Dear Alisha,After going through a divorce, leaving all furniture behind and moving to another state, I haven't been able to make my new place really feel like home. Any ideas? Affordable, please.
Oh, and bear in mind that I have a super-energetic 14 month old boy that seems to require extra, EXTRA babyproofing. Gets into everything.
Help me make my house a home!
Sincerely,
Craving Comfort
Dear Comfort Craver,
Clutter is the enemy of design and it sounds like you are lucky enough to be living in a house not over-run with overly sentimental crap! I have two suggestions for making your house feel like your home:
1)Art. Art you love, art you already have. If you don't have a stash of art work, frame everyday objects or make a photo wall. Framed photos are sure to bring in familiarity. My tip is to group them all together to make one composition rather than scattering little frames around the house. I don't care if the frames match or not, in fact I kind of like it better when they don't. In fact, I don't care if they are even framed.
2)No matter how ugly your sofa is or isn't, consider buying or making a few stunning pillows. The pillows should be in a color you LOVE and crave and screams "you". Patterns or pictures are also acceptable, just make sure you love them.
Good Luck Comfort!
While we're on the subject, let's take this question from "Pillow Talk" who seems a little flustered:
Dear Alisha-
Do you have any great tips on choosing and coordinating pillows on sofas and loveseats?? I feel like I have a pretty good handle on color and design except, for some reason, when it comes to the pillows on my couches.
I know it's a good idea to have at least one pillow that ties in your room's whole color scheme, and I also want to include texture and pattern to make it interesting and warm, but at the same time I also don't want a bazillion pillows on these couches since they are in my family room. Should I buy four of the same pillow as a 'base' for the corners and then work up from there? Should the sofa and loveseat both have the same arrangement on them? I want it to look well put-together and coordinating, but not expected and boring. Do you have any great pics to share? I feel like I've bought a ton of pillows and arranged them every which way and I'm still at a loss.. can you help??
Sincerely,
Pillow Talk
Dear Pillow Talk,
Take a deep breath. It sounds like you already know the basics. Yes, your sofa and loveseat pillows should relate to one another, but you're over thinking this. There are no hard and fast design rules for "pillows".
My tip to you is similar to Craver's: stop buying pillows, use what you have for now, and when you see something you LOVE, something you think is perfect or for some inexplicable reason is charming to you, then buy the pillow(s).
A warning to YOU and ALL MY READERS: I do not enjoy looking up photos on the internet. Yes, it's often a necessary evil but I find it tedious. My personal inspiring photo file is ripped from magazines and no, I will not scan them all in for you. I like paper. I would have answered your question days ago had I not felt obliged to include "great pics".
That said here are a few photos to casually browse threw. I assure you, the little snippet of inspiration you might gleen won't be worth the hassle on my end. (Yes, I'm cranky in the afternoon.)
Aren't these monochromatic pillows perfect?
Monochromatic in my own living room. The complicated story of how I chose the pillows: I was shopping for a faucet and came upon them. Done. Someday I may jazz them up a little. Ignore the baby. I do.
Can you even imagine this room with out the pop of pink?
It just works.
My own family room started simple enough, casual, but I wanted to mix it up a bit and before you know it....
..I'm on pillow overload. I don't use them all at once, but I sometimes I want a pop of color in spring or warm tones and a throw for fall, or a bit of plaid for Christmas or... Does this look like I should be giving out advice?
Jumbled pillows that work.
These pillows are all under $30. The top left and top right patterned pillows are from Pier 1. Looks like I'm taking a trip there tonight if anyone wants to join me....
26 comments:
The limp baby on the couches adds a nice touch to the photos. Will parenting tips at Dear Alisha include the proper amount of Jack Daniels to add to a bottle to help babies to sleep through the night? ;-)
I pretty much wish I knew how to decorate like you. It is pretty much not fair to the rest of the world that you and Justin are married and have combined mad decorating skills
Can we please stop encouraging women to throw tiny, useless pillows all over the house?
I'm with Eco! You've got that picture of ridiculous pillows "all under $30." I'd pay $300 to get rid of all the little useless pillows littering the house! And what's up with the couch? There's so many freakin' pillows on it, you can't even sit on it! Tell me, Alisha--are you like my Mom, who used to buy cookies no one liked so there'd always be cookies in the cookie jar?
hahaha Eco and Dan, No way! I use everything I own or I get rid of it.
Maybe I didn't make it clear- I don't keep all those pillows on my sectional but rather change them out. A few here and there to cozy up to while watching a movie.
Who are you weirdos anyways?
About a year ago my significant other bought a pile of pillows for our couch that darn near reached the ceiling. When I tried to sit on the couch, I slipped off, breaking my tailbone and herniating a disc in my back. Shes not my significant other any more.
Alisha, you should be careful what you ask for. But in all seriousness, I wish I had heard this before I bought pillows, though I think I did fairly well. It did take me years to finally get pillows. You can give me your not-so-honest opinion and lie to me and tell me how great they are next time you're over.
What Eco said - with all those pillows on the couch, where are all the lazy folks supposed to sit?
To all you pillow haters, I've gotten my Mom a throw pillow from http://www.cafepress.com/+pillows for the past 11 years for her birthday, and each year she has been absolutely floored by the gift. I cant think of a more touching way to someone's heart then a Twilight pillow. In fact when i gave her the pillow this year she started crying from joy. Here is last years pillow for those of you looking for a nice gift for your loved ones: http://www.cafepress.com/+bossy_throw_pillow,50514711
I saw pillow talk.
/leaving disappointed
//make sure pillows are also sufficiently comfortable to sleep on for those long nights when you pass out on the couch
///also helps if they are waterproof, see slashie 2
I was thinking this was a blog about the Doris Day/Rock Hudson movie Pillow Talk http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053172/
//Leaving disappointed
When I was in Mongolia in '58 I happened upon a yurt out on the steppes, as one will from time to time. Inside I found a most charming scene - a family of Khalkhas passed out from kumis and laying atop a great pile of yak hair pillows. I say, it reminded me of the time I was in Iran in '47 and was treated to a most enticing display of a ceremonial dance by the Shah's daughter, Tal'at. I was seated upon an array of Persian pillows the likes which you cannot imagine. A veritable mountain of the stuff. Which brings me back to the day in '17 when I was with Shakelton on that nasty business, and we ran into a polar bear intent on having us as mates. As we lay pinned beneath the great beast's bulk I turned to that fine old mick and said, "What ho, chap! Fancy a pillow to bite?" Little did I know that in the next millennium I'd be gazing at such a fine assortment of pillows, cushions and what not. Capital job, m'lady. You are an asset to the Empire.
I did a zebra motif in my den.
Well you do raise some valid points. I didn't realize they were being swapped out regularly to add some variety to the room. Rather than always complaining about the pillows, I will take this day to see my sectional in a new way! Look out, Mrs. Eco, there's a new pillow boss in town!
Pillows are great in pictures and nice homes. For me, they are a stumbling block. always on the floor, in the kids rooms, being used to whack each other with. I'd just as soon not have them at this point in my life.
All this pillow talk is making me a bit uneasy. I have a severe fear of pillows and random people on the intertubes. Pillow talk makes me nervous, sweaty and uneasy. I'm always left wondering, is it the pillows? Is it me? What if she doesn't like my pillows? Maybe it's the arrangement of the pillows? Perhaps not supportive enough? PILLOWS AND PILLOW TALK SCARE ME!
But what kind of pillow goes with the overstuffed-gathered-recliner-three layers of pillow couches?
Are those little frames scattered around your end table supposed to be on a composition on your wall?
Oh my word, Alisha! What SpamGod did you anger? Who are these crazies leaving comments on your blog?
Signed, your neighbor who shall remain anonymous so none of these people click on my name and find my blog
She probably needs all the pillows because she has sharp knees
Thought you could use a normal comment... Just wanted to let you know I love reading your blog.
K-lite ninety-eight point seven f.m.
Didn't they used to do pillow talk in AZ? Remember how I couldn't get you to listen to anything else but easy listening/jazzy office music?
Just kidding, Mare.
I am so with anonymous! Who are all these "weirdos"? Though I did get some good laughs.
Some weird comments. I took your advise years ago and change the pillows on my neutral, light, livingroom sofa seasonally and on a few holidays. I like the change.
why didn't i see this earlier???? I'm a single mom, I'm a single mom, and I'm almost done with my house. and it is ALL me.
The answer is this: Paint and Craigslist. I love walking into my house. it is extremely feminine, and there isn't a thing I don't like in it. For the last year I have stalked craigslist pretty much constantly, and then stopped by thrift store occasionally. I started with a list of what I needed and their diminsions, and I refused to buy it until the price and the piece was right. Then I painted. Yes my colors are a little nuts, but black or white furniture goes a long way too. Wor art, some of the things I painted, and I framed fabric and things from magazines. I may replace some of these items one day, I may not. But go slow, be calm, when every item you choose is something you love (not something you're obligated to keep in you house)your home will be so personal it'll be a genuine reflection of you.
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