In pursuit of the perfect throw pillow
A dozen throw pillow contestants lined the offwhite corner sectional as if auditioning for a talent show. I stood back judging.
Ever since the new family room sectional arrived — a decision that in itself cost me a dozen sleepless nights, two bottles of Excedrin and a pint of whiskey — I knew I would soon have to face my next, even harder décor choice — picking the perfect pillows.
You think I’m exaggerating. Well, though they may look like effortless afterthoughts, getting them right is an 11 on a difficulty scale of 10. You have to at once factor in shape, size, number, color, pattern, fill, style, durability, trim, edge detail, oh, and your partner’s opinion.
“Are you maybe overthinking this?” DC delicately asks when he sees the state I’m in.
“Not at all,” I shoot back. “These pillows have a big job. They need to add pop and pizzazz, and get along with the other elements in the room, and bridge the traditional area rug with the modern wall art.” As he slips out, I get to my point: “They need to be dramatic galvanizers!”
“I need help,” I said to Tina Crossley, a local interior designer, over the phone. “Will you come over?”
She took a look at the lineup. She wrinkled her nose.
“None of them?” I said. “You can do better.” “No, you can do better,” I said.
This is where, as I have painfully learned, the judicious use of a professional designer can save you from irreversible brain damage. I paid Crossley by the hour to find pillow fabrics. The transitional patterns and bold colors in the pillows bridge the traditional and modern elements in this family room.
A week later she returned with swatches. I ordered the fabrics, called my favorite fabricator, and two weeks later, boom — dramatic galvanization!
When faced with the challenge of choosing throw pillows, here’s how Crossley suggests you tackle the task:
• Map it out. Decide how many pillows you want, what size and their placement. (One square pillow in each corner and a lumbar pillow in the middle? Two staggered pillows in each corner? Two on one side, one on the other? Pillows all across the back?)
Most off-the shelf pillows come as 18- or 16-inch squares and 18-by-12-inch rectangles. These work on most standard sofas. Bigger sofas and deep sectionals call for larger pillows.
• Find your fabric. When dialing in color, Crossley asks, “What colors in this room do I want to repeat?” In my family room, the traditional rug and the modern art both had burnt orange and ink blue in common, so Crossley used those colors as the bridge.
The fabric’s pattern should mesh with the sofa’s style, whether modern, traditional, vintage or transitional.
• Don’t shop blind. To streamline your search, have your colors and style
in mind before you shop. Bring swatches from the room and photos of art and rugs with you.
• Dial in details. To create a custom look, even on a ready-made pillow, consider adding a fringe, tape or tassel. Pick your edges with a purpose. A knifeedge pillow looks clean. A welt adds a finished, tailored look, and fringe adds drama and texture.
• Upsize your inserts. For a pillow to look full and not saggy, use inserts 2 inches larger than the finished size of the pillow covers. So use a 22-inchsquare insert for a 20-inch pillow. Polyester fills are a good, inexpensive choice for pillows that need to just sit and look pretty because they hold their shape. But for pillows you want to fall into, go for down or down blend.
• Have patience. “Stay open, be critical and keep trying until you find what clicks,” she said. “Expect this to be a process.”