Throw blankets have their practical use, of course, but you can also turn them into great accent pieces. Their usefulness as living room style boosters depends in part on their color, the pattern they sport, and how they're placed on the couch. We're here to help you get the most mileage out of your throw blankets.
Paying special attention to how the blanket is placed helps you set the tone of your decor. So, how should you drape a throw on your couch, exactly? There are a couple of ways with which to experiment:
- Tossed neatly along one side to convey casualty
- Folded over an arm for a neat, put-together look
- Draped along the back, but off-center for a bit of contemporary asymmetry
- Set over a floating chaise to convey classic charm
- Spread out unfolded to show off a texture or pattern
If you're not sure which look is the one that suits your living room, read on. We've provided plenty of examples that should help you picture exactly what your sofa will look like with this chic approach to having comfort on hand at all times.
Tossed Along One Side
For this look, the primary goal is to show guests that your living room is a space for relaxation. Still, the trick with this casual look is to walk the line between artful and sloppy. Here's what we mean:
The Artful Ripple
While this blanket is certainly casual, the placement is intentional. Texturing the fold of your throw draws the eye, while the haphazard-at-a-glance style conveys a lackadaisical charm.
Color Contrast
Here, we'll bring your attention to the way the untidy toss of this throw blanket provides the sofa with intriguing color contrast. The neutral gray of the sofa really makes the bright orange of the throw pop.
Cozy Overcrowding
Gathering all the throw pillows, along with the bunched up blanket, on the one side of the couch, will entice guests to flop down on your cozy-looking sofa.
Contemporary Textures
This is a great example of how this style of blanket placement can show off texture as well as spread out the throw along the whole length of the couch. For extra chic points, get a blanket with a texture that contrasts that of your sofa.
Folded Over One Arm
If you crave order and neatness, this is the style for you. Draping a folded blanket artfully over one arm looks great in traditional settings, where sofas usually have clean silhouettes.
If you need more inspiration, check out these examples:
Playful Pattern
Note here how the neatness of the style complements the visual cohesion of the pattern on the throw matching the pillow.
Fun with Fringe
The most notable feature of this couch and throw combination is the way the placement highlights the fringe on the edges of the blanket. Any piece with tassels on the end deserves an artful drape to show them off.
If this style appeals to you, check out these blankets. The design of this one fits perfectly into traditional homes.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
On the other hand, the bold color and unique fringe of this one make it perfect for those with contemporary sensibilities.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
Draped Along the Back
This throw blanket organization can seem overdone and boring, but it's still a classic and should not be discounted. Besides, a good trick for intriguing the eye is to place the blanket off-center.
See how it's been done before to help you picture how you might do it:
One Half
One of the best ways to use this style to your advantage is to get a blanket that covers one full side of the couch, splitting it in two visually. You can then use pillows to tie both sides back together.
Thin and Understated
The hot-dog style fold of this blanket both ensures a visual intriguing asymmetry and highlights the grouping of pillows.
Floating Chaise
If you have a sectional with a floating chaise, consider drawing attention to it by placing your throw blanket over top. This contemporary look makes your sofa seem extra trendy and inviting.
Don't take our word for it, though. It's been done to great effect in the following pictures.
Texture All The Way Down
Having a throw droop off a chaise all the way to the floor lends your sofa contemporary charm. It also makes every inch of your living room seem cozy and inviting.
Modern Simplicity
The minimalist approach suits this type of throw draping style well. Use the color of the blanket to highlight one of your few throw pillows to maximize the effect.
Clean Lines
The neat fold of this blanket complements the crisp, straight lines found throughout the living room.
Unfolded
This approach works best with blankets that have a unique texture or pattern. Showing it off can cover up shabby looking couches or highlight pieces with simple designs. For example:
Bold Colors
The bold color scheme of this blanket makes it too loud for, say, a red or blue couch. Since this sofa is a neutral color, however, spreading this throw out over it doesn't overwhelm the eye. In fact, it draws your attention.
Neutral on Neutral
For every design rule, there's an example of someone who's broken it to great effect. Here, this understated throw perfectly matches the understated sofa it's on. The cohesion is pleasing to the eye.
Wild Child
Pretty much the opposite of the previous picture, this blanket demands all the attention. Instead of folding it up and diminishing its effect, spread it out and let it take over the living room.
Totally Textured
The beautiful crochet of this blanket lends a beautiful texture to this suede couch.
Get a textured throw worth showing off in your own home, like this one.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
Or go the special pattern route, with something like this:
Click here to see more on Amazon.
How Do You Match Throw Pillows with the Couch and the Throw?
The approach to finding suitable throw pillows for your blanket-draped couch comes down to this: would you like them to match or complement?
Matching
If the answer is to match, you'll want to find blankets and pillows that have the same pattern or color, yet contrast with the couch on which they'll be placed. Only pick one or two pillows if this is to be your approach. That way, you avoid assaulting the eye with too much sameness. To better plan how many pillows to get, read our guide on how many throw pillows should go on a sofa.
To add a bit more intrigue, go with pillow and blanket sets with interesting textures, like this one found at Amazon.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
Bold patterns also achieve this.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
Another trick you can use to offset too much of the same is to place the blanket and pillows on opposite ends of the couch.
Complementary
The complementary approach allows you to get a bit more playful. Get pillows of differing textures and a simple throw blanket to pair together, or buy half a dozen white and black pillows and pair them with a blood-red blanket.
Group a bunch of pillows of the same texture with a patterned throw blanket, and then get a larger, fluffy pillow for the other end of the couch. The possibilities are endless.
For further advice on how to use throw pillows to their best effect, check out our tips on ways to arrange pillows on a sectional.
How Do You Drape A Throw On A Chair?
If you have an accent chair you want to stand out, you might consider draping your throw blanket on that instead. Typically, you can utilize the same methods outlined above. The ones that work best include:
- Folding the blanket over the arm of the chair, or
- Covering the whole chair with a patterned or textured throw
Happy decorating!
Very cool and unique ideas presented in this blog! Absolutely amazing.