The couch is one of the most important features in a home. Not just because it’s one of the biggest pieces, but also because it’s a place that you usually gather with people when they come over. So having a good ass couch is important — both in terms of look and comfort. But how you style a couch is big as well. Good couch styling can make the difference between and ehh couch and one that makes people give it a double-take.
For some, it’s super tempting to buy furniture in a set and use the pillows the couch comes with, but please resist! If you’re intimidated, don’t worry, I’m here to help with some kickass couch styling tips.
- anchor pillows
- mix your patterns
- throw blankets to spice it up
- use a variety of shapes
- always more texture
- show your personality
And I have a friend who’s gonna share some ideas with us, too. Homey homies, meet Micayla, also known as The Happy Hooker. Micayla is a crocheter in ATX who makes the cutest crochet goods. One of these goods is a super fucking cute rainbow pillow that I proudly feature in my office. Keep an eye out for her two cents at the end of this post 🙂
anchor pillows
Warning: this will be the most practical, “boring” tip on this list.
Although it seems a lot more fun to have all decorative, fun pillows on your couch, one or two plain, sturdy pillows are usually necessary. Especially if you spend a good amount of time lounging on the couch. You don’t want to squish, stain, and deform all your cute pillows, so place a couple pillows that have a lil girth to them and either won’t show stains easily or can be easily washed towards the back.
When you’re lounging, you can push your statement pillows to the side and lay on these pillows without fearing that you’re messing ’em up. And no, they don’t have to be ugly.
mix your patterns
Once I freed myself from the thought that you can’t put 2 contrasting patterns next to each other, the world of design suddenly opened up to me. It’s actually one of my absolute favorites things to do now.
The key to mixing patterns is to have some sort of harmony between them. Whether that’s the fact that they are different shades of the same color, they’re both geometric, or the small scale of one pattern complements the large scale of the other. Just use your instinct, and you’ll just kind of know when it’s right. For some inspiration on how it’s done best, take a look at the pictures below
use throw blankets to spice it up
Couch styling isn’t all about pillows (just mostly). It’s also fun to use throws to add a lil razzle dazzle. This is definitely functional, because idk about you, but I need to use a blanket every time I lay on the couch. But it’s also a great way to hide an ugly or not-so-exciting couch. Or just add to the greatness of a dope couch.
Drape a cute throw over the back or arm of a couch and boom: so much more exciting. Bonus tips if it’s patterned and you can use it to mix with patterned pillows 😉
vary the shapes
Okay now back to pillows.
This one’s simple. Instead of 5 pillows that are all the same size square, throw in one or two that are a little different to spice it up a bit. This can prevent you from having to stack all your pillow in a straight line and making your couch look like a filing system that you can’t even sit on.
Like this:
It should look a little more like this:
more texture
I’d say color is my biggest obsession in a home, but texture is a close second. Textured items in the home just bring so much more depth to any space.
If you’re not scared of a little bold-ness, feel free to mix textures and patterns or textures and colors. But the awesome thing about texture is that it can bring some excitement even to a monochromatic color scheme. You could have 5 cream-colored pillows and it could still look intentional and well-designed if you introduce some texture into the mix.
Micayla’s top couch styling tip: add personality with unique items
If you’ve been following along with this blog for a while, you’ll know that my “fuck” pillow has been a staple on my couch for years. I love it because it always gives my living room some personality, i.e. raunchiness.
Micayla’s tip is to bring some personality to your couch — and your home in general — by sourcing unique items. It’s totally fine to get your pillows from Target or Home Goods or Amazon, but throw in a couple of thrifted pillows (preferable washable pillowcases), too for a little unique flavor.
I’ll let Micayla tell you a little more herself:
Check your local thrift shops or FB marketplace for home decor items. Some of my favorite blankets and pillows are secondhand. It’s a budget friendly and eco friendly way to make your place feel more homey. My rainbow pillow was inspired by a bag of thrifted yarn from Goodwill. Even the stuffing was from an old pillow I cut up and repurposed.
On top of thrifting, getting customized, homemade items (like the amazing rainbow pillows Micayla makes) is the perfect way to make sure that your house is unique from anyone else’s. And it will just make you feel good seeing them every day.
Thanks so much Micayla for teaming up with me on this post! I hope you all have fallen in love with her crochet work as much as I have. Go give her a follow on IG and DM her to place an order to start styling your couch with a little happiness!
keep it homey, homies
About me
Hey my name’s Hannah Michelle Lambert, the voice behind homey homies. I’m an LA-based designer, writer, and content strategist. I’m passionate about the intersection of productivity and creativity. I love talking about creative habits, technology, processes, and everything in between that helps me blend the Type A and Type B parts of my brain.
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