Designer Tips: Throw Pillows
Throw pillows add a finishing touch, comfort, softness, beauty… but quality ones are so freaking expensive. On some high end designer websites (that I absolutely love and drool over) throw pillows are $100+ dollars. Now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t want to spend $100 on something that my girls are going to use as leap pads when our floor suddenly turns into lava - which happens on a near daily basis over here. So, how can you get that lush, beautiful pillow without the sticker shock that is going to make you lose your mind with kids (or a husband who likes to use the pillows as a hot mat when eating on the couch)? Here is a trick that I use for saving a little money on some throw/decorative pillows but still getting good quality and that super fun karate chop look.
First, when shopping for pillows, its okay to buy less expensive pillows as long as two conditions are met.
First, you must love the material/print. This might be common sense, but don’t buy something you don’t love - you aren’t going to grow to love it which will make you want to replace it sooner. This means that the initial purchase ends up being a waste of money, you’ve simply added to your collection of ‘stuff’ and when you do find the ones you love, you now have pillows you have to get rid of. For real, just hold off and wait until you find the ones you actually like.
Secondly (and very important), the key to buying the less expensive pillows is to buy ones that have a zipper in the cover - this will allow you to replace the insert with a higher quality one. Most inexpensive pillows are filled with polyester fill, which while it looks nice and fluffy at first, will go flat super fast. You also can’t get that nice karate chop action with a poly filled pillow (go ahead and try the next time you’re at Target or somewhere with these pillows - its not happening). Another benefit to the zipper is you can wash your pillow covers (always a win).
In other news, I need a manicure…
Now, because I’m all about reducing waste, I definitely encourage you to buy just the covers instead of pillows and covers with the intent to replace the insert. These are readily available now from tons of places, and really just reduce the amount of waste going into landfills or sitting in your closet.
To purchase high quality pillow inserts, you need to follow two guidelines: size and fill.
Size: Always, always, ALWAYS buy pillow insert the next size up from your cover. This will create a nice full look when you stuff the cover, which is what we’re all going for. If you are buying a 16”x16” cover, fill it with an 18”x18” insert. Trust me - its key to getting that full soft look.
Fill: The best fill insert for pillows is down and feathers. They come in different ratios of down to feathers, and the higher the ratio of down, the softer the pillow, but it can be tricky to find those 50/50 filled ones without paying $$$ or without a trade account (benefit of using an interior designer).
If you are allergic to down/feathers this obviously isn’t going to work. I know there is a huge push out there of people saying that “oh, its not the feathers your allergic to, its the mites and dust - just get an allergen cover” but y’all some people are truly allergic. My sister’s poor face swells up to the point that her eyes swell shut when she sleeps on down & feather pillows. Just not worth it. In this case, a really good down alternative pillow will work, usually filled with a higher quality poly or a synthetic down. Woven Nook makes some good faux down filled inserts that won’t break the bank.
So, to sum it up:
1) Only buy what you love
2) Make sure the cover has a zipper!
3) Buy an insert that is a size bigger than your cover
4) Down & Feather fill or high quality down alternative if you’re allergic
