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Before looking at the fun part of styling a bed with cushions, let’s just quickly cover the basics you need to consider before styling your bed with finishing touches.
Start with a solid foundation
There are a few options of what you can use as the base. Whatever your personal preference is, sheets and quilt or duvet and bedspread, if you tend to change the look often in your home, then I recommend starting with a neutral palette. By having a neutral base, it will be easier to change the look by just changing the feature cushions, throw or comforter. It also gives you endless opportunities to create new colour combinations taking inspiration from art, accessories and soft furnishings in the room. If neutral is not your style, play with patterns and colours to create some depth and contrast. But always remember, adding layers is key to having a styled bed that looks inviting and cosy.
Pillows & Cushions - adding colour, character and texture
Once you have set yourself up with a great base to work with, here is the fun part! Think about what will be your feature on the bed. It may be cushions, a throw or neutral palette with a lot of layers and texture. A bed without cushions can look empty and uninviting however having too many cushions can appear messy, especially if they don’t ‘tell’ a certain story.
So, what is the perfect number of pillows and cushions on a bed?
2 x Euros, 4 x Sleeping pillows and 2-4 feature cushions would be my suggestion, so 9-10 pillows and cushions in total. Seems like a big number, but once you start styling, it all makes sense. It’s the ideal amount to provide you with ample options to add layers and inject colour, texture and pattern. There are many ways how you can arrange them and sometimes you just need to play with different combinations to get to the perfect look or to create a new fresh look every time.
There are some basic arrangements that you can start with, but see which works best for your scheme and home. A general rule of thumb is to start with four standard pillows. Stack four standard pillows at the head of the bed as a backrest for your accent cushions to lean on. You can have them laid down or standing up or you can even mix it up and have one side standing up and the other two laid down for a more relaxed look. You can also alternate colours, if they are not all one colour (you can also have 2 white and 2 in a different colour).
To add a touch of luxury to a bed look at adding European cushions. They will add to a cosier and more comfortable look and feel.
With all your pillows lined up, let’s look at the finishing touches. This is where the endless options begin! Always refer back to the overall aesthetic and style you are aiming to achieve. Drawing colours from other elements in the room i.e. art, wallpaper, wall colour, other soft furnishings will create a cohesive look and colour palette through the room.
For a minimal, symmetrical and more formal traditional look consider even numbers for the feature cushions. For example two same colour cushions (one each side) in front of your pillows or two on each side with the front one being smaller in size.
Using variation in cushion sizes and shapes will add interest and will emphasise the layered look. Think odd numbers when selecting cushions to add interest - between three and five cushions. Start with stacking two cushions on each side and one in the front middle.
The other thing worth mentioning is cushion size. I like to see at least 55cm cushions in front of your pillows. The bigger the bed, the bigger size you would look at. I would start with 55cm x55cm and then go a size down or to lumbar cushion for the front.
You can also mix it up and do three completely different cushions for more fun and relaxed look, 2 that match in size and colour with 1 smaller one in front or, even one lumbar cushions. Remember to mix up the sizes and shapes if you want to keep it fun and interesting or style with same size cushions for more formal look.
The eye is instantly drawn to the textured ORIGAMI ROCKETS cushion at the front in this arrangement, and it becomes the focal point.
These cushions have been mixed around and using different materials like velvet, cotton, linen creates a playful and fun setting yet still maintains a simple sophisticated look. Adding dark accent cushions to a white bed creates a contrast and sense of drama.
Palette play - Play with the same tones and colours introducing different textures and fabrics. Mix velvets and linen and add pattern.
Or build on colour palette taking inspiration for solid colours from the feature cushion.
In the look below we have added a solid colour in to the mix to emphasise a range of sizes of the gorgeous Eden Daffodil cushions from Zanders & Co range and to create contrast.
Changing the look is easy. Sometimes changing just one cushion will give you a new look. It’s an easy way to introduce new colour trends in to the mix, if they work with your existing colour scheme.
Look 1:
Look 2:
Last but not least, no bed is complete without a throw. Choose a light fabric for summer and something warmer for winter with more layers.
Knitted, velvet, cotton– it doesn’t matter as long as it works within colour scheme you’ve chosen and it’s adding some texture to the bed. If you have a larger throw simply fold it in thirds and place it across the bottom of the bed. Other option is to lay it over the duvet cover and fold down in half so that both the throw and duvet are showing.
Zanders & Co offers two beautiful collections of throws – The Handloom throw is a divine heavy textile throw, hand woven and available in three stunning colours. For a more luxurious look and feel choose a Peluche velvet throw from Zanders & Co new range.
Happy Styling!
Cushions: Zanders & Co
Styling and text: Natasha Bozic, Designns Interior Design, https://designns.co.nz/
