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February 4, 2002 -- The serenity of the chaise is made even more inviting by a beaded, lime-green pillow from Mowhawk, which adds soft color and lushness to the scene. (SHNS photo by Nick Madden / Chris Madden, Inc.)
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By Chris Casson Maddens
Scripps Howard News Service
What is it about a pillow that makes it so appealing? Pillows offer comfort and support. Their plump, mounded, compact shapes soften the angularities of wooden furniture, a low-slung sofa, a banquette or the boxiness of a bed. Their curvaceousness can mirror the curves and billows of an over-stuffed chair. In short, pillows soften the blows -- think pillow fight. They can be used for sheer fun or serious pursuits -- think a good night's sleep. And they do it all in covers that can match their purpose, high brow or low, fun or serious, in fabrics that celebrate textiles in all their ethnic or regional glory or dressed in bed linens that are the ultimate in simplicity and purity of design. Pillow covers, or fabrics to make them, have become one of my favorite souvenir collectibles from my travels because, without stuffing, they are easy to fold and stick in a suitcase. I have been in many homes where the pillow collections reflect a love of travel. Exotic adventures to Morocco, Turkey, India and China have reaped bounteous masses of richly woven, dyed, and embroidered silks, woolens and cotton fabrics and pillow coverings. Finds in the flea markets of France and England have yielded 18th and 19th century chintzes, toiles, matelasse and paisleys that are easily fashioned into pillows. Travel closer to home and one is likely to find old Pendleton blankets, homespun linens, ticking stripes and hand-sewn quilts fashioned into fabulous pillows. Even those who profess to find pillows fussy and excessive are likely to indulge when a pillow presents itself that fits the mood and surroundings of a modern-style home. Just one pillow in such a setting can make a powerful design statement. Colorful vintage Pucci-inspired geometric fabric pillows are a bold accent when thrown into the monochromatic mix of a modern room. Scandinavian fabric manufacturers such as Marrimekko and Kvadrat, George Nelson's vintage designs, Jack Lenor Larsen's or Maharam's current inspirations are also mod choices for accent pillows. If masculinity seems compromised by too many pillows, choose quality over quantity with streamlined, tailored pillows in menswear inspired fabrics such as herringbone, tweed, or gray flannel pinstripes. Use white or rich red or blue contrasting-colored piping to add the trim and fit of a tailored piece. If you're going to be fussy with such pillows, do so by lining them up neatly in tidy, even rows. A serene, quiet look is another that often eschews the look of too many pillows. Here is where texture and simplicity of quality fabrics becomes all-important. Choose pillows with nubby textures such as raw cotton, silk or burlap or ones that look homespun or handmade such as grass cloth, materials printed with natural dyes or Kuba cloth. Ethnic Asian inspired prints and fabrics work well with the colors found in nature -- browns, greens, beiges and vibrant vegetable colors. Of course, for many, white is the essence of serenity. If that's the case for you, select high-quality, high thread-count cottons, linens or silks. Clean-lined modern and European-sized squares are easy shapes to work with for a serene look. A generous sprinkling of pillows throughout your home signifies a generous soul. Even though your furniture is more than adequate and comfortable, throw some floor pillows in front of the hearth to make it irresistible to curl up there. A small, soft pillow in every dining chair is an elegant and welcoming touch for those who love to entertain around the table. At The Ivy, my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles, pillows are on every chair and abundantly stacked in the banquettes, making it one of the tastiest and most comfortable places to enjoy dinner. Pillows are abundant, affordable design statements that can easily pack a punch of whimsy, color or texture. They can be thrown, piled or placed just about anywhere in any room. How people use pillows, and in what sizes, quantity, color, and design can tell much about a person's decorating proclivities, even lifestyle. Need I say that I love pillows? (Chris Casson Madden, host of the Home & Garden Television show Interiors by Design,' is also author of 13 books, including the newly released Getaways: Carefree Retreats for All Seasons Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2000 -- ISBN:0609603205.)
RESOURCES :
Getaways: Carefree Retreats for All Seasons
Model: 0609603205
Author: Chris Casson Madden
(2000)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Clarkson Potter/The Crown Publishing Group/Random House
Website: www.randomhouse.com
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