Surprise Details for Those Who Pay Attention

Someone on Etsy just requested two pillows from this gorgeous Kelly Wearstler Bengal Bazaar fabric. And, as I was cutting the fabric I realized I could include a really fun custom detail. Can you see what it is?

I was able to match the reverse patterns on this ikat fabric so that the front of the pillow has more of the grey ikat while the back has more of the ivory ikat. Its a subtle and simple detail but its fun and it looks so cool from the side...

Wah lah... grey ikat perfection.

What do you think? 

(Want to see more details? Click here.)

Colorful Custom Pillows

I just finished these pillows for a designer in New York City and I LOVE how they turned out!! 

We used the Chiang Mai Dragon fabric by F Schumcher on the front and piped it with a perfectly coordinating flame red velvet.  The Velvet Trellis print on the back pillow (also by F Schumacher) picks up the greens in the Dragon pillow and adds another great pattern to the room.

Both of the pillows were backed with Celerie Kemble's Betwixt fabric (in Spark and in Chartreuse) which complimented the face fabric perfectly. The Betwixt fabric coordinates well and adds interest without competing with either of the other fabrics.

These pillows are a great example of how to use bold, colorful fabrics together. The chartreuse color found in the details of the Dragon fabric was repeated in the Velvet Trellis pillow while the reds in the Chiang Mai Dragon fabric were repeated on both pillows with red velvet piping. It was the perfect way to coordinate the two bold fabrics.

I love it! What do you think?

Before and After: Living Room

I knew this room had the potential to be one of those rooms that I would never want to leave but it just felt so dark and heavy--even though it had loads of windows. So, I decided to draw the light in by adding a lighter sofa and chair and by using a natural sisal rug... then we painted the dark wood (I know, I know... but it looks SO much better!). Now I think this living room is  light, airy and totally inviting. I love it. And, I never want to leave. 

Before -- A room filled with dark wood and no light.

After -- Painted wood and light furnishings make the room feel sun kissed.

Before -- Ick. Need I say more?

After --  Many hours will be spent cuddling up with my two favorite pillows and reading in front of this fire.

And, of course, I love that a neutral pallete allows me to change a few pillows whenever I find a new favorite fabric ... 

Want to see more? Check out The Pillow Studio on Etsy.

Pillow of the Week

Though St. Patrick's day was the inspiration for this pillow, it can stick around long after the kilts are put away.  I love the vibrant greens against the clean ivory background; it adds a great pop of color to this sofa.  And, that large modern floral print is so fun.

Pair this pillow with the textured green pillow in Betwixt fabric and you have an instant room make over.  

This pillow is made with Celerie Kemble's Hothouse Flower fabric in verdance. If you want to see more pillows in these gorgeous fabrics, check out my Etsy shop, ThePillowStudio

How to Add Color And Keep the Peace

This neutral room was welcoming and peaceful but the Client was ready to add some color and interest; we just needed to be sure to do so without losing that serene feeling.  

The key to doing this successfully is to choose one color and then repeat it in varying hues and textures. We chose the blue ikat fabric from Kravet as the jumping off point and then we pulled in other blues, greys and browns to balance it and add interest.

We started by repeating the indigo color we found in the ikat  with Celerie Kemble's textural Betwixt fabric on the ottoman and on a few pillows. And, to keep the room from feeling too dark and heavy, we added lighter blue with pillows in Thom Filicia's Poppyfield and Citysquare fabrics.  

We added enough pillows to the large window seat for it to feel inviting but not so many that they get in the way and the asymmetrical pillow placement makes it more interesting and ensures everyone still has room to relax. 

The small details always matter. These pillows were both piped in the latte-colored fabric to pull in the fabric color on the window seat cushion and the sofa.  

This was the perfect fabric to use as our inspiration because it has a strong pattern in subdued colors; it allows for a bit of fun without overpowering the room. 

The light blue pillows with giant poppy flowers were also added to these ultra-comfy chairs in the front of the room to help the entire room feel cohesive and inviting. 

These pillows were piped with the same fabric as those on the window seat-- a little trick to make sure everything coordinates without matching too much.

This was such a fun project;  I think the room is now filled with color yet ready for relaxation too. What do you think?

If you want to learn more about these pillows or other pillows at The Pillow Studio, visit my Etsy shop.

Enjoy.

Suzi 

Design Dilemma Solved

A friend of mine often rents her home out for commercial shoots. On the most recent occasion they had to repaint her great room and hang new window treatments. The new grey and blue color pallet was gorgeous (and they were going to leave it all for her) but she had a large tan a red sofa in the center of that room. So, we needed to figure out a way to make the warm-colored sofa go with the cool-colored walls and windows. 

It took just a few pillows to pull it all together. We added a few pillows made from a gorgeous, textural grey mohair fabric. It balanced the luxurious feeling of the silk panels with the durable feeling of the cotton sofa. And, adding grey on the sofa pulled in the grey of the window treatments. We also added a  flax-colored linen pillow with grey piping. The linen pillow keeps the sofa feeling relaxed while the colors bring in the tan of the sofa and the grey of the window treatments and mohair pillows.

Just a few pillows helped pull it all together. I love that!

If you want to learn more about the mohair pillows, click here.
Or, to see other pillow designs, just visit my online store on Etsy.

Enjoy!
-Suzi

The Montclair House Tour

As I am taking my holiday decorations down I find that I keep thinking about last month's Holiday House Tour. It was so much fun to be part of this amazing event and it is always so interesting to see how others have decorated their homes. I definitely had a few new ideas... like adding a simple burlap bow on a pillow to make it look a bit more festive. 

Here are a few pictures of the rooms where pillows from The Pillow Studio were featured. I love how they look on those gorgeous chairs! 

We decided to match the color of the chairs with the larger pillow so we could add a bit of color and pattern with the lumbar pillows. I love how these pillows work together.

The black piping on this lumbar pillow makes it look so custom and the burlap bow is such an easy way to make your home feel a bit more festive. (How cute would a red bow look for Valentine's Day?)

The blue textured pillows are made with Betwixt fabric from F Schumacher. They are perfect for this space-- they have an interesting, woven design yet they are subtle enough to remain as the backdrop.

It was so fun to go through all of my fabric samples with everyone who came through! I really could do this all day long. (Wait, I kind of do...)

Just a touch of navy blue piping is such a great way to make this tone-on-tone pillow draw out the other colors in the room. I love that little decorating trick- I use it all the time!

I had such a great time being part of Montclair's Holiday Home Tours- did you go on any great house tours lately? How did they inspire you?

Too see more about my pillows or to learn how to customize your own pillow, check out www.ThePillowStudioSHOP.etsy.com
Enjoy!