Dewit: Pillows

Today, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to talk about pillows. No, not the ones on your bed (which you should be ironing), but the ones you put on everything else: your sofa, your chairs, your benches, etc. There is a right way and wrong way to do this. Oh, you didn't know that? Witness:

via House Beautiful

Aw. Cute sofa, right? Cute pillows, too! However: can you sit on it? I guess you could, if you were the size of 90s Kate Moss. Or Skeletor. Or Heather Armstrong. HAHAHAAA, just kidding. The point is, there is too much pepper in this paprikash. Sofas are not for showing off 35 pillows; they are for being in your living room, where you LIVE. You sit there, you hang out, you drink too much wine, and you don't have to throw a bunch of things on the floor before that happens.

Fellow Southerner Miles Redd gets it right, as always. And he doesn't find it necessary to do that thing that many decorators do, which is to karate chop each pillow so it looks like an old-school McDonald's hat (I am guilty of this, too.).

via

For you Downton Abbey fans, that's Elizabeth McGovern

Let's talk scale: If you have a smaller sofa (let's say 6-ish feet or less), try a pair of 16" x 16" pillows on each end. If you must have another accent, do a 12" x 24" in a contrasting fabric in the center. If you have a larger sofa, go bigger with your end pillows: 20" or 22" square should do. If you want 4 pillows on your gigantor sofa, add a couple of 18" x 18"s to the mix. Oh, you saw the CUTEST 8" x 12" pillow at Urban Outfitters that would look so cute in your house? Pass. Go big or go Montgomery Ward.

via Lori Andrews

via Kelly Wearstler

Lori Andrews and Kelly Wearstler: they only need 2 pillows on their sofas. Because they are both FABULOUS.

via Rue

Aw, shit. Here is my perfect combo: a big fluffy pillow, then a smaller one, and a throw blanket at the other end. Are you excited about accessories, or what?

via Pottery Barn

OK, so now you have some tips on pillow outsides. Now I am going to give you the real tip: down inserts. Always. No, always. You're allergic to down? I'm sorry, there will be no accent pillows in your house. Pottery Barn has great prices on their inserts, they have a ton of sizes, and they usually have free shipping. I can't tell you how many pillows I've bought from cheaper venues, replaced their insides with down, and made them look a hundred times better. Learn it, live it, love it.

via

So. Do you want your living room to look sad, or do you want it to look awesome? It's up to you. Scale + pattern + down = PERFECTION. Dewit.

Comments

[Terri in SF]

I have done it...and didn't even know it! Interior designer savant?? Love the 'Dewit" blogs...especially about the ironing advice. Iron stuff people!

[carrie ann]

This post makes me 'specially sad that my Jack Russel ate so many of my pillows. Heavy sigh.

[Emma]

Help me, AB, you're my only hope!!! I'm leaving for college in two weeks and I desperately need pillow advice.
I have the boring, comfy white pillows upon which actual sleeping will happen, but now I'm desperately in need some funky throw pillows in cool designs for as little money as is humanly possible.
This is my comforter- HTTP://WWW.URBANOUTFITTERS.COM/URBAN/CATALOG/PRODUCTDETAIL.JSP?ITEMDESCRIPTION=TRUE&ITEMCOUNT=80&STARTVALUE=1&SELECTEDPRODUCTCOLOR=&SORTBY=&ID=17207804&PARENTID=A_DEC_BEDDING&SORTPROPERTIES=+SUBCATEGORYPOSITION,+PRODUCT.MARKETINGPRIORITY&NAVCOUNT=0&NAVACTION=JUMP&COLOR=&PUSHID=A_DEC_BEDDING&POPID=APARTMENT&PREPUSHID=&SELECTEDPRODUCTSIZE=
Where can I get pillows that will look good with it? And what should they look like?
-A Desperate, Pillow-less Almost-Frosh

[Emma]

HTTP://WWW.URBANOUTFITTERS.COM/URBAN/CATALOG/PRODUCTDETAIL.JSP?ITEMDESCRIPTION=TRUE&ITEMCOUNT=80&STARTVALUE=1&SELECTEDPRODUCTCOLOR=&SORTBY=&ID=17207804&PARENTID=A_DEC_BEDDING&SORTPROPERTIES=+SUBCATEGORYPOSITION,+PRODUCT.MARKETINGPRIORITY&NAVCOUNT=0&NAVACTION=JUMP&COLOR=&PUSHID=A_DEC_BEDDING&POPID=APARTMENT&PREPUSHID=&SELECTEDPRODUCTSIZE=

Oh, wait, this is the link- it's the teal one.

[Emma]

GAH. The link won't post. Never mind. Sorry to spam your comment section!

[Kate F.]

Ok, so I know down is best for the look, by about a million years, but I just find them too soft to be useful for propping up with and USING. My favorite pillows have all come from Target (I know), and are softish but firm enough to be comfortable. That said, they look like they're in complete rigor mortis. What's a girl w a bad back and a penchant for lying down to read to do?

[Nat]

oh, this is the best series EVER :) keep them coming

[Laura]

"there is too much pepper in the paprikash." = LOVE.

[abchao]

@Emma: Which color?

[SFDC]

Totally agree. And I have never understood that karate chop look. What is the goal there?

[Allison]

Sweet fancy Moses! I completely forgot about those McDonald's hats! My entire childhood just came rushing back to me.

Thanks for the advice about the down. I feel like that is the secret key to pillowdom that I have been missing.

[Trude]

Yes, I hate when designers style things in such a way that means you can never actually USE it that way. Throw blankets are a must on my sofa, because my dog is completely spoiled and has hardly any fur or fat, and loves to wrap himself up. :) Luckily I can handle down as long as it doesn't start leaking out!

[Page]

I had to show my boss this to make him reconsider the karate chop, which sometimes sends me over the edge.

Dewit! You betcha!

[Heather]

Except, dear AB, down isn't for the folks like myself who are critter friendly and cruelty free. Is there an alternative pillow filler that you will abide?

[abchao]

Well, I don't know! I always thought that using down didn't involve killing animals, since it's just the feather part that we're using. I will have to look into it! And if any of you commenters know what is going on here, please share.

[Emma]

Hi, AB- The color's kind of a muted teal, reversible, with a slightly darker teal on the other side.

[Pop O Color]

Thanks for the concise explanation of pillow sizes. My clients ask me this question all the time. You usually can't go wrong with 20x20's and I find the 18x18's are just too small unless paired with a larger pillow like a 22x22.

Pillows are a great way to change up the look of the room. Check out my store if you need some inspiration.

Katie
popocolor.etsy.com

[Lelly]

I can not tell you how many pillows I have bought over the years. You know how they say "if you want to freshen up your room, just add a few throw pillows". Well I do. Constantly. My husband is currently building me a new walk in cupboard because our linen cupboard is full of pillows. The point of my confession is that I have disobeyed this DEWIT terribly by trying to keep the pillows out in the open to justify the purchase. Sigh. I will "throw" my pillows away and start fresh...time to go shopping ;)

P.S. I never thought of down inserts for throw pillows. I love!!

[DeAnn]

So, wait, I should be ironing my bed PILLOWS? Or do you mean my pillowcases? If you mean pillows, I do not understand this, and need your help. Mine are too poofy and made of feathers to iron, I think. And they're not wrinkled. The cases, on the other hand...

(I clearly need a lot of help. This is not even the beginning of my issues.)

[Pillows]

Nice and interesting post! I think your blog is very informative for all of us because it contains brilliant ideas to decorate our bed and sofas. I really like your collections and Pictures. Thanks for sharing!!!

[Sue]

Love pillows. Love your site. I do not love karate-chopped pillows, however. "They" actually did NOT used to do that in the past in decorating (yeah, I'm old). I've noticed it's more of a recent thing. It's just not a good thing. :-)

[Nana]

FOUR pillows?! No, no! The Chinese word for 'four' is similar to/same as the word for 'death.' Use three, please (per my Feng Shui friend).

[Moxie]

And everybody calls me crazy for ironing my pillowcases!