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Emily A. Clark

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The One Thing Every Sofa Needs

March 25, 2015

One of the quickest ways to refresh your living room—or a couch you’re completely over—is by changing out the pillows. We’ve all heard it a hundred times.

But, I’m campaigning for bigger pillow sizes, as long as you’re making a change. I think every sofa needs at least one pair—if not more—of big pillows to anchor the ends. Think 24 or 26 inches—the same size as the big, square Euro shams that are on your bed. If it were up to me, 16-inch pillows would be banned. And, 18-inch pillows walk a pretty fine line.

living-room-sofa-wall-mirror

Sometimes, the larger size is hard to find ready-made from the big box retailers. But, Etsy is a great resource since you can order most of the pillows in various sizes. You may end up spending a little more for the extra inches, but I promise it’ll be worth the difference once they’re on your couch.

Amazon is another great source. I just type “24” in the search bar followed by whatever kind/color pillow cover I’m looking for. Also, for these, be sure to order 26” down or down alternative inserts so that they’re stuffed. (I like these.)

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Filed Under: accessories, design tips, Etsy Tagged With: accessorizing, pillows

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jessica Horton says

    March 25, 2015 at 9:04 am

    YESYESYES! I spotted some navy euro’s in target’s bedding aisle… really tempted to pick up a pair for our sofa!

    Reply
  2. [email protected] Chronicles of Home says

    March 25, 2015 at 9:54 am

    I love a big cozy pillow and totally agree that the larger size adds instant luxe!

    Reply
  3. Carrie says

    March 25, 2015 at 10:15 am

    Really great tip!! I had been feeling blah about the pillows on my sofa and I think this explains why. They’re just too small.

    Reply
  4. Jenny B. says

    March 25, 2015 at 11:55 am

    The HomeGoods clearance aisle is also a good place to look. I just bought two 20″ pillows with down inserts for $12 each. I bought one, and then went back a couple of days later, and they had another one out! I had planned on getting a new cover for the first one, but after finding two matching ones, I think I may just keep them as they are. :)

    Reply
  5. Sara says

    March 25, 2015 at 12:19 pm

    Totally agree! Small pillows look cheap to me. My minimum is 20″ and I agree with buying an insert 2 inches larger than the cover to fill it completely. Makes a big difference.

    Reply
  6. Lisa says

    March 25, 2015 at 12:57 pm

    I didn’t know you could stuff a 26″ insert into a 24″ cover. I had always assumed, until now, that the sizes for the insert and the cover had to be the same. Thanks for enlightening me, Emily. I just learnt something new today.

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 25, 2015 at 1:07 pm

      It’ll actually look a lot better that way. No loose fabric–just nice and full!

      Reply
  7. Cynthia @ her lovely nest says

    March 25, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    I couldn’t agree more on the big pillows! We love the Euro size on our bed, why wouldn’t we love it on an even bigger sofa? Though I admit to save $$ I’ll often just recover my old existing 18 inch pillows. I usually make my own covers, my favorite ones were made from a World Market curtain panel :-)

    Reply
  8. Yianna says

    March 25, 2015 at 2:51 pm

    Emily – I have a sofa that has large pillows against the back (5 total – 3 patterned, 2 solid) – any recommendations for adding accent pillows since I already have a lot of pillows? How many is too many?

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 25, 2015 at 9:47 pm

      If you have a pillow-back sofa, I might just add one additional pair for more pattern/color. If your house is like my house, they’ll probably all end up in the floor, anyway :)

      Reply
  9. Clever Girl Reviews says

    March 25, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    I love huge pillow on the couch, I also have 3 Euro’s for my bed!

    Reply
  10. Bridget says

    March 25, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    I sleep on the sofa most of the time. Big pillows=Quality sleep time

    Reply
  11. Kristin Cadwallader says

    March 27, 2015 at 11:10 am

    Agree, agree, agree! Preach it sista!

    Reply
  12. Tziporah says

    April 29, 2015 at 9:59 am

    Emily,

    If you’re planning to use more than one set of pillows, what sizes should the sets be? After reading your post I’m planning to order two 24″ pillow covers, should the second set be 22″ or 20″? Also, do you have any recommendations regarding size of pillow and size of pattern? For example, should bigger pattern be on bigger size pillow or vice versa?

    Thanks so much!
    Tziporah

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      April 29, 2015 at 11:11 am

      I think you could go either 20 or 22″ or even all 24″ would be really nice. As far as pattern, I don’t think there’s a specific rule for what goes on what size as long as they’re mixed up (big and small). I guess I generally tend to put the smaller pattern on my bigger pillows and layer the bigger pattern in front…

      Reply
  13. Carol says

    May 12, 2015 at 2:17 pm

    Pottery Barn is also an excellent source for 24″ pillows. And, if you live near an outlet, all the better price-wise!

    Reply
  14. Shayla says

    May 25, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    Great advice! How does this work with sectionals? Would you have THREE larger pillows instead of two (one for each end and one in the middle)?

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      May 29, 2015 at 9:14 am

      I like a little grouping in the middle, too :) I think three larger ones would work well and then you could mix in your smaller pillows.

      Reply
      • Shayla says

        May 30, 2015 at 1:55 pm

        Thanks Emily!

        Reply
  15. Accent Pillows for Couch says

    February 28, 2018 at 12:10 am

    Love it, some beauties here and some great resources for accent pillows for couch.

    Reply
  16. Debbie R says

    August 24, 2018 at 8:53 am

    Hi Emily, what size are the pillows on your Ektorp sofa? I have an Ektorp with footrest and am about to order cushions from Etsy. I’d like to have two cushions on either end of the sofa and I will use feather or stimulated feather inserts (maybe from ikea?). I am thinking of having two 20” and two 18” on the inside. Will this look too small on the Ektorp?

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      August 24, 2018 at 11:21 am

      Mine are all 24″.

      Reply
  17. JESSI says

    August 16, 2021 at 12:08 am

    Hi :) What size would you recommend with a 26×26 throw pillow, or is that too large? My sectional is quite big.. I am likely getting 3 base pillows that are larger (24×24 or 26×26). Should I pair them with a 24×24 or 22×22? Thank you :)

    Reply

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