It's probably safe to say that pillows are our love language. When we started McGee & Co., pillows were the first product we launched, and we haven't stopped fluffing and karate chopping since.

One of the questions we get most often is how to create pillow combinations. It can be tricky, and it's hard to know how to mix patterns and prints while still keeping everything cohesive.

Over the years, our team has developed a few pillow combination recipes for success, and today we're going to share a few of them!

Here are some of our recent favorite pillow combinations:

The print The stripe & The simple

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Combining an organic print with a straight-line print allows the patterns to work together and create interest without competition. Adding a solid simple and textured pillow to the mix completes the look by giving it some dimension. This is one of our go-to combinations that we’ve been doing for years, and once you decide on your color scheme, the rest tends to fall into place.

This one follows the same rules in a different color palette. The vintage pillow we used in the photo above has a larger scale stripe compared to the organic floral print, but it works just as well with a smaller striped piece.

The print the pattern & the graphic

This combination is a bit more complex, but it works just as well. Using differently patterned pillows in the same color scheme creates an interesting juxtaposition that looks curated and unique. The key here is to play with different scales of patterns so that they have enough contrast. If you’re doing one pillow with a thin, minimal stripe, try pairing it with a larger geometric graphic and a smaller, repeating pattern.

The solid & striped

This combination is pretty fool-proof and can work in any space. Pairing a striped or patterned pillow with a simple solid allows the pattern to stand out and draw your eye without too much visual clutter.

When you add a throw to a patterned and solid combination, it creates a bit more interest, especially when the throw ties in with one of more of your pillows. In the above example, the stripe down the middle of the throw (coming soon) compliments the pattern in the navy pillow, but it’s different enough that it doesn’t feel too cookie cutter.

What’s your favorite pillow combination recipe?