For me one of the easiest ways to redecorate a room is with Throw Pillows. The downside to this is buying new Throw Pillows can get pretty pricey. Because I am a total cheapskate when it comes to buying something like throw pillows I tend to sew up a few new ones. That way I get a new look to my room using DIY Throw Pillows.
At my previous house I had these pillows. They were grey and grellow (a shade of green and yellow) and a couple of them were orange.
They warmed up the space and matched other things around the house. They were working fine and I liked them.
Then we moved. And the whole time our house was being built I kept saying to Mr. Seasoned Homemaker, “I want to decorate our house in black and white.” Being a sensible husband he would respond by saying, “No!”
That did not stop my black and white obsession. I know black and white can look cold in a room. But keep in mind that black and white is also found in nature. Really, who doesn’t love these guys. Wouldn’t they really make a room come alive? {I didn’t forget orcas or penguins}.
Mr. SH also wanted these dark cabinets in the kitchen. I was a little on the fence (still am) but agreed compromised. And because of this I was able to satisfy my black and white desires in the kitchen. #compromiserocks
Since moving, I had all of the pillows from the old living room tossed on the sofa and chairs in the new living room. They looked great and I was not in a hurry to change anything.
Then.I.got.an.email.from.Wayfair. There was this rug that I saw and immediately fell in love with it. Only problem ~ it was turquoise and gray. Which really didn’t match my living room throw pillows.
It’s funny how one thing can change everything. Remember this.
I bought the rug because I loved it. It called to me and became the inspiration for the entire living area of my house. It cost around $100 ~ delivered. And Mr. SH really liked it, too. #allaroundwinner
One problem. It didn’t match any of the pillows from my other house. The orange, gray, grellow was never going to harmonize with this rug. And you can tell from the photo above that you can see the sofa pillows from the minute you step foot in the house.
What’s a gal to do. You know me well enough ~ I’m going to make some new pillow covers. Do you know how difficult it is to find turquoise, black, gray, and white in one piece of fabric? It doesn’t exist. Which really wasn’t a problem because all of the colors were available in a variety of fabrics. I checked Fabric.com regularly until I came upon this trio which cost me around $50 ~ not bad considering one pillow can run that much or more.
For the turquoise {french blue?? ~ I have no idea what to call this color} fabric and the black & white fabric I used my tutorial on How to Make an Envelope Pillow . The turquoise fabric is a micro fiber and pretty flimsy. I had used it when making these pillows. That fabric almost caused me to lose my religion. It slid all over the place. This time, I backed it with a woven fusible interfacing and that was all it needed to stabilize the fabric. I wasn’t going to try to make piping since I knew how hard it was. Besides the suede-y fabric didn’t really need anymore embellishment.
The black & white fabric is a decor weight fabric and didn’t need any interfacing. I used the same tutorial for making these pillows. Instead of piping these pillows, I sewed a small mock-flange about 3/4″ from the outer edge. It gives the the appearance of piping {sort of} without having to actually add piping.
For the two smaller lumbar pillows I used the gray and white fabric (also from fabric.com). It is also a decor weight fabric and didn’t need any interfacing. I used my tutorial on How to Add Piping to a Pillow.
I completed this entire project in about 4 hours on a cold Saturday. I got great results and didn’t spend a lot of time or money.
Because I already had the pillow inserts I just changed out the old pillow covers for my new ones that now go quite well with the rug in the entry hall. I even managed to keep my orange trays and the lime green table in the entry. It all flows quite well and overall we are pleased with the look. It’s simple and allows us to use what we already have.
And it really satisfies my black and white obsession.
In case you think I live in a fantasy life model home ~ which I can assure you is absolutely untrue ~ I’ve tossed in this photo from the other side of the room. Mr. SH has been working away at adding a small deck to the backyard and is storing his tools in the living room while he works on the project. #keepingitreal
Erin says
February 24, 2014 at 1:15 amUpdaring my pillows is the fastest way I know to freshen/update my house. Custom piping with the same fabric is just the icing on the cake, adding a high end look to such a simple project.
Cheryl says
February 24, 2014 at 11:46 amVery fresh and inviting. The rug is beautiful! In a previous home, I used black & white, greys and a “grayed down” turquoise. Always liked the combinations … and it sold the first day when we put it on the market! Guess other people liked it too! Your room looks so crisp and bright. Very nice!
krisi - www.krisimiller.com says
February 24, 2014 at 11:50 amWhat a difference throw pillows make!P.S. I found you through the link party on skiptomylou(dot)org
Megan @ Our Pinteresting Family says
February 24, 2014 at 2:16 pmThey are so beautiful! I love the colors you have used in your home. 🙂
Cheryl says
February 24, 2014 at 5:54 pmHi Leslie. Gave you a mention over at my place today.
Patricia Routt says
February 24, 2014 at 5:59 pmI love your new home and the colors you chose are beautiful. I just finished our master bedroom and I did it in light and dark grey, white and turquoise, and the turquoise made all the difference, it made the other colors pop. I love turquoise but I had never used it in my home before. Now I want to use it throughout the house, but not to much. I love the pillows, you are so talented.
Deanna {sewmccool} says
February 24, 2014 at 7:17 pmI love the black and white combo, along with the turquoise. Looks so nice and fresh! Now if only my house were that neat… 🙂
Irene says
February 24, 2014 at 8:37 pmI love your pillows and the colors. My daughter in law was just talking to me yesterday saying she wishes she could have some pretty round neck pillows to go with her new furniture. I’m thinking now about getting a pattern for the kind of pillow she wants.
Love your watercolor wall hanging. Did you make it?
I love wall hangings and have quite a few. Basicly my house is quilts quilts quilts. Quilts on the walls quilts on the beds, quilts in the linen closet and trunk. Then there are the ones in different stages of being made. Right now i’m trying hard to finish 5 twin size quilts for the youngest great grandkids. The older ones already have them for their beds.
BeBetsy - Smashingly Good Living says
February 24, 2014 at 9:59 pmLove the black and white pillows… the color is so versatile and they’d look great in my own living room. Great pictures.
Thanks for sharing this post on your #simplybebetsy gallery!
The very best to you,
Sharon and Denise
Anam Salimi says
February 24, 2014 at 11:20 pmBeautiful the black and white looks gorgeous.
Camille says
February 25, 2014 at 1:44 amGreat job Leslie, it looks very classy!
Sonnet O'kane says
February 25, 2014 at 7:55 amThis is awesome! Would love if you shared at Link It or Lump it Link Party
Jennifer says
February 25, 2014 at 11:42 amThat rug is amazing! The pillows are great too! The best part about making your own pillows is that you can get exactly what you want for little effort. And when you need something new there is no guilt on making new covers since the cost is minimal. Your new home is beautiful.
Janet says
February 25, 2014 at 9:29 pmYou room looks great , even with the tools. Nice to know I’m not alone hubs tools are a permanent fixture up here it seems, lol
Corey @ Tinysidekick says
February 25, 2014 at 10:13 pmLove the pillows. Such a fun thing to update so you have an excuse to mix and match fabrics. That rug is perfect and I can see why it was the inspiration piece. Hope you are having a lovely week!
Amanda @ A Mother's Craftuition says
February 26, 2014 at 9:21 amThose pillows are so cute and that rug is amazing!
Judi says
February 26, 2014 at 11:17 amYou new rug is beautiful, as are the pillows! The first thing I noticed is how the pillows pull the blue out of the wall art, which is stunning, and I’d like to know if it is quilted fabric or paint…I love that!!!!
[email protected] says
February 26, 2014 at 11:59 pmClassy, stylish and fun!
Tasha @ Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body says
February 27, 2014 at 7:32 pmOoooh, that rug is fabulous and what a fabulous reason to change your throw pillows 🙂 I love the fabrics you chose!
Chelsea says
February 27, 2014 at 10:26 pmThose are really beautiful, Leslie! The patterns are gorgeous!
[email protected] says
February 28, 2014 at 7:52 amI do that all the time! Change one thing and then that morphs in to changing out other things. Drives my husband crazy! Love the new changes that you’ve made.
Suzanne says
February 28, 2014 at 8:08 amI am a big fan of throw pillows. It’s such a simple change that can really transform the look of a room. Your new pillows turned out wonderful. Love the combination of colors and design against your gray sofa.
Thanks for sharing,
Suzanne
Pieced Pastimes
Joy @ Yesterfood says
February 28, 2014 at 9:19 amLOVE your pillows, and the tutorial is fantastic. I also love that you decorated around a rug. I decorated my entire bedroom around a painting that I found. Thank you for sharing this post with us at Treasure Box Tuesday! 🙂
Joy @ Yesterfood says
February 28, 2014 at 9:20 amP.S. Pinned!
Leslie says
February 28, 2014 at 10:05 amP.P.S. Thanks 🙂
Teri Ahlm says
March 1, 2014 at 4:56 pmI love the pillows! Beautiful fabric choice.
Erin Foerch says
March 2, 2014 at 3:36 pmI love it! What a pretty rug! I just bought some throw pillows because my sewing machine broke. Making your own pillow covers is a great way to update a room and save! My favorite part, the picture of your mess. At first, I didn’t even see the toolbox! It’s a pretty normal sight at our house. I just asked my husband if he could remove his tools from our kitchen counter about an hour ago! haha! (We’re updating our trim) Projects are messy!
Jennifer Dawn says
March 4, 2014 at 10:38 pmI love those pillows! The fabrics are fantastic!
Carrie This Home says
March 6, 2014 at 10:16 amI am LOVING the fabric you chose for the pillows and rug! They are so cute and add such personality to a black and white room! I have similar pillows in my master bedroom and they really make the look of the room classy and modern. I never would have thought of using black and white for a room theme but with these accessories it works!
Nancherrow says
March 6, 2014 at 3:09 pmI love the colors and design of your new pillows, and they work perfectly in your room! Would love for you to share at Fridays Unfolded!
Alison
Nancherrow
Sharon says
May 15, 2014 at 1:00 amI love the color palette and the patterns of the fabric you chose all work so well together.
I’m like you and often avoid making piping. 🙂
Anita says
January 21, 2016 at 1:32 amThis is awesome! Thanks for sharing. Hi, I’m Anita visiting from Think Tank Thursday.
Jody @EasyPeasyMom says
January 22, 2016 at 7:59 amLove!! I totally feel your pain about finding the right throw pillows…and it drives my husband crazy! He doesn’t understand why there need to be more pillows on the couch, and I’ve given up trying to explain! I love finding just the right rug/pillow/decor object but hate the difficulty that sometimes comes with trying to build the room around it! Your room looks awesome, I especially love that gold mirror! Thanks for sharing.
Visiting from Think Tank Thursday link party
Anika says
January 23, 2016 at 12:30 amlove the combinations you picked! They all work so well together!
Sam @ Living The Dutch Dream says
January 23, 2016 at 2:27 pmI love your choice of fabric for the cushions and also the print on the rug – I want them all!
Audrey Nugent says
May 28, 2016 at 8:56 pmWhere did you purchase the beige chair in the last picture. It looks so comfortable and just what I am searching for to sit in my livingroom.
Leslie says
May 28, 2016 at 9:19 pmThe chair is white and I purchased it at Ikea.