Picking the Right Throw Pillows For Your Grey Couch
May 14, 2020, Updated Mar 02, 2023
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Updated: March 2, 2023
Looking for throw pillows for a grey couch?
The wrong grey couch pillows can be an expensive mistake. Or worse, you keep buying more and more throw pillows, never feeling like it’s quite right yet.
We dearly love our massive grey couch (We did buy it three times in different sizes after all. Read more about that here!). But the grey couch pillows it came with flattened out over time.
Which, honestly, is okay, since a gray couch with identical grey couch pillows aren’t exactly poppin’ in home decor trends! Read this blog with Chrissy Marie to get the best pillows for your home!
We decided to mix our grey couch with blue pillows – but finding the right combo can be overwhelming!
My Grey Couch Pillows Used Above:
paisley | medium geometric pillow | blue stripe pillow in basket
3 Things To Know So You Can Pick The Right Throw Pillows For Your Grey Couch
We all know what we like when we see it, but here is why it works so you can recreate it!
1. What Color Throw Pillows For a Gray Couch?
One easy formula that makes it simple for a trio of 3 pillows is to pick 2 neutral pillows and add a punch of color. Pull a color from something you are already using in the room. It doesn’t have to be a bright color, it can be muted.
Blues, mustard, even greens will work for your pop of color. A little grey is okay to use but pull in some other tones as well.
For me, I love to use blues so that is my pop of color. A grey couch works great with blue pillows! Then I threw in 2 neutral pillows (whites, creams, tans, or a textured gray all look nice on a grey sofa).
This means 1 color + 1 neutral + 1 neutral.
plaid blue pillow | solid blue pillow | white lumbar | grey + white long lumbar (Major clearance!)
Swipe Through To Shop:
2. What Size Is Best For Grey Couch Pillows?
I have some examples below, but for now… to make sizing easy, place pillows in pairs or trios.
I love a trio of a large (24″ square), a medium (20″ square or an 18″ square), and a lumbar all as a combo together. This is the simplest way to mix pillows if you are unsure. This combo will always work on your throw pillows for your grey couch!
This means 24″ + 20″ + lumbar.
Another winning combo is just two: a large square and a large lumbar, or just a large and medium size pillow.
This means 24″ + lumbar, or 24″ + 22″.
3. How Do I Mix Patterns?
You can mix all sorts of patterns, but to keep it simple try this no-fail formula.
Mix 1 solid, 1 geometric (think: stripes, checkered, diamond, etc.), and 1 pattern (think: floral, paisleys; a textured pillow also works in place of a pattern).
Guide for mixing throw pillow patterns on a grey couch:
Just remember those 3 kinds and your pillows will look great!
If you look around my house you will notice most of my pillow use this easy combo. I love stripes (that’s my geometric), a floral pillow (that’s the pattern), and a solid (bonus points if it’s textured).
*If you are looking for more affordable pillows I have some suggestions down below!
I used this combo again on my entryway bench pillows:
Shop These Pillows: Large Square | Medium Square | Lumbar | Rug | Light
Pillow Combinations for Sofas That Aren’t Sectionals
What if you don’t have a grey sectional? What size do you use on smaller sofas?
Below are two examples of smaller grey sofas tp give you pattern and size ideas.
Scroll to shop pillows:
The blue pillows on the top grey sofa are all from Lark and Linen, a luxury pillow shop on Etsy. They even sell combinations all together for you to make it easy.
My 3 favorite places to find throw pillows – from affordable to high end – are:
- Serena & Lily (I sort by color here to making choosing pillows easier.)
- Etsy (my favorite shops are Laurel and Blush for more affordable pillows! Also Linen and James has great prices, although I haven’t purchased any from her shop before. I love Lark and Linen for high end.)
- McGee and Co (thick – these will last you a decade!)
Extra Tips For Picking Throw Pillows For Your Grey Couch
Buy High Quality Throw Pillow Inserts
I have spoken about this again and again- and I will still shout it from the rooftops.
Sometimes, you just can’t help putting a Target pillow in the cart. I get it.
But really- it is so, SO much better to wait and buy 1 or 2 high quality down-filled pillow inserts, than 3 adorable Target pillows that come with a crappy insert inside. A cheap poly filled pillow can’t be washed, and worse- will end up sitting sad and lumpy. Your high end feather insert pillow will look so much more lux on your sofa, the perfect karate chop and weight. You can zipper off the cover for cleaning and will get a decade of love out of a good one!
Down filled pillows stay plumped up! They don’t turn lumpy.
Where I Buy My Pillow Inserts – Affordable & High End
A high end choice I love is the Serena & Lily inserts – they are exceptional. Heavy, thick, substantial. I promise you, you will never go back to poly. You will be a pillow snob! It’s such a big difference.
I don’t find that the feathers come out and stab you, either.
For my most reasonable insert that is still good quality, I also like these pillow inserts on Amazon – currently, these are more affordable than the price of Serena and Lily inserts.
Make sure you buy the inserts a size bigger than your pillow if available! You want the overstuffed look!
Shop Other Items In Room:
Rug | Coffee Table | Sofa | lamp| drapes | rustic wood table
As a firm rule, I no longer buy pillows without zippers- that feels like driving down the road throwing cash out of my minivan window. I want to be able to wash my pillow covers- or at the very least dry-clean them!
Layer your throw pillows to hide imperfections!
My 75lb dog loves to sit on the back corner cushion. He looks so cute with his head hanging over it, watching us in the kitchen that I’m not even mad about it. (And he isn’t even supposed to be on the couch!)
But that back cushion is now slightly smushed, while the others still look perky and full. I always layer a large pillow in that corner and you can’t even see that it is smushed. Large throw pillows will cover up any worn-out areas of your sofa for you!
I have 12 navy throw pillows from Serena & Lily rounded up that would look great on a grey couch. These are all navy pillows that I own or would happily buy- and they would look great together. Head here to see all 12 of the pillows.
Is the room cozy and well put together? Or cold and blah? Throw pillows can be the deciding factor. Picking the right throw pillows can make-or-break a room. Your throw pillows should highlight other colors you are using in the room, and reflect a cohesive and designer look for the whole space.
Shop All Pillows In Post:
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This post is right on time as I’ve been tempted by the cheaper inserts. What inserts (or pillows with zip-off cases) do you recommend for outdoor use? I imagine those need to be poly, and it’s hard to tell which will hold up to rain, sun, and machine-washing and still keep their shape.
Thanks so much!