Velvet & Linen

pillow talk...

Kelly at the shop is always telling me that we need more pillows. As much as I love pillows, I have a hard time finding ones that I like... until recently. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of my recent pillow finds...

I love pillows made from vintage textiles.

 

These vintage textile pillows add a bit of color to the shop!
 

I'm always looking for unique shaped pillows. These long rectangular pillows would work perfectly as  on a sofa or on a bed.
 

 A pair of  ethnic pillows add just the right amount of color to our 1930's French leather club chairs.
 

The colors of this faded block print pillow look so beautiful on top of this gray basket.
 

Michele from My Notting Hill introduced me to the gorgeous pillows and throws by D. Bryant Archie.  Not only are Bryant's textiles soft and beautiful, they are environmentally friendly! As Michele explains in her post, D.Bryant Archie also works with partners who support  the livelihood of local artisans in rural Peru as well as supporting their education and the education of their children.
 

More of D.Bryant Archie's pillows are displayed on the middle shelf of our large cabinet. One of Bryant's throws hangs over a basket. I adore the braided corner detail!
 

On the top shelf of the cabinet, we displayed these cotton amethyst paisley block print pillows. 
 

They are the same hue of my vintage glass bottles.

         

Have you found some gorgeous pillows to add some fun to your home?

I'd love to hear about them!

xo

Brooke

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a lovely living room

I am at the final stage of designing a client's living room. This project has developed over time. We waited until all of the furniture was selected before deciding what to do for draperies. I thought I would share some pictures with you of how the room looks now and what elements we are deciding to add.

No, this isn't what it looks like now! This is what it looked like before I got my hands on it. Ms. J has two boys, and her living room was being used as a game room. She finally decided that it was time to move all the foosball and pocket hockey tables out to the garage.

Yes, this is the "after" picture taken at a similar angle.  We chose a comfy couch from Brenda Antin and upholstered it in a cream linen.  A chandelier will hang replace the center can light and hang over the main seating area.

This pillow is covered in my favorite Robert Kime fabric and a Claremont onion fringe.

The stripe is  from Claremont. We added a little texture by using pink velvet (left over from her benches) on the little round pillows and a crochet throw from Anthropologie.

Here is a closer image of her Swedish benches. Usually we keep Swedish pieces upholstered in cream linen, but I think they look fantastic in pink silk velvet!

We found a pretty gray Samuel and Son gimp to use as trim to hide the fabric's rough edges. It was quite a challenge to find just the right trim!

Her ebony and cane chairs are upholstered in a Robert Kime floral and a Bennison stripe with a flat welt detail. I love the subtle chinoiserie feel of these chairs.

Ms. J's ebony oval coffee table is also from Fainting Couch. It adds some curves to the room.

The vintage hook rug was a great flea market find. It pulls all of the colors in the room together.

Another "before" picture. 

We put this pretty Swedish table and chairs in the corner. We plan to hang a small chandelier over it. 

We used the same sweet Robert Kime bird fabric on these gorgeous chairs. 

We installed Madagascar grass cloth on the three unpaneled walls to give them some texture. The Swedish cabinet serves as a bar. We are planning on hanging draperies in a Swedish blue gray striae fabric on antique brass rods.

On the mantle sits a vintage mirror and sweet antique lights found at an antique collective.

I promise to post more images of this room once the draperies are up and the chandeliers are installed.

Happy Sunday.

xo

Brooke

my nemesis - the pillow

I know this sounds crazy, but I need to be completely honest here. On every project I battle "the pillow".

How many?What size? What color?

As all of you will come to realize eventually, I am a bit of a control freak and a perfectionist. I fight with these character flaws every day because they can paralyze me, causing me  to be incapable of making a decision for fear that it isn't the right one. One of my methods of dealing with the situation is to make rules for myself.

This is what I have done with "the pillow" situation. Here are some of my favorites:

 

1. Unify pieces in a room by using similar colored pillow throughout the space.

All of the pillows used in this space are cream, gold and teal.

2. Pillows are a place where you can be bold, if the large pieces in a room are kept neutral.

3. Use pillows to bring in more of the colors that are used in the other elements in the room.

These Bennison pillows are in the same colors as the books on my shelves and in the 

drapery and artwork.

4. Add texture through pillows. I love how these John Robshaw pillows are adorned with shells.

We also added texture through jute tassel fringe and cording from Samuel and Sons.

5. Vary the size and shape. Use squares, rectangles and even rounds.

I'm also a big fan of the bolster.

6.Take a color from one pillow, like the orange in the chocolate

floral pillow, and emphasize it another pillow, like the striped orange ones.

7. Use different fabrics and mix them together to add interest. The Ralph Lauren blue silk velvet pillow adds a little shimmer. So does the gold silk damask pillow. 

8. Pillow lay-outs don't have to be perfectly symmetrical.  The Cowtan and Tout Floral pillows are the same 20x20 in. (one of my favorite pillow sizes), but the damask is a rectangle and the silver pillow is a small square. 

 

xo

Brooke