Custom pillows are one of the ultimate luxuries for your home. While they can cost the most per square inch of any custom-made product (with the exception of furniture), you’ll quickly learn that custom pillows are worth the investment. In fact, hardly any other design element makes such a statement of comfort and luxury in your space.
When well-designed and constructed with care, custom pillows truly finish off nearly every room and bring other design elements together. Whether you add a few pillows to beautify your bedroom or use them to tie together your favorite living space, custom pillows make a huge difference in the both the look and feel of your home.
Below are some of our best tips to guide you with your custom pillow choices:
Velvet
Soft and inviting, velvet has made a huge comeback in home furnishings, lending glamour to room settings. And if your look is more rustic, velvet is still a viable choice. You can choose a distressed type of velvet with a built-in vintage look for the best of both worlds – an antique looks with the freshness and sturdiness of new fabric.
It’s hard to beat the soft comfort of velvet as you flop on the sofa at the end of your hard workday. After all, that’s what sofas and their pillows are meant to do! Velvet custom pillows easily provide a cozy spot to relax and de-stress. You can’t go wrong with this choice.
Patterns
Patterns on custom pillows are one of my favorite ways to bring color and interest into a room, especially when accenting a solid color sofa. Rich florals, bold stripes, geometric patterns and even whimsical themes like dogs, birds, pottery, etc. are perfect here. Bold and unusual patterns that may be too much when used elsewhere are right at home on custom pillows. These colors and themes can be carried into the artwork and accessories of your space. This is the perfect opportunity to express your creative side!
Expensive Fabrics
Do you have a favorite fabric that you love? Something that caught your eye while flipping through the fabric books, but you decided against after hearing the price? Well now you can bring it back.
Custom pillows are the perfect place to use a bit of high end luxury fabric. In fact, most custom pillows can be constructed with a single yard of fabric or less. So put that beautiful, high-end designer fabric back on your wish list. You can have it in your dream space after all!
Trims
This is where you can really get custom. There are literally thousands and thousands of beautiful trims available today. Fringe, tassels, designer tape, buttons, leather trim, burlap, hemp, tapestry tape, and beads, beads, beads.
Your creativity and imagination really has no limit here. If you aren’t sure where to start or what trims to put together, ask your designer for help. I have plenty of resources and suggestions to find custom pillows that fit your style. Or you can go to the internet for inspiration. Pinterest is a great place to search and save favorites so you can show your own designer your favorite inspo and create the pillows you’ve always wanted.
Pillow Talk
I am not a fan of a lot of quotes scattered throughout the house as decoration. Quotes are not a bad idea, but now that the general public has caught on, this is a design trend that is quite overdone. However, one favorite word or saying on one object, pillow or sign can add a custom touch to your space. Just remember, less is definitely more here.
Custom Pillows vs. Ready-Made
Ready-made pillows can be found in abundance online and in stores and often come with a very low price tag. And pretty low quality as well. These options have their appeal, especially if they are going to get a lot of wear-and-tear. I’m thinking kids’ pillow fights and Dad’s Sunday afternoon naps. But I find that nothing downgrades the look and value of a room design like cheaper accessories, and including pillows.
Having a beautiful, well-made name brand sofa or chair with ready-made pillows is the quickest way to undo the fine atmosphere you’ve worked so hard to create. I understand the reasons – if you’ve “already spent so much” or think “they’re only pillows,” it seems possible to justify skimping here. But don’t. Doing so will unwind the fine atmosphere of indulgent care and comfort you’ve created in your home.
And the construction of your pillows matters too. Custom pillows are often lined to hold their shape better. They often have hidden zippers and much finer stuffing than ready-mades, meaning they will wear well and look great for years longer. So you may invest a bit more now, but won’t need to replace your pillows nearly as often.
It can be tempting, but don’t cheap-out here, but save up and then invest in quality decorating elements in your rooms, including custom pillows. The fine environment you create will be well worth the cost and last for years to come.