be a blend of green, yellow, gray and white. Or green with brighter tints such as orange, purple and blue. African and Asian inspired green throw pillows are great examples for this theme.

Bright green throw pillow set of 2 with oriental print design — Bright green throw pillows with other colorful tones such as orange, yellow and tan are perfect for a cultural design theme, such as this oriental decorative pillow set of 2.

Blue Decorative Throw Pillows

Blue decorative throw pillows are another popular choice for styling with earth tone colors. With blue being a beloved and admired color with so many shades to offer. It’s no wonder it’s one of the most common choices for decorative throw pillows. Blue is a great color to choose for decorative throw pillows, especially if you desire to create any of the looks listed below:

Traditional home decor = Lighter to medium shades of blue are perfect for a simple yet welcoming traditional interior design.
Coastal home decor = Light blue decorative throw pillows with a floral or paisley pattern are great for this theme.
Sophisticated home decor = Standard to dark blue throw pillows such as navy and royal tones are ideal for completing this home decor style.

Blue throw pillow set of 4 sitting on white chair — Blue throw pillows are another earth tone color that’s great for bringing a soothing and peaceful essence into the home.

3. Bright Colors

If you want to add personality and boldness to your home then selecting decorative throw pillows that have bright colors is a great route to go. If you’re trying to figure out the perfect color for your throw pillow then understanding the benefits and functionalities of these bright tones will make your decision so much easier and fun.

Red Decorative Throw Pillows

Arguably the most popular bright color, red throw pillows are simply amazing for adding color, creativity and passion in your home. Although not considered a neutral tone. There’s still so much versatility and universal appeal with the color red. A red decor pillow will match so many interior design themes and resonate with so many accents that are already in one’s home. If you’re having trouble trying to figure out a great color for your decorative throw pillows red is a great choice with the following themes:

Red paisley throw pillow set of 2 with beaded trim — Red decorative throw pillows with design patterns and additional colors are great for a sophisticate or upscale theme.

Art deco home decor = A bright cherry red throw pillow set accompanied with 1-2 undertones would be ideal for this design theme.
Modern home decor = Solid red throw pillows mixed with other solid colors such as black or white would be great for a modern styled home.
Sophisticated home decor = Standard and darker shade of red mixed with a secondary color is great to complete this theme.

Yellow Decorative Throw Pillows

Add confidence, youth and a sense of optimism to your home with yellow decorative throw pillows. If you desire to go for a lighthearted and welcoming look in your home, then a yellow throw pillow is a great choice. It’s like a warm, cozy pop of sunshine that sits in your living room. There are a variety of themes yellow throw pillows resonate with. However, below are the top 3 interior styles:

Artistic home decor = Bright shades of yellow throw pillows mixed with other warm colors such as orange and green are perfect for this theme.
Whimsical home decor = A variety of shades of yellow along with other playful colors such as pink, purple and blue are great for creating this look. Yellow throw pillows with a cheerful patterns such as polka dots or zig zags are also perfect for this theme.
Farmhouse home decor = Pale shades of yellow throw pillows are ideal for this interior design theme.

Yellow decorative throw pillow with large flower in center — Yellow decorative throw pillows are perfect for adding sunshine, creativity and youthfulness to the home.

Purple Decorative Throw Pillows

Purple throw pillows are perfect for bringing a variety of tones to the home with their versatility and feminine presence.

Another bright and highly admired color that’s great to design decorative throw pillows with is purple. Purple throw pillows brings a touch a royalty, sophistication and femininity to your home. There’s so many layers and voice types within the many shades of purple. Making this color great for a variety of home decor styles and perfect for elevating a number of rooms in the home. Not only does purple throw pillows allow you to bring beauty and creativity to your living room. You can also add exotic flair to your bedroom. If you’ve ever wonder, “how do I decorate the bed with throw pillows?”, adding a rich and polish yet playful tone like purple is a great start. Below are some of the best interior design styles that will complement your purple throw pillows if you decide to go with this color:

Shabby chic home decor = Light and pale shades of purple such as lavender and lilac are perfect for this design style.
Glam style home decor = Standard purple mixed with metallic tones such as silver or gold would go great with this home decor theme.
Sophisticated home decor = Dark shades of purple blended with 1-2 other tones goes great with this theme, or purple throw pillows with a soft pattern print.

Beautiful mermaid purple bedroom throw pillow — Purple throw pillows are also great for bedroom decorating. Like this pretty mermaid inspired purple and blue large throw pillow.

Orange Decorative Throw Pillows

When deciding which color to go with for a decorative throw pillow, if you want to bring fun and bright energy go with an orange option. Orange throw pillows are great for adding enthusiasm and positivity to any living space. The best home decor styles to help exhibit these characteristics are:

Artsy home decor = Any shade of orange will work for this theme but brighter shades mixed with other colors works best.
Whimsical home decor = Light shades of orange such as jasper and pastel along with other bright tones like yellow, green and blue are perfect for creating this lovable interior style.
Cultural home decor = Standard or darker shades of orange are ideal for a cultural interior design. An orange throw pillow with 1-2 additional colors such as yellow and green would go great for an African or Asian inspired interior style.

Bright orange umbrella shaped pillow with multiple colors — Bright orange throw pillows with a variety of secondary colors like this umbrella shaped accent are great for an artsy or cultural interior style.

Pink Decorative Throw Pillows

Another popular and much loved bright color for decorative throw pillows is the color pink. If you desire to bring love, elegance, passion and a touch of femininity into your home. Then selecting pink throw pillows would be perfect for you. The best home decor themes to style your pink decorative throw pillows around are:

Shabby chic home decor = Pale pink shades such as blush and baby pink throw pillows are perfect for this dainty home decor theme.
Glam style home decor = Pink decorative throw pillows combined with metallic tones such as silver or gold is great for this theme.
Artsy home decor = Bright pink throw pillow shades like magenta and hot pink mixed with other bold tones are ideal for completing this interior style.

Pink floral print decorative throw pillow — Soft pink throw pillows with a floral print are excellent for creating a shabby chic design in the home.

Multi Color Decorative Throw Pillows

Although there are countless solid tone throw pillows that many enjoy designing with. We also have to remember the many vibrant, multi color decorative throw pillows that instantly bring beauty and charm into the home. The great thing about multi color pillows is their ability to adapt to any home decor style, and bring out any color you decide to go with. If you have a multi color throw pillow that has about 6 tones in it all ranging from pink, blue, purple, black, yellow and lime green. You can decide as the decorator which color you want to make the dominant tone that stands out. It all depends on your personality and voice you want to create for your home. Some of the top interior design themes you may want to consider when selecting multi color throw pillows are:

Multi-color throw pillow set of 3 sitting on white couch — Multi color throw pillows are ideal for creating an artistic or bohemian interior design to your living space.

Artistic home decor
Bohemian home decor
Hollywood regency home decor
Creative home decor
Cultural home decor

4. Choosing Your Decorative Throw Pillows by Popular Sofa Colors

When trying to figure out how to find the perfect color for your decorative throw pillows, another method you can choose is by the color of your sofa. This is a good method when you want to find throw pillows that will accommodate what you already have in your home which is your couch or sofa. When choosing this method to find the right color for your pillows, ask yourself are you going for a monochromatic or contrast look. Monochromatic is when you choose a color that’s in the same family as the dominant color. Contrast is when you select a color that’s opposite of the dominant color, yet they still go together well. Below are a list of the most popular sofa colors and how you should select the color of your decorative throw pillows to complement them.

Gray Sofas

According to interior design specialists (like Rachel Edwards of Country Living Magazine) and many other sources, gray is the single most popular color for sofas. This means if you’re looking to add decorative throw pillows to your sofa but not sure which color to select. You may want to make sure the color of your pillows works well with gray. The great thing about this is gray is a neutral color so you have many options to work with.

Dark gray sofa with neutral tone decorative throw pillows on it — Gray is the most popular color sofa making it a great muse to style your decorative throw pillows around.

Monochromatic look = To achieve this look go for decorative throw pillows that are either lighter or darker shades of gray. If your sofa is a light gray, add dark gray throw pillows. If your sofa is dark gray add light gray pillows to it. You can also go for monochromatic look with pillows that have gray and another secondary color in them.
Contrast look = To add the perfect color decorative throw pillows to your gray sofa while creating a beautiful contrast, use colors such as red, yellow or a bright blue.

Beige Sofas

The second most popular color for a sofa is beige. This is another universal neutral that can be elevated in a variety of ways. There are endless decorative throw pillows that will complement this sofa whether you’re going for a monochromatic or contrast look.

Beige sofa with brown pillows styled on it — A beautiful monochromatic look for a beige sofa is to add brown and other similar shade throw pillows on it.

Monochromatic look = Add a mix of decorative throw pillows that are light brown shades such as tan, cream and khaki. You can also add a beige decorative throw pillow that has a print pattern to bring a touch of personality to your monochromatic design.
Contrast look = Decorative throw pillows such as navy blue, red or a bright orange would go great for this look.

White Sofas

White sofa with beautiful purple throw pillows styled on it. — A white sofa with purple decorative throw pillows creates a beautiful yet visually appealing contrast in the home.

If you have a white sofa and trying to decide what color throw pillow you should select the possibilities are endless. With white being such a neutral yet versatile color you can go for any interior design style, trend or tone.

Monochromatic look = To accomplish this style use decorative throw pillows that are close to white such as cream or pale blue. You can also use white throw pillows that have 1-2 additional colors in them to create a modern home decor theme. You can even go for a traditional or elegant look with white and black or white and blue decorative throw pillows.
Contrast = To successfully create a beautiful contrast look with your white sofa, add red or bright purple throw pillows.

Blue Sofas

Another common color for sofas is blue. Dark blue sofas bring a mysterious, elegant and sophisticated presence to the home. Light blue sofas are great for a calming, relaxing or upbeat. With either shade there are a variety of different color throw pillows you can add to create a stunning finish.

Blue sofa with blue and white print throw pillows — A blue sofa with a blue and white throw pillows that have a design print on them is a great way to create a modern and elegant monochromatic look in the living room.

Dark blue sofas monochromatic look = Different shades of blue that are also dark such as royal or midnight blue would be a great fit to complete this look. Other darker tones such as black or dark gray also makes a lovely monochromatic finish.
Dark blue sofas contrast look = Orange or pink decorative throw pillows will make the perfect contrast design

Black Sofas

Black sofas are another universal, visually appealing neutral tone that offers many possibilities for the home. Whether you want to go for a modern, elegant, sophisticated or artsy theme. You can achieve either of these looks and more by styling decorative throw pillows around your black sofa.

Black sofa with bright decorative throw pillows — A black sofa with just about any bright color with instantly make a gorgeous contrast due to black being such a dominant and universal color that can complete any look.

Monochromatic look = All black pillows or black decorative throw pillows with a pattern and another color in them.
Contrast look = Orange, yellow, peach and bright green throw pillows can make an amazing contrast design to complement your black sofa.

Olive Green Sofas

Although technically not a neutral tone. Olive green is a very popular color for sofas. It has similar traits of neutral tones. You can dress it up and down and create a variety of interior styles around this color sofa, including a stunning, upscale design or modern finish. The versatility of this shade makes it one of the most sought after decorating colors.

Olive green sofa with upscale throw pillow set — Olive green sofas are great for creating an elegant or upscale design in the home.

Monochromatic look = Pale or bright green throw pillow are perfect for creating a gorgeous monochromatic look on this sofa. You can also add a lighter shade of green throw pillow set that has a design pattern on it to your olive green sofa.
Contrast look = Pink, purple and orange throw pillows are accents to achieve a visually appealing contrast look on an olive green sofa.

5. Choose Your Decorative Throw Pillows Based on Popular Fabrics

Another method you can use to select the perfect color for any of your decorative throw pillows is based on their fabrics. This option is more ideal for an interior designer, seamstress, DIY home decorator or to give as a gift for a crafter. Picking a color for a throw pillow based on the fabric takes more time and dedication. However, if you love creating it’s not a big deal. Certain fabrics works better and are more common with particular colors and themes. Below is a list of the most popular fabrics for throw pillows and how you can use each one to select the perfect color.

Light blue cotton fabric — Cotton fabric goes with any color or decorating style you can think of due to its amazing versatility

1. Cotton

Colors = Cotton is such a popular fabric that every color complements it. The range is endless. From black to white, blue, red, yellow and green, as well as multi colors.
Home decor themes = Like its colors, cotton is a material that’s 100% versatile in terms of home decor themes as well. Cotton decorative throw pillows are perfect for creating any design theme such as modern, elegant, artistic, French country decor and more.

2. Linen

Colors = Similar to cotton with its versatility and range. There are a lot of colors that would be great for a linen throw pillow. However, there are some primary tones that are more ideal to complement this fabric than others. They are black, white, gray, tan and cream.
Home decor themes = Fits best with traditional, modern and coastal home decor themes.

Gray linen fabric — Linen fabric works best with neutral colors and can be used for a multiple home decor themes when creating decorative throw pillows with it.

3. Silk/ Satin

Colors = Are ideal for many tones such as pink, purple, blue, black, white and brown
Home decor themes = Glam style, sophisticated, elegant and Bohemian themes are perfect with this material.

Dark pink silk fabric — Silk or satin fabric is perfect for complementing colors such as pink and purple to create a glam style look.

4. Faux Fur

Colors = Pink, purple, black and white are great tones that resonates with this fabric.
Home decor theme = Glam style, shabby chic and sophisticated interior designs works best with this.

Pink faux fur — Faux fur fabric is ideal in tones such as pink, white or black to create a glam style or sophisticated look.

5. Polyester

Colors = Bright tones such as red, orange and purple goes perfect with this fabric.
Home decor themes = Artistic, farmhouse and Hollywood regency themes are ideal.

Purple polyester fabric — Polyester fabric is great for creating decorative throw pillows that have an artistic or Hollywood regency tone to them.

6. Velvet

Colors = Purple, pink and dark reds are ideal for this material
Home decor themes = Luxury, glam style and sophisticated design themes.

Red velvet fabric — Bright and warm tones such as red and purple are perfect for creating a decorative throw pillow with velvet fabric.

7. Rayon

Colors = Best tones for this fabric are green, pink, purple, light blue and yellow.
Home decor themes = Romantic, shabby chic and artsy home decor themes are all perfect for this fabric.

Pink rayon fabric — A fine material such as rayon fabric would be great for creating a shabby chic or romantic home decor theme with your throw pillows

8. Suede

Colors = Brown, gray, green and dark blue are all ideal for this fabric.
Home decor themes = Rustic, traditional and sophisticated all work perfect as styles for this material type.

Brown suede fabric — Suede fabric is ideal if you desire to have a sophisticated or even rustic interior theme in your home with your throw pillows.

9. Wool

Colors = Brown, green, black and gray are great for complementing this fabric type.
Home decor themes = Bohemian, rustic and minimalist are the top design styles for this material.

Dark brown wool fabric — Wool fabric is great for a variety of home decor styles with your throw pillows including rustic and minimalist.

Applying these 5 expert methods to find the perfect color for your decorative throw pillows is just the beginning of the process. There are multiple ways you can choose the right tone for you that gives you living space an unforgettable voice. That’s the best part about interior decorating. The possibilities are truly endless. However, with these tips you’re on to an amazing and stylish start. Utilize any of these tips when selecting your next decorative throw pillow and witness how much easier the process is and how much more visually appealing your final design will be.

Blog