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" Linda - Thanks for all you have done to warm
up my home! ...The pillow looks & feels great. Receiving it and sitting
back on it today was the crowning touch of my day!" - J.S.W., Herndon,
VA
Custom Pillows and Design Details
Custom Pillows are often underestimated in the value that they
can bring to a room. With a carefully chosen fabric, and a comfortable
form inside, they should be functional works of textile art, tying other
elements of the room together, or repeating the melody of the room in
complementary ways. In an open floor plan, or any room with many
openings for doors and windows, there may be little wall space on which
to hang paintings, and therefore pillows may be needed to add detail.
Rarely do we recommend pillows that match the upholstery, or repeat the
window treatment fabric, unless we use it to reveal a pattern partially
hidden in the folds of a window treatment. Even then, specific pattern
placement allows us to reveal more than one aspect of the pattern.
Floor pillows are another
underestimated element of a room. For a family room or major TV viewing
room, floor pillows offer extra seating on Super Bowl Sunday, or a
jumping place for active grandchildren. They may be favorite homework
spots, or become forts for small children. For a smaller space with less
room for seating, floor pillows stack neatly in a corner or under a
cocktail table, and then add casual seating when needed. While not
needed in every home, floor pillows may be an appropriate consideration;
if needed, they should be large enough to provide comfort, and
fabricated in durable upholstery fabrics.
Our Masterworks pillows are
zippered whenever possible, to make it easy to remove the form and clean
the cover as needed. For those who need to use polyfill forms, the
zipper allows you to replace the form when it flattens. Down and feather
forms are preferred for their resiliency and ability to return to shape,
and with today’s tightly woven tickings, the feathers and any future
dust stay inside; many who were allergic to older feather pillows are
able to live with the nicer new forms. The choices of forms are best
selected by trying out an actual pillow, so we bring samples for you to
assess which type of form is most comfortable for you.
Pillows that sit on leather
furniture, or other smooth surfaces, should be constructed with Turkish
corners at the bottom, if not all four corners, so that they will sit up
properly, instead of falling on their backs on the slippery surface. The
breadth of textures and innovative materials available today allow us to
find wonderful fabric choices for every preferred design style.
After reviewing our gallery of beautiful custom pillows,
Contact Us for an appointment to evaluate
how custom pillows may enhance your home. For information on Tableskirts
and Table Linens, please continue below the photo galleries. For details
on Cushions, such as chair pads, and bench cushions, or cushions for
window seats, see our Portfolio on Reupholstery.
Custom Pillows as Unifying Elements in the Room
Click on any image to enlarge. Click on the right/left
edges of each enlarged image to navigate through the gallery.
Custom Pillows as Textile Works of Art
Click on any image to enlarge. Click on the right/left
edges of each enlarged image to navigate through the gallery.
Tableskirts and Table Linens
See also “Tablescapes and Accessorizing” in the
Space Planning section
Click on any image to enlarge. Click on the right/left
edges of each enlarged image to navigate through the gallery.
Table Skirts
The versatility of skirted tables solves a number of design
challenges. A skirted table may be a great pivot point in a corner,
providing a large surface for a lamp and other accessories, while
leaving room for beverages, books, and other visitors to the table.
Skirted tables soften a space with many chairs or exposed leg pieces of
furniture, and allow a contrasting fabric or pattern to be introduced.
Depending upon the table beneath, a skirted table may hide other
storage, such as a basket of toys, a box of books, or once in a small
apartment in New England we actually skirted a table that had snow tires
hidden beneath!
A solid fabric, or an overall pattern, which looks good upside down, and
sideways, as well as right side up, is suitable for a round table cloth.
There will be two seams adding width to the tableskirt to make the round
skirt large enough. If the pattern has only one acceptable direction, a
seam at the table edge is needed, and then the sides can be added either
as a gathered skirt or in tailored sections with pleats.
Hem details are important as well, and add visual weight to the
tableskirt. For some, a simple cording at the hem is sufficient, but
pleated and deep contrasting gathered hems are also pleasing. Trims such
as bullion fringe and wonderful long cut fringes, often with knotting
details, are other ways to lavish attention at the hem, adding rhythm
and texture.
When using a table of chip core or other pressed wood or plywood, better
results are obtained by layering a piece of flannel interlining on the
surface before placing the tableskirt fabric on the surface. Of course,
the tableskirts are also lined and interlined appropriately. To protect
the tableskirt, we recommend a glass top the same diameter as the table
top. Not all skirted tables are round – a square or rectangular table
can be effectively skirted with a seam at the table edge, and pleating
at the corners.
Table Runners and Table Linens
For table runners, the shape and purpose of the runner must be
evaluated. Table runners usually will remain on the table when it is in
use, and the design needs to allow space at each end for place settings.
The shaping of the table runner should be appropriate for the shape of
the table, and embellishments such as corner tassels need to be
positioned between place settings, or within the center space. Quilting
is another way to enhance a table runner.
Complementary placemats and cloth napkins may also be fabricated for the
table.
Occasionally a client prefers a runner to entirely cover the table and
hang off the ends. This type of runner is usually removed when the table
is in use, but warms up a table in a dining room which is not often
used. At other times, runners may be used horizontally and vertically,
and settings placed on them. These runners need to not hang down too
low, so that they do not get in the way of diners being seated.
Contact Us for your custom table linen or
tableskirt needs.
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