Swapping / Arranging Pillows for a New Look

If you step back and look around at the furniture in your room – particularly those pieces of furniture you sit or sleep on – have you discovered that their style is just somewhat … well … blah?

Any type of resting furniture (sofas, beds, chairs, etc.) is built with some degree of “cushion.” Yet, we still find that we not only want a little more comfort to collapse our bodies into, but we’re looking for something that will give our room a little life, while adding a touch of style and class. That’s where pillows come in.

Available in a myriad of shapes and sizes that go far beyond what the mind can imagine, pillows are the perfect compliment to any furniture item. The color and pattern you choose determines what overall “look and feeling” a room will have, and the placement makes a statement as to the personality of the owner.

Here are some examples:

• Do you prefer to have pillows that match your furniture material exactly? You’re the type who likes clean and simply lines, and a sense of uniformity. Quite possibly, you’ll have matching slipcovers and pillows on all your furniture to keep this unified working across your whole room. Then you’ll let accent accessories add that spark of life.
• Maybe you like to mix and match shapes. You’ll take a square pillow, a round pillow, and a bolster and put them in all kinds of combinations across the back of a sofa or daybed. Or, maybe you’ll be very specific about their order: all squares along the back, rounds between the squares, and that one bolster in the center. The shape is what appeals to you.
• Could you be that someone who loves color and wants to bring it into the room in multiple ways? In your home, we might find an array of pillows – all the identical style and pattern - but in several colors to suit your décor perfectly. (Finding a pillow that has this identical style/pattern in a multitude of colors is a like a dream come true for you!)
• Perhaps your furniture is truly a canvas background for some artistic expression you wish to make through the use of pillows. You’ll select unique varieties that have a common thread – perhaps a color or single pattern element like a geometric shape – and then use them in all kinds of interesting and thought provoking ways. Maybe 2 on this side, and 3 on that side. Maybe you’ll arrange them around the room across all pieces of furniture in no particular order. Still you may just put them anywhere, change them out weekly just for fun.

Pillows come in a variety of materials types. Favorites include chenille’s, velvets, and faux suede’s because of the softness they bring to your skin. And how great does a “cool” leather pillow feel against your skin on a hot summer’s day?

One of the greatest decorating marvels of our time is, by far, the pillow. First, they’re inexpensive compared to some purchases you can make, so you quite a bit of “bang for your buck.” Second, they provide us with comfort – something that we are all looking to find more of. And finally, they allow us to express a bit of ourselves by releasing a little bold color here or a strange unobtrusive shape there. Pillows: they’re far more than just a place to rest your head.