Pillow Power-A Quick Fix

My client Joan, who recently hired me to redesign her bedroom, took me on a tour of her home on my first visit. She and her husband live in a lovely bungalow which is tastefully decorated and houses the very interesting and colourful treasures that they have collected through the years. While showing me her living room, she commented on how she hated the fabric on the sofa, wanted to recover it but was not in a position to do so at this point in time. In the photos, the fabric appears to be a solid colour but in fact it is a charcoal /black tweed with tiny flecks of blue, red and white. Now don't get me wrong. I love tweed but the colour combination in the fabric doesn't quite work. While Joan has a good sense of colour and is spot on when putting herself together, her choice of throw pillows did nothing for the room.

I told Joan that the size and bulk of the sofa worked well and that by simply replacing the pillows, both the sofa and the room could be transformed.

Taking a cue from the vibrant painting that hangs above the sofa, 2 pair of throw pillows brought the room back to life. Now the little wicker coffee table wants to be spiced up. A sprinkling of paprika should do the trick. Homesense, here I come.

Joan is no longer talking about recovering the sofa. Because our eyes are drawn to the pillows, the flecks of colour on the sofa's fabric go unnoticed.

A simple redesign that cost a pittance, this quick fix is garnering Rave Re:views.

Design Tip: Reawaken your tired sofa with the toss of a pillow.