Lets talk about pillows!

So, we all have pet peeves. Things that bug us. Just annoys us. This is really minor in the realm of life but one of mine is the pillows that come with your couch! Sure they 'match' but they don't really give your couch character now do they? 90% of couches are a basic neutral color which I am ALL about. But you still need to have your couch coordinate with your room and leaving the neutral pillows on it leaves it just a blob of tan in the middle of your room! Here are gorgeous couches, but all looking like 'tan blobs'! Once you have a color scheme, pull those colors into your room through new pillows. You can buy some or make some, or both. Mix it up! Here is an example of how to do this. Here is a room that I transformed and their couch is gorgeous and feels like a soft sweater but it had no life!

We started with this store bought striped pillow. This pillow captured all the colors we wanted in the room and this became our base for all color choices. I focused on decorative pillows but also think that at least one pillow should be comfy--one that you can just curl up with! That pillow in this room is the butter colored pillow. I used a high quality down filled pillow form for comfort and no trim so that it would be cozy and not easily damaged.

This red pillow was purchased and then I made this green pillow from the same fabric used on their window treatments with a lush trim that coordinates with all the pillows.

Using the same green and using some tassels from the same trim, I made these pillows for chairs that flank a console in the entry which help tie that space into the family room. Imagine this same area without the pillows. It would look fine but there wouldn't be enough color, the chairs would look a bit cold and it wouldn't have as much interest.

Here is the same couch with the new pillows. Doesn't this couch look alive now? No Tan Blob in this room!I know, you don't want to 'waste' a good pillow. Neither do I! You have 2 options. 1. Use the pillows that come with your couch somewhere else. If you have chairs or a different couch elsewhere in the room, perhaps they would work there. If you view my Home Tour, you may notice that the pillows that are the largest and on the back of my window seat in my office are actually the matching pillows from my couch in my family room! 2. Use the form that came with the couch but sew new covers. I did this on the chairs on my patio. Forms run from $8-30 depending on size/quality so the 6 pillows I used saved a lot of money! The nice thing about doing this is that the old cover is now your perfect pattern! Just measure, pin it and make sure it's the same and sew!

Okay, go arrange your pillows please! Oh, and the same 'issue' happens with bedding sets so check that out too!