A GUIDE TO COLORS, SIZES, AND COMBINATIONS
A gray sofa is one of the most common – and luckily also one of the easiest to style with Pillows.
If you want a calm and Nordic look, you can work with colors like sand, brown, and dusty blue. They are close to the gray tone and create a harmonious look.
If you want more warmth in the room, colors like curry, brick, or warm beige tones work really well with a gray sofa.
A good starting point is to choose three Pillows in different tones – one light, one medium tone, and one with a bit more color or texture.
Pillows are one of the things we help with the most in the store. Many come in with the same question:
WHICH PILLOWS SUIT MY SOFA?
Often the sofa is gray, beige, or sand-colored – and then it’s about finding colors that bring life without becoming too dominant.
The good news is that there are some pretty simple principles that almost always work. Here we share the combinations we most often end up making in the store.
START WITH 3-5 PILLOWS
The best starting point for a sofa is three to five Pillows.
Three Pillows create a calm look, while five Pillows add a bit more fullness and coziness.
A good rule of thumb is:
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1 light Pillow
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1 medium tone
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1 with color or pattern
If you use five Pillows, you can repeat the principle and add an extra texture or pattern.
A) THE CALM SOFA
If you want a calm and Nordic look, work with colors that are close to each other.
Try, for example, combining:
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sand
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light blue
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darker blue
When the colors are in the same family, the sofa gets a harmonious and relaxed look.
It’s a combination we often make with linen Pillows from Linge Particulier, because the material gives the colors a soft and natural expression.
B) THE WARM SOFA
A gray sofa can quickly feel a bit cool in expression. That’s why warm colors work really well as a counterpoint.
Try for example:
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sand
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pink
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brown
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a checked pillow with warm tones
It adds depth and makes the sofa more inviting.
C) BLUE SHADES
Blue Pillows are among the things that almost always work – especially for gray or beige sofas.
One combination can be:
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light blue
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dark blue
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sand
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a checked pillow with blue tones
Blue shades bring calm, but at the same time enough contrast so the sofa doesn’t look flat.
D) PATTERN AND TEXTURE
If all the Pillows are exactly the same, the sofa can quickly become a bit dull.
That’s why it often works well to mix:
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linen
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wool
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Silk or smooth textiles
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checks or subtle patterns
A single patterned pillow can unify the whole combination.
THE SIZES
The size of the Pillows also greatly affects the look.
A good starting point is:
For a standard 2-seater sofa
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2 Pillows 50×50
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1 Pillow 50×70
- 1 Pillow 30x40
For a larger sofa
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2 Pillows 50×70
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2–3 Pillows 50×50
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2 Pillows 30x40
Different sizes make the sofa more lively.
A LITTLE TIP FROM THE STORE
When we help customers in the store, we almost always physically group the Pillows together. It’s often in the mix that the magic happens.
So don’t be afraid to combine several colors and materials. It’s rarely one pillow that makes the difference – but the whole.
SEE ALL OUR PILLOWS HERE
At DORA, you will find a carefully selected range of Pillows in linen from the French Linge Particulier, silk from Østerland, as well as our own production in wool and silk-like textiles.
The colors are chosen to be easy to mix and match – especially if you are looking for pillows for a gray sofa.