Pillow Talk

I had a beautiful Saturday last weekend, exploring The Getty Center with some friends. The temperature was off the charts (in the 100s!) & we were quite literally baking in the heat, but it was totally worth it!  We went on one of the art tours and the docent gave us a super interesting perspective on their Italian art collection & my personal favorite was the French decorative arts section (it's the south wing, if you plan on going).  Also, the museum grounds are stunnnnning. I'll do a separate post next week on my Getty visit and some things I loved design-wise once I've sorted through all the pictures, so stay tuned for that :P

This week I wanted to share some fun & fantastic pillow finds for the summer!  Throw pillows can really bring some pizazz into a space. And they're an easy, easy way to dramatically change the look of a room. 

When selecting pillows, the key is to have fun with it, but I've definitely discovered a trick or two to help with the process.

Sizing...  for larger sized seating like a big sofa,  don't use small pillows. I made this mistake once and my 18-inch pillows looked very out of place on this gigantic sofa. 22 to 24 inches are a nice pouf size.  For chairs or single seats, 18-20 inch squares or a lumbar pillow work well.

Mixing patterns... think in terms of threes. 1 solid. 1 floral/paisley/large print. 1 small scale pattern/geometric/stripes. You can ALWAYS bend the rules. But this is a nice starting point to help narrow down your selections and get a good set going.

I though it'd be fun to a do a roundup of some of my favorite prints and styles this summer and what to pair them with. Check em out!

 
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Choose 1 color palette and change up your pillow styles. This brings cohesiveness to the look and creates an impact.  Following the rule of 3 here, you can experiment with everything from animal prints to fringe details! All the pillows below are on Wayfair (most from the Elements of Style collection).

An Eclectic Mix in Monochrome

 

Ikat prints are right on trend and so FUN!  Because they're busy, pairing them with solids offers a nice balance & keeps the scheme looking fresh. MyPillowStudio on Etsy has a bold selection of prints.

Ikat

Pairing Ikat with solids

 

 

Monogrammed pillows bring that personal touch and look GREAT, especially in the bedroom. They give it a nice finish. And it's so easy to personalize these days. Pottery Barn offers it on everything from throw pillows like the ones below, to shams.  And then there's Zazzle & Etsy. Pair  it with a chevron or trellis pattern, or they can fly solo too with some bordered euro shams.

Monogrammed

 

 

Block prints are a total classic. A great indoor/outdoor pillow.  They're fun because you can mix them without overwhelming a space, so long as you stay within the same color palette. Pottery Barn has some great indoor/outdoor block prints for under $15!! (they're on sale right now!!)  And Serena & Lily has some dreamy blue & whites (always blue & white, always :P)

Block Prints

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Embroidered Suzani pillows are especially tasteful. I saw a few pictures of Tory Burch's Manhattan office recently and I loved the blue & white suzanis she has on her couch!  If you're looking to add some suzani style to your space, I found this seller on Etsy, DecorIkatPillows, who has a pretty cool collection.

 

Suzani

 


And lastly, my absolute favorite - the GREEK KEY border pillow! (found an Etsy seller who makes them nicely).  You know how much I love greek key elements in design, and these pillows look effortlessly stylish!

 

Greek Key

And that's a wrap!   Hope you enjoyed that roundup and let me know if you try out any of these styles & pairings or have nay questions. And share it with a friend if you think they'll  enjoy knowing a thing or two about greek key borders & suzanis  (I mean, who doesn't want to expand their pillow selection horizons? ;-)  ;-) )

 Any favorites of yours that I haven't included ?

 

Image Credits: The Neo Trad (Mark D Sikes design),   How To Decorate (Ballard Designs),   Makkas Drapery (Erin Gates Design)