We are so excited to talk about one of our favorite things – pillows! While this may seem like a simple subject, there are many things to consider before investing in pillows for a space. Whether they are custom or ready-made, decorative pillows are a great way to add color, texture, and pattern to a living room, bedroom, and even dining room. Pillows are an easy and affordable way to quickly change the look of the space and can be switched out depending on your mood or season.
Let’s start by talking about custom pillows. Custom pillows are made from scratch in a work-room using the client’s own fabric, trim, or cording (which can be purchased retail or through a designer). We prefer pillows to be made with hidden zippers so the pillow covers can be removed from the inserts for easy cleaning. When designing custom pillows it is important to consider several things:
Size and scale – Since custom pillows typically cannot be returned, it is important to make sure the pillows are made to the correct size and the scale of the pillows fit the proportions of the furniture. For example, for a sofa we typically design pillows that are 20” – 24” square depending on the size of the sofa. However for a chair, we like to use smaller lumbar pillows. When purchasing inserts, our trick is to go up a size to give the pillows a fuller look.
•Investment – We aren’t going to lie, custom pillows can be pricey! However, they are a great way to add a unique look to a space and we encourage our clients to make the investment. Just think – you will be the only one of your neighbors to have those exact pillows! If you want custom pillows in an expensive designer fabric but don’t want to break the bank one way to be cost-effective is to only use the designer fabric on the front and opt for a less expensive solid fabric on the back. When doing this, it is important to use a solid fabric that coordinates with the front fabric, and trim out the pillow using a coordinating cording, welt, or flange. This will give the pillows the custom look without the hefty price tag.
. Other ways to add style to your pillows is to play around with different shapes such as a bolster in front of bed shams or a box detail. When designing custom pillows have some fun and get creative! Even if your pillows are neutral or solid, there are ways to make them unique and interesting.
The colorful custom headboard in this master bedroom is offset by crisp white hotel linens and a custom monogrammed pillow sham from Leontine Linens. Monograms are a great way to personalize a space.
For this master bedroom a trio of custom euro shams using Kravet’s Goldmine Sterling with a king sham using Lee Jofa’s Groundworks Bengal Bazaar in Graphite/Rose. The monogrammed bolster is from Leontine Linens.
If custom pillows aren’t your thing or you don’t have time to wait (custom pillows take about 3 weeks depending on the availability of the fabric), then shopping for ready-made pillows is another good option. Just like with custom pillows, there are several things to consider and look out for with ready-made pillows. Size and scale are still important – pay attention to the pillow cover size when browsing the internet or walking through your favorite home store. Another thing to be aware of when shopping is whether or not the pillow fabric you like is on the front and the back or just the front and how the pillow is finished (self-welt, knife edge, etc). There are many great sources for ready-made pillows and we love to incorporate them into our designs (we love shopping)!
In this black and white bedroom, ready-made pillows add a pop of color and can easily be changed out for a new look.
This colorful Jonathan Adler pillow was the perfect complement to this client’s yellow sofa.
This chair in a master bedroom needed something, so we found this navy blue designer pillow on Etsy and paired it with the small Paris pillow by Jonathan Adler. The Paris pillow adds a lot of character to this room and is a nod to the owner’s favorite city. We love pillows with personality!
In this bedroom we mixed custom shams with a velvet pillow from West Elm. We took the West Elm pillow cover to a local monogram shop and had the couple’s initials stitched onto the pillow. Monogramming a store-bought pillow is a great way to personalize it and give it a custom look.
So as you can see, these relatively small elements within a room can make mighty differences to an overall look. We hope you’ve enjoyed our pillow talk!
Article courtesy of Rebecca Atkinson and Kelley Roberts. (All images courtesy of Beckley Design Studio. Photographer: Candid Chic Photography – www.candidchicphotos.com)
Nicole Wisehart 