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Never afraid to embrace a little edge and quirk, our designer friend Lee Waters is an expert at crafting bold homes for families who are ready to add more fun, funk, and function to their lives. Below she shares with us her tips for choosing pillows when you want a room that's stylish and chic but also very livable and family-friendly. 

Photo credit: Khand Tenney Photography

Photo credit: Gordon Gregory Photo

5 TIPS FOR CHOOSING PILLOWS WHEN YOU WANT A CHIC KID-PROOF ROOM

1. Get a patterned pillow fabric. Marks can be camouflaged when they invariably appear, as they do.

2. Get your pillow fabric on both sides instead of having a solid-backed option. Then should something irreparable happen, you can flip!

3. Kid-friendly materials, could be performance, like Crypton or Sunbrella, or fabrics with synthetic fibers like polyester. Another great option is high quality velvets with a soil-resistant finish and a high durability rating.

4. If you have linen blend fabrics, spray covers with ScotchGuard to help liquids bead up and protect against stains.

5. Don't be afraid to invest in some beautiful pillow covers because you're teaching your kids to live with beautiful things, it will add joy to your life every time you see them, and if mom's happy, everyone's happy.
   
   

LEE'S PILLOW PICKS 

Leopard Velvet | Plum Luxe Velvet | Sinhala Linen Jewel

 Adras Ikat Blue and Green|  Jade Green Velvet | Chiang Mai Alabaster

Vanderbilt Velvet Black | Orange Linen | Jungle Jet

LOVE LEE'S STYLE? Make sure to follow her on Instagram and learn more about her interior design services by visiting her website. Lee also teaches an on-demand design course called Take Back Your Home for anyone ready to stop being a #mommymartyr at home.

Photo credit: Gordon Gregory Photo

Featured pillow: Tilbury Teal and Green Ikat

Row 1 left: Glimmer Gold

Row 1 right: Les Touches Green

Row 2 left: Les Touches Tan

Row 2 right: Teal Velvet

Row 3 left: Golden Yellow Velvet

Row 3 right: Leaf Green Velvet

Check out our Pillow Combination Gallery for more ideas! 

To achieve a bedroom that's both chic and serene, New Yorker Erika Fox kept it simple. She used three of our Luxe Cloud Pearl pillows in size 22x22 on her king size bed, then layered two 13x19 Solid with Grosgrain Ribbon Border lumbars in front.

We love how the white pillows add texture and elegant coziness while the black bordered pillows add an impactful graphic element.  

Erika previously had these on a queen size bed which also worked well because the three larger pillows spanned the full width of the bed. If you'd like the three pillows in the back to take up the full width of a king bed, I'd recommend getting size 26x26 and then doing the front lumbars in size 14x22.

 SHOP THE LOOK

       

Homeowner Tamara Anka used pillows to easily change the look and feel of her living room. Below are the 3 different looks she's created. Which one is your favorite?

LOOK 1: Coastal Chic

pillows shown L to R: Les Touches Blue, Wide Stripe Ocean, Huntington Gardens Blue

SHOP THE LOOK
     
  

LOOK 2: Warm, Rich and Luxe

pillows shown L to R: Midnight Blue Velvet, Channels Blue, Les Touches Tan, Shimmer Beige and Gold

SHOP THE LOOK 

    

LOOK 3: Casual and Light  

pillows shown L to R: Lorna Blue, Chambray Blue Linen, Adeline Blue

SHOP THE LOOK

  

Want some personalized advice on what pillows to get for your sofa? Click here to learn about our Mini Digital Design Consults. 

Stuck trying to figure out what pillows to get for your living room? We've created seven combinations below to inspire you. Perhaps one of them will be exactly what your sofa needs! Scroll down to the bottom for the links to each pillow shown. 

Want some personalized pillow combo recommendations and mock ups of what they'd look like in your space? Click here to learn about our Mini Digital Design Consults. 

"Those rich colors and gorgeous prints stole my heart right from the start – Arianna helped me come up with this beautiful pillow combo, and I love it so much.

I wanted something glam and chic, luxe and rich, and it needed to be welcoming, cozy and approachable since we use this room daily. 

The pillows are so beautiful, and helped to pull my vision together perfectly.

Gold and brown tones paired with navy and cream? Fabulous in every way. "

 SHOP THE LOOK

   

   

Need help choosing pillows?

Click here to learn about our mini design consults.  We'll come up with the best pillow options for you and provide mock-ups so you can visualize them in your space. 

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lifestyle photos courtesy of Tamara Anka

In her recently released book, Dream Design Live, award-winning interior decorator Paloma Contreras gives us an insight into her design process. 

She reveals that when working on a new project, early on, she'll select an anchor fabric to be the impetus for the overall vision of the room.

The anchor fabric is typically a fabric that she is very inspired by and whose colors and pattern serve as a springboard for subsequently selecting complementary fabrics, trims, rugs, window treatments, and other pieces.

Since she typically uses solid fabrics on larger pieces of furniture, the anchor fabric is usually reserved for smaller pieces such as pillows.  Small doses of a fabulous fabric goes a long way towards adding personality and making a statement in the room.

We were so honored that Paloma chose to feature our pillows in her book (pg 77!) and list us in the recommended Resources section. Below are her picks for which of our pillows she'd use as anchors and which other pillows she'd combine them with:

Pillow Combinations That Start With an Anchor Fabric

SHOP ALL OF PALOMA'S PICKS >>