Home Decorating: Pillows for the Couch

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

How many throw pillows are supposed to be on a sofa? Also, should they all match?

Signed,

Pillow pondering

Dear Pillow pondering,

Generally, an odd number of throw pillows will accent a couch nicely. Depending on the size of your sofa, you can have three pillows: one on each end and one in the middle. Or, if the sofa is large enough to accommodate five pillows, then put two pillows on each end and one in the middle.

The pillows do not need to be all the same size, color, or texture. However, the pillows should highlight some of the colors in the room. You can choose colors similar to a lamp, painting, rug, or wall.

For example, if you have a solid color couch and have five throw pillows, then you could have a solid color pillow at each end with a print pattern pillow slightly smaller in size in front of the solid ones. The middle pillow can be either solid or print and can be a different shape from the side pillows.