This Is the Correct Number of Throw Pillows for a Couch, Say Pros

08.10.2023 - 15:49 / thespruce.com / Tessa Cooper

Love them or hate them, there's no denying that throw pillows make a sofa look inviting. But exactly where is the line between a cozy number of throw pillows and an inconvenient, excessive amount?

Two experts weigh in on a few golden rules to keep in mind when adorning your couch, and exactly what is the right number of throw pillows for a comfy yet stylish couch setup.

Design by Kate Marker Interiors / Photo by Emily Kennedy Photo

According to Los Angeles-based founder and principal designer of Design Hutch, Brooke Spreckman, the answer for how many throw pillows you should have depends on number of corners on your couch.

«I usually mix it up and have about two or three, depending on size, per corner of each sofa or sectional,» Spreckman says. Sometimes one is acceptable if the pillow is big or the sofa is shallow.

For example, if she is accessorizing a three-corner sectional with throw pillows, she often places two larger throw pillows at each of the two corners where the back of the couch meets the arms. Then, in the third corner (the one in the middle), she places two medium-sized pillows and a small throw pillow for a total of seven pillows on the entire sectional.

Based on Spreckman's guidance, a couch with only two corners (one on each end) could have between four and six pillows.

Jess Onorato, head of product and design and in-house interior designer at Habitat Home & Garden, shares her golden ratio for throw pillow groupings.

«As a rule of thumb, we style our accent pillows in groupings of three [with] one 22x22-inch, one 20x20-inch, and one smaller 14x20-inch lumbar,» she says. «If the style of the sofa is something to showcase, we recommend scaling the pillows down to one square and one lumbar.