HOME QUANDARIES
“Layer pillows and cushions upright, this will immediately bring them up to hotel standard”
No matter how I try, and how many cushions I add, I can’t get my bed to look like those in department stores or magazine adverts. What is the secret?
Answer in brief: stack pillows and cushions upright and buy a generous bedspread. There have been moments in all our lives when we have wandered into the bedding department of John Lewis, say, seen a bed made up with layers of throws and cushions, the duvet pulled back invitingly at one corner, and just wanted to climb in, drift off into peaceful slumber, and never leave.
The trouble arises when we get home and try to recreate this look – a look often replicated in adverts and in hotels, and one that involves a large number of pillows and cushions. The problem is that often the materials we have to work with – mismatched cushions gathered over the years, a couple of limp pillows, and an old blanket – just aren’t up to scratch. This is a look that demands fully plumpable pillows, coordinated cushions and a lush throw, possibly with tassels or made from faux fur. Some may consider life to be too short to attend to such matters, but if you are set on mastering the art of ‘pillowscaping’, a couple of things will help you pull it off. First, always layer pillows and cushions upright, one in front of the other – do not lie them flat. This stacking will immediately bring them up to hotel standard. Second, the bed should be covered by a bedspread or quilt generous enough to reach the ground on either side, thus covering anything shoved underneath it. Top it off with a throw placed artfully over the end, and you’re there.