There is a saying that you can never have too many cushions, but how many do you actually need and what size should they be?  Let's look at the most popular cushion arrangements for sofas, armchairs, and beds.

Regular Sofas (2-3 seats)

Here are the most popular cushion arrangements for a 2-3 seat sofa.  They start from minimal just 2 cushions to a very full look with 7-9 cushions.

Cushion Arrangement Sofa 1: The Minimalist - Simply one square cushion at each end.  Featured cushion is Hydrangea Garden Blue.

Cushion Arrangement Sofa 2:  Symmetrical Balance - Two cushions at each end.  Back cushions are square.  Front cushions can either be square or rectangle.  Featured cushions Hydrangea Garden Blue and Regatta Stripe Serenity.

Cushion Arrangement Sofa 3:  Varied Shapes Symmetrical - Two square cushions either end plus a feature rectangle cushion in the centre.  Featured cushions Hydrangea Garden Blue, Regatta Stripe Serenity, Hydrangea Petal Blue

Cushion Arrangement Sofa 4:   Varied Shapes Asymmetrical - Two square cushions either end plus a feature rectangle cushion to one side. Featured cushions Hydrangea Garden Blue, Regatta Stripe Serenity, Hydrangea Petal Blue

Cushion Arrangement Sofa 5: Fuller Look Symmetrical - Two square cushions either end plus a feature rectangle cushion in the centre, and another square cushion behind.  Featured cushions Hydrangea Garden Blue, Regatta Stripe Serenity, Hydrangea Petal Blue and Greek Gate Rustic Blues.

Cushion Arrangement Sofa 6: Fuller Look Asymmetrical - Three square cushions at one end and two square cushions plus a feature rectangle cushion at the other. Featured cushions Hydrangea Garden Blue, Regatta Stripe Serenity, Hydrangea Petal Blue, Greek Gate Rustic Blues

Cushion Arrangement Sofa 7: Fill the Sofa Back - A row of square cushions across the back of the sofa.  The number of cushions will depend on the length of the sofa.   Featured cushions Hydrangea Garden Blue, Regatta Stripe Serenity, Greek Gate Rustic Blue

Cushion Arrangement Sofa 8: Fill the Sofa Back Plus - A row of square cushions across the back of the sofa.  The number of cushions will depend on the length of the sofa. Plus 2 feature rectangle cushions in front.   Featured cushions Hydrangea Garden Blue, Regatta Stripe Serenity, Greek Gate Rustic Blue, Hydrangea Petal Blue and Amalfi Swish Reverse Serenity.

Large Sofas and Sectionals (3-4 seats, chaise or corner)

Large sofas and sectionals look best with more rather than less cushions.

If you have a large sofa with a left or right hand chaise, you can use one of the regular sofa cushion arrangements across the back of the sofa (see above) and leave the chaise free from cushions.

If you have a sectional sofa with a corner arrangement, you will need to continue the cushion arrangement along the second side of the sofa and into the third corner.

Cushion Arrangement Corner Sofa 1: Fill the Corners -  Place arrangements of 2 or 3 cushions in each of the three corners. Featured cushions Deckchair Stripe Navy, Amalfi Scroll Navy, Amalfi Flower Navy/Cornflower

Cushion Arrangement Corner Sofa 2: Fill the Back - Run cushions in a row along the back of both sides of the sofa. Featured cushions Deckchair Stripe Navy, Amalfi Scroll Navy, Amalfi Flower Navy/Cornflower, Snow Drops Bright-Navy

Armchair

Armchairs look best with just 1-2 cushions.

Single Cushion Arrangement: Either a square or rectangle cushion by itself.  Featured cushion is Hydrangea Garden White

Double Cushion Arrangement: A rectangle cushion in front of a square cushion.  Featured cushions are Hydrangea Garden White and Greek Gate Rustic Green

Single Bed

Cushion Arrangement Single Bed 1: A single bed will usually only have 1 or 2 standard bed pillows that can be complimented by a single square or rectangle cushion.  Featured cushion is Spotty Day Reverse Raspberry, featured fabric on pillowslip is Little Leaf Peony

Cushion Arrangement Single Bed 2: To plump up the bed add a rectangle cushion in front of the square cushion.  Featured cushion is Spotty Day Reverse Raspberry and Hydrangea Bloom Pink on White, featured fabric on pillowslip is Little Leaf Peony

Queen Bed

Cushion Arrangement Queen Bed 1: A queen bed will usually only have 2-4 queen bed pillows and/or 2 European pillows across the back.  The simplest cushion arrangement is just to place a feature rectangle cushion in front.   Featured cushion is Maiden Hair Fern, featured fabric on pillowslip is Medium Gingham Check Dove and featured fabric on European pillows is Tickling Stripe Graphite.

Cushion Arrangement Queen Bed 2: Create rows of rectangular symmetry with feature rectangles in front of Queen pillows.   Featured cushion is Maiden Hair Fern, featured fabric on pillowslip is Medium Gingham Check Dove and featured fabric on European pillows is Tickling Stripe Graphite.

Cushion Arrangement Queen Bed 3: Emphasise the square European pillows with two square cushions in front of the Queen pillows.   Featured cushion is Topiary, featured fabric on pillowslip is Medium Gingham Check Dove and featured fabric on European pillows is Tickling Stripe Graphite.

Cushion Arrangement Queen Bed 4: If you love cushions and don't mind making up the bed each morning, create a full look with a third square or rectangle cushion in front.  Featured cushion is Maiden Hair Fern and Topiary, featured fabric on pillowslip is Medium Gingham Check Dove and featured fabric on European pillows is Tickling Stripe Graphite.

King Bed

Cushion Arrangement King Bed 1: The width of a King bed means it takes 3 European pillows across the back.  Place 2 rectangle cushions in front of the two King pillows.   Featured cushion is Magnolia Linen Leaves on Linen, featured fabric on pillowslip is Awning Stripe Linen and featured fabric on European pillows is Perfectly Plain Chateaux.

Cushion Arrangement King Bed 2: Mirror the European pillows by placing 3 square pillows cushions in front of the two King pillows.   Featured cushion is Magnolia Linen Leaves on Linen, featured fabric on pillowslip is Awning Stripe Linen and featured fabric on European pillows is Perfectly Plain Chateaux.

Cushion Shapes and Sizes

Cushions can be made in a multitude of shapes and sizes.  Here at Hydrangea Lane Home, we have chosen the most popular and versatile shapes and sizes to offer in our custom made collection.  You will find these shapes and sizes work well for most arrangements.

• Square Cushion in 50cm x 50cm, 20" x 20"
• Rectangle cushion in 35cm x 50cm, 14" x 20"

Our rectangle size cushion is designed to sit perfectly in front of our square cushion, allowing you to see just the right amount of colour and pattern of the back cushion.

If you are after a different shape or size, you can always order the fabric and find a local sewer to create just what you need.

Create Your Cushion Arrangement

Look at your sofa, armchair or bed, and decide which arrangement will work best for you.  Lots of cushions or just a few.  

Once you have made a decision, make a note of how many square or rectangle cushions you need.

You may also like to read:

How to Choose a Colour Scheme

How to Mix and Match Patterns

How to Create a Custom Cushion

How to Choose the Right Cushion Insert

or if you are already confident with colour and pattern start browsing our Fabrics or Custom Cushion Collection.