Splurging on pillows

You know when you see something and you just have to have it? You get that pang in your gut. Your heart races. You love it. You want it.

That's what happened when our client saw this fabric. It was a little more expensive than she had budgeted. But she knew she would have regrets if she didn't pick it.

She wanted something bright and cheery to match the white window seat cushion for her favorite spot in the house. It's where she drinks her coffee every morning, and gets cozy with good books each night. It had to be just right.

I'm so glad she went for it. They are going to look amazing in her newly remodeled home.

We have some old friends whose motto is "no regrets." I know that's not always possible to live by, but it sure is nice when you can.

Face Fabric: Larsen Infinity/Red
Back Fabric: Pindler Spinnaker White
Welt: Pindler Princeton Crimson

Proper fit for throw pillows

Want to know the secret?

The insert needs to be two inches bigger than the cover.

It's so simple. I don't know why I never thought of it before. But I just didn't.

We've bought dozens of pillows over the years and I could never figure out why the form inside didn't fit properly. The cover was always too loose. Well, much to my surprise, if you're buying a 20" pillow you need a 22" pillow form inside to properly fill it out.

The sales people in stores should be telling you this. They never told me. I had loosey goosey pillows for years.

I didn't learn this very important fact until we bought Pollin's.

Honestly, I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner. But I didn't.

So, if you are going to buy a throw pillow cover from a store make sure the insert you buy is two inches bigger. That will give the pillow a nice plump feel.

Don't worry if the store doesn't have the size you need. Look up your local upholsterer. They can take care of it for you. In fact, you'll probably get a better insert if you do that. You can ask for a poly insert or down. They can even make one for you if the size is unique.

Here is how the pillow should look. Nice and full. No loose fabric in the corners.

Silk stripe, with braid trim and down feather fill.

Leather front and back with leather welt.

Cheetah print with fringe and sequined accent tape. Ooh la la!

This striped silk was originally a valance. We re-purposed it into a cool lumbar pillow with a mittered pattern.

The little lumbar pillow sits in front of a long bolster, custom-made for the king bed.

Any pillow questions out there?

I'm sure you've been wondering to yourself, "What's new in the world of custom furniture?" I sure wish someone out there had a blog to keep me in the loop.

Ha. Just kidding.

Welcome to our blog anyway. We're going to share with you cool stuff we find, trends in decorating and tips on how to update/refresh your home without spending gobs of money. Unless you want to of course.

Of course we'd really love it if you bought something. That would be fantastic!

So what's the best and least expensive way to refresh your home? Change the pillows. We all love pillows. You can go from nice crisp linens in summer to luscious velvets and wools in the winter with one quick zip of the zipper. The timing is perfect. Summer is over. Fall is here. Time to bring out those autumn shades and put away the pastels of summer.

So that's how we're going to get started - with pillows.

Pillows for your head, your bum, and your mutt.  That's right. Don't forget about the mutts.
 

Here are two of our favorite mutts. Sam in the water, and our sweet Kahlua looking out.

Sammy and Elli getting some sun in front of the store.

This is not our mutt. But every dog deserves a leather dog bed, as featured on Design Spotter.

We do not, I repeat, DO NOT make these kind of bags yet. Not this year anyway.

So give us a jingle, or stop by to let us know how we can help you refresh your interiors. Most pillows can be created with just a yard or two of fabric and they can make all the difference in the world.

Happy shopping. Woof! Woof!