Friday, January 15, 2010
The Story of A Few Throw Pillows
I realize that I haven't posted any updates on decorating my new house in the past few months, and that's because that progress ground to halt sometime back in November when work and social obligations overwhelmed me and all but shut down my decorating élan. But with the start of the new year has come an fresh burst of inspiration as I've made a number of great finds for the new house. Today though, I thought I'd share the latest additions to my family room: a pair of pillows I picked up from Plum Cushion (who I found via Jenny at Little Green Notebook). And I love them. The pillows are Chiang Mai Dragon from Schumacher. The print is one of my all-time favorites and, while the aquamarine colorway is admittedly ubiquitous, I don't see the China Blue colorway very frequently.
Isn't it gorgeous? If it weren't so pricey I'd probably be buying this in bulk for curtains. In any case, I was incredibly impressed with Melanie's finish work on the pillows; the self-welt and the hidden zipper are immaculate. I also appreciated how she centered the dragons front and center:
Despite the latest additions to my sofa, I still had that gut feeling that something was missing. It looked good, but the sofa still needed that little extra oomph to really put it over the top. And that's when I had a Eureka! moment this afternoon and pulled this out of my closet:
Three yards of KWID Imperial Trellis II in Navy that I scored at discount from Pink Wallpaper back in June! The larger-scale geometric fabric works perfectly with the Chiang Mai Dragon; like nectar and ambrosia, these two fabrics are the perfect pairing. Even better, Melanie accepts custom orders and a customer's fabric so I'll be shipping these three yards to Oregon tomorrow and in less than two weeks I'll have two 18" pillows for the couch and a small lumbar pillow for my wingback chair. I'd also consider the price for fabrication to be more than reasonable (perhaps even a steal) given the amount of work that clearly goes into her pillows.
Ultimately, this "story" of my new pillows is illustrative of what I love most about the Internet: it connects you to all sorts of talented (and kind!) people and opens up doors you assumed were closed to you. Through the magic of the blogosphere, I've been connected to individuals who have allowed me access to "trade only" fabrics and bespoke pillows at prices well within my budget. Kind of amazing when you think about it, isn't it?
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18 comments:
I can not wait to see this when it is done, it will be absolutely beautiful. I love your carpet, could you tell me where you got it? Thanks, MB
I love that combination! Love, love!
Well isn't that a dream, remembering one just happens to have a bit of Imperial Trellis tucked away in the closet!
The combination is stunning, I adore mixes of fabric that don't really match but work beautifully because of color and scale. The result will be outstanding.
Janell
Really amazing, Averill! It looks gorgeous in there! xo kitty
MaryBeth: The carpet is by Madeline Weinrib -- her website has a list of locations, but I actually bought it by contacting a customer rep via her website and placing an order over the phone (if you email them about a specific carpet, they'll send you a price list; prices aren't on the website but most of them are fairly reasonably priced).
Oh and the link to the rug:
http://www.madelineweinrib.com/ama/cotton_flatweaves/Westley-Indigo.html
I love the combination and I love how perfectly centered the dragon is on your pillows. So funny that we both had pillows on the mind yesterday! Thank you so much for your opinion. I'm going to order them and when I get them, I'll definitely post about them! Hope you have a great weekend Averill!
What a fabulous combination! Excited to see the final project....
Jealous!!! Really great patterns. Stunning.
Yes, yes, yes! You have it Averill. The Trellis fabric is perfect and will play off of your gorgeous rug and lamps. What size are your existing pillows 12"? Also, great idea to have one made for your wingback chair too. Can't wait to see the finished look!
xo,
cristin
Chiang mai and imperial trellis? You are talking my language!! I"ve lusted after chiang mai in the aquamarine colorway forever, and I love seeing it in indigo! What accent colors are you planning on pulling into the room? A few pops of orange or a similar color would really highlight what you've already done!
How about a single piece of rosso verona marble in a greek key frame on the wall behind the sofa - or http://www.amyesullivan.com/stonel3.html if not the real marble? Then when you get the built-ins done, you can tie in the orange with painting behind the shelves on top in the nook. Just a thought.
I've got some trellis in the closet, too. Hmmmmmmh.
I love the dragons - aren't they supposed to bring you prosperity? Regardless I love the new look and with the Trellis fabric. It will be awesome.
Lovely choices.
Wow -I didn't know that Chiang Mai Dragon came in that lovely shade of blue. It works perfectly with your color scheme, and the trellis print will make a great combo.
The pillows are great and the trellis fabric will be perfect with them! Great finds.
I agree! Very addictive! I have it all over my blog too. Infact, my goal was to find a very similar pattern at a much lower cost and I found some amazing fabric almost identical pattern for less than $50/yard! I might end up selling some of it soon, so check my blog occassionally. www.loft32.blogspot.com
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