One of the easiest ways to freshen up tired old furniture, or brighten up any room in the house, is with pillows. Pillows are like candy for your room. They range from inexpensive to luxurious, hand-woven to graphic, and can punch things up. It is hard to mess up with pillows, and you can experiment here and have some fun.
This is a place where you can add texture, bold pattern or color that you might shy away from otherwise. Or, if you have an underlying addiction to textiles like me, display it here. Needlepoint and embroidery, hand-woven or quilted, ruffles, tassles or braided cords and trim; the sky is the limit.
A designer friend once dished out this little tidbit that I have never forgotten: Buy neutral furniture and you will not tire of it. Change the cheap things like paint and pillows and your furniture will have staying power. So simple and smart.
I recently bought this big, old wooden bench from a yard sale. It is carved and, well, . . . hard. It was a good find and I instantly thought, “this is my chance to show off all the pillows!” Even still, I have to sew a cushion for the seat. It is on my to-do list, right after “get sewing machine back from my sister.” Either that, or it has just been added to HER to-do list. I am not sure which.
I am going to reveal to you the depths of my pillow problem. I stacked them up on the living room floor and….
These are my choices for the bench. I also love the burlap bag look and so I bought rice from Costco and shoved an old pillow inside the bag it comes in. Cut off the tags and handles and it is instant art. Technically, if you eat the rice, it is also free.
Here is the old bench dressed up a few different ways:
My pillows are generally down or feather-filled for maximum comfort. Changing the covers is easy and there is so much room for creativity. Spice up your space and go a little pillow crazy. You won’t regret it.
© copyright 2012 Mariam d’Eustachio.
Simply Turquoise 