A sofa piled with ten different loud cushions can look messy fast. But a completely plain sofa with no cushions at all can feel a bit cold. The middle ground is to choose one “hero” cushion—a bold pattern, strong colour or interesting texture—and then support it with simpler, solid-colour cushions that pick up one or two tones from it.
The eye goes first to the statement cushion, then rests on the calmer ones around it. You get personality and interest without visual chaos. If you get bored, you only need to swap the hero cushion to change the vibe, not the entire set.