Knowing how to choose cushions can feel surprisingly complex, there are more decisions involved than you might expect, but getting it right brings clarity, cohesion and comfort to your space.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through every step, from selecting the right colours and fabrics to choosing sizes, quantities, and layouts that suit your home. You’ll also learn how to arrange your cushions and cushion covers and choose inserts that help them look their best.
Whether you’re refreshing your sofa, updating your bed, or starting from scratch, this guide will give you everything you need to style with confidence. Let’s begin.
Clarify your space and purpose
Before you choose your cushions, it helps to pause and get clear on where they are going and what you want them to do in your space.
Are you styling a bed, a sofa, or an occasional chair? Do you want your cushions to add colour, offer softness, or make the room feel more finished? Your answers will guide every styling choice that follows.
For example, living rooms often call for cushions that balance comfort with a touch of colour or texture to anchor the space. Bedrooms might benefit from extra layering to create a soft, calming retreat. In an entryway or reading nook, even a single unique designer cushion can bring warmth, a subtle accent, or a sense of welcome.
Understanding both where your cushions will go and the role they will play makes the process of choosing them feel more focused and far less overwhelming.
Choose a colour palette
Once you know where your cushions are going and their purpose, the next step is to decide on the colours you’ll use. Colour is often the first thing people notice, and it has a big impact on the overall feel of your space.
Start by looking at what is already in your room and choose a primary colour. Consider the colours present in your sofa, bedding, rug, or artwork. Your cushions do not need to match these elements exactly, but they should work alongside them.
Once you have a colour in mind, it’s time to choose a palette that feels connected to your space and true to your personal style. Here are two simple example ways to do this.
Monochrome palette
A monochrome palette uses variations of a single colour, through lighter tints, deeper shades, and muted tones, to create a soft, layered effect. For example, pairing muted olive with sage and deep forest green, builds a cohesive look in the green cushion colour family.
Contrasting palette
A contrasting palette mixes colours that are distinctly different to create visual impact, like a rich rust against navy, or blush pink with sage green. You can also start with neutrals such as beige or grey, then add a single accent colour like mustard or teal.
Mix textures and fabrics
After choosing your colour palette, it’s time to consider texture. The fabrics you choose will shape the look and feel of your cushions, and by mixing two or more types you can add depth, contrast and a more styled look to your space.
Think about the mood you want to create. Each texture brings its own quality to a space, whether you want softness, structure, or a touch of luxury.
- Velvet: has a soft, luxurious feel and a subtle sheen that brings elegance and depth to your cushion styling.
- Linen: is a natural, breathable fabric with a relaxed texture, ideal for creating a calm, effortless feel.
- Boucle: has a soft, looped texture that adds warmth and a tactile finish, perfect for creating a cosy, inviting look.
- Heavy cotton: offers structure and durability, a grounding base that pairs well with softer or more textured fabrics.
Even a simple combination, like a crisp cotton cushion alongside a boucle, can add instant dimension and make your arrangement feel more layered and considered.
Select the right sizes and shapes
With your colours and textures chosen, it’s time to consider the size and shape of your cushions. This choice influences both the visual balance and the comfort of your arrangement.
Mixing different sizes and shapes adds variety and helps create a more styled, considered look. Even a simple pairing, like a large square with a small rectangle, can add depth and balance to your space. Here’s a quick guide to the most common sizes:
- Large cushions (55 × 55 cm): provide a solid base to style around and are ideal for anchoring the corners of a sofa or the back of a bed.
- Regular cushions (45 × 45 cm): are versatile and work well layered in front of larger cushions or as standalone accents on chairs.
- Rectangular cushions (30 × 50 cm): add variety and are perfect for providing lower back support or adding interest to the front of a cushion arrangement.
- Round cushions: introduce a softer shape that can break up the lines of a traditional arrangement and add an elegant touch.
Use a cushion formula to guide your choices
Once you have ideas around colour, textures, and sizes, the next element to consider is the design of your cushions. Combining solids, subtle patterns and bold prints is key to creating a cushion combination that feels layered and complete.
There are endless ways to mix and match designs, and that can sometimes feel overwhelming. That’s why it helps to start with a simple “cushion formula” to guide your choices and create a more intentional look.
Here are a few of our favourite combinations. They’re simple, effective starting points and easy to personalise once you get a feel for what you like.
Solid + Stripe + Floral
A timeless formula that brings balance and depth. The floral cushion adds personality, the stripe brings rhythm, and the solid anchors the look.
Solid Texture 1 + Solid Texture 2 + Solid Texture 3
Choose three solid colour cushions in similar shades, like ivory, taupe, and beige, but with different textures like boucle, linen and vibrant velvet. A great way to keep things calm while adding visual interest.
Neutral Solid + Neutral Solid + Focal Print
Let one bold, patterned cushion shine, and surround it with coordinating neutral solids. Simple, clean, and highly effective.
Solid + Small Pattern + Large Pattern
Start with a solid colour and layer on a cushion with a small scale pattern followed by one with a contrasting larger size pattern. An easy way to layer patterns.
Decide how many cushions you need
With a cushion formula in place to work around, it’s time to decide how many cushions to include. The right number depends on both your personal style and the furniture you’re styling.
If you prefer a more minimalist or modern look, fewer lounge cushions can feel cleaner and more deliberate. For a cosier or more layered feel, a larger number creates visual softness and comfort.
The furniture you’re styling matters because it determines how much space you have to work with. Too many sofa cushions can feel crowded and impractical, while too few might leave the space looking sparse or unfinished.
There’s no perfect number, but here’s a simple guide for common furniture types to help you get started. You can easily extend your cushion formula to suit the number you need.
- Single bed: 2 cushions keep maintenance low and styling simple.
- Queen bed: 4 cushions offer layering and comfort without excess.
- King bed: 5 or 6 cushions fill the space and create a luxurious look.
- Armchair: 1 or 2 cushions add comfort without overwhelming the chair.
- 2-seater sofa: 2 or 3 cushions strike a nice balance of form and function.
- 3-seater sofa: 4 or 5 cushions offers more scope for styling and arranging.
- Sectional, corner or L shaped sofa: 6 or 7 cushions help create comfort zones and structure.
Consider how they’ll be arranged
Now that you know how many cushions you’re working with, the next step is to think about how they’ll be arranged. This helps ensure you’ve chosen the right sizes, designs, and numbers for your arrangement.
There’s no single right way to arrange cushions, but these simple principles can help:
- Start with your largest cushions at the back or corners to create a solid foundation.
- Progressively layer smaller cushions in front to build depth and a more styled look.
- Group your cushions use pairs, clusters or rows depending on the furniture.
Here are a few layouts you can try across different pieces:
The classic pair
Place two couch cushions together, either side by side or slightly angled. This simple layout is perfect for armchairs, compact sofas, or beds where you want a clean, minimal look.
The cluster
Group three cushions together, starting with a large cushion at the back, layering a regular 45×45 cushion cover in front, and finishing with another square or a rectangular feature cushion. This arrangement is ideal for sofas or beds where you want a styled focal point.
The bookend
Place a pair of cushions at each end of your sofa or modular lounge, one large and one smaller one to frame the space. You can leave the centre open for a clean look, or add a single feature piece such as a luxury cushion if space allows.
The uniform row
Line up three or four styled decorative cushions of the same size in a neat row, allowing them to slightly overlap. This simple layout works well on sofas, beds or window seats, and is great for showcasing texture or tonal variations.
Choose quality cushion inserts to get the most from your cushions
You’re nearly there! With your cushion styles selected, all that’s left is choosing the inserts, the part that brings comfort, structure, and shape to your styling.
A good cushion insert matters. It’s what gives your cushions their plumpness and presence, helping them hold their shape and stay looking fresh. Even the most beautiful cover will fall flat without the right insert behind it.
When it comes to cushion inserts, there are a few common options, each with their own pros and cons.
Cheap polyester inserts are the most affordable choice. They’re often included with budget cushions or selected to keep costs down. But they’re usually underfilled, quick to flatten, and prone to clumping. They also don’t sit well within covers, often leaving corners saggy and the overall shape uneven.
Feather inserts are popular among designers for their weight and ability to hold shape when freshly fluffed. But they flatten quickly with use, require frequent reshaping, and can trigger allergies or sensitivities. Many are also sourced from overseas where animal welfare standards may be lacking.
That’s why we exclusively use microblend inserts, a premium polyester down alternative that offers the best of both worlds. They’re soft yet supportive, hypoallergenic, and cruelty-free. They hold their shape well, are easy to clean, and still give that elegant ‘chop’ look with ease.
Our cushion inserts are made in Australia and matched perfectly to our cushion covers. If you prefer an extra-full look, you can always size up, but in most cases, our standard sizing offers the perfect fit and finish.
Wrapping up
If you’ve followed each step of this guide on how to choose cushions, you’ve already made the key decisions, from choosing your colours, fabrics, and sizes to selecting your number, designs, and inserts. You’ve considered your space, your style, and how it all comes together.
Now, you’re ready to pull everything into a cushion combination that feels personal and polished.
But if the idea of styling still feels like too much, that’s okay too. Our ready-made cushion sets are thoughtfully curated to balance colour, texture and shape, taking the pressure off while still helping you create a space that feels styled and cohesive.
Whether you build your own arrangement or opt for a pre-styled set, the goal is the same: to create a home that reflects your style and feels good to live in. When your cushions support both comfort and beauty, you’ve already done it right.
