They're no longer couched in mystery

The right ones can offer a tremendous lift to the overall look.
WASHINGTON POST
Throw pillows, like fissionable atoms, are small bits of matter capable of giving off large amounts of energy: explosions of color against a more subdued field.
Even people who are crazy about magenta, turquoise or tangerine tend to shy away from buying a sofa in that shade. But when tasteful neutrals become oppressive, a highly charged throw pillow can offer a tremendous lift.
Like atoms, however, pillows should be handled with care. As accessories, they have within them the power to individualize a cookie-cutter sofa and unite colors or motifs of a given room. But just as we pair scarf with coat or belt with shoes, pillows should be chosen with an overall vision.
Few people spend as much time thinking about the power of pillows as Washington designer David H. Mitchell, whose mini-obsession has blossomed into a sideline business, www.beautifulpillows.net, proffering nearly 700 pillows in a wide variety of colors and patterns (but not shapes and sizes -- more on that in a minute).
Mitchell, who routinely shows up on lists of America's top decorators, has some well-developed views on the subject. So we went to his office with a list of questions:
UHow many pillows are enough -- and not too many -- for a standard-size sofa?
U Shouldn't we get beyond the cliche of a pillow propped at each end?
UWhat about mixing sizes and shapes?
UCan he advise about combining colors, textures and patterns?
We asked him how he'd go about jazzing up three basic Crate and Barrel sofas, each of which seems to be crying out for a little something extra.
First off, says Mitchell, "you shouldn't be a slave to symmetry. You certainly don't have to have a pair of matching pillows, with one on each end of the sofa. Go ahead and put one on one side, and a pair on the other side."
As for how many pillows can comfortably fit on a standard-size sofa, Mitchell is unambiguous: "Three is all you need, maximum," he says. "Any more than that and you're probably taking pillows off to sit down, which is bad."
Though Mitchell's site offers a few box-edge pillows and some long, narrow ones (which he might suggest for a bench), the designer believes that there's no improving on the classic square, from 18 to 21 inches. "It's iconic," he says, "though I don't know why exactly." Other designers who buy from his site often choose the bigger ones, from 21 to 24 inches square, but most customers gravitate toward the slightly smaller versions.
They also gravitate toward color.
"The neutral pillows on our site are not the biggest sellers," he says. "Even though Washington has been referred to as the 'land of beige,' I don't think that's true. Actually, we live in a city that likes color. Most of America likes color. And we sell mostly color pillows."
Layered look
Mitchell encourages the juxtaposition of contrasting pillows on a sofa to achieve a layered, high-definition effect. While he is not opposed to cording or fringe, most pillows on his site are knife-edged or self-welted (and stuffed, in case you're wondering, with a 50-50 blend of down and feathers). On matters of color and pattern, he's anything but doctrinaire. The only rule is that which governs the world of fashion: Beware of obvious clashes.
The best thing about throw pillows? If you get tired of your choices, you can easily change things down the line. "Replacing pillows from time to time is a great way to avoid getting tired of the sofa you have," says Mitchell.
Mitchell's creations aren't cheap; the average cost of a single pillow is about $150. But his advice comes gratis, and it's worth heeding whether you're trolling his Web site or strolling the aisles at a department or discount store.