by Adria Saracino

Sectionals are pretty much the last word in comfort, but they’re also the last word in size. So, unless you want a room-spanning expanse of plain upholstery, you need a lot of accessories to dress your couch. But that’s where the fun comes in! Pillows, throws, and other accessories are where you get to play around with your style; you don’t need to be afraid of investing in a big piece that you might get tired of. So don’t be discouraged by the size of your sofa; filling it up with accessories in whatever style you choose is simple. All you have to do is stick loosely to a color palette and a theme. Take inspiration from the examples created below using this sectional: 

Style: Graphic and Modern

Style: Breezy Eastern

Style: Rich and Traditional

Color Scheme: Coral, Chocolate, and Cream If you have classic tastes, play them up with slightly modernized takes on some favorite motifs: zoom in on a chinoiserie pattern in a pillow, and layer it with a luxe checkered tray. A smaller silk-embroidered pillow picks up the shine of the inlaid mother-of-pearl, and its texture plays off of the simple, cozy throw. 8. Chinoiserie pillow 9. Cream throw 10. Miramar lumbar pillow 11. Checker Mother of Pearl trays Of course, these examples are only a hint of all the great combinations you can come up with for dressing your sectional. A neutral sofa is the perfect background for almost any kind of décor. Just remember not to go too crazy—comfort and coziness are what you’re aiming for here—so any sequin-encrusted pillows or scratchy throw blankets should be given a second thought. Apart from that, don’t hesitate to explore your options! A great arrangement can be made in any style and on any budget.  

Adria Saracino is a chronic pinner and style blogger over at The Emerald Closet fashion blog. When not taking photos of stylish Seattleites or contemplating her next home design purchase, you can find her checking out one of Seattle's trendy restaurants or watching HGTV.

It may seem like an unattainable dream to have family friendly upholstery that is actually washable. While the best solution for a washable sofa is a slipcover, it may not be the appropriate design choice for your room. The next best possibility is to find a fabric that can be washed if there is a spill on the furniture. Of course, if you wash just the cushions of a piece of furniture and not the frame, over time you'll see the fabric fade and the furniture will be two different colors. You also risk shrinking the cushion covers which can ruin the cushions by crushing them down. If you're raising kids and pets, or have messy roommates, washable upholstery is the solution. If a slipcover is out of the question, you just need to find the right fabric to have washable upholstery. Our favorite for a substantial feel and a look that fits anywhere, is our Charisma Velvet. This fabric has a high durability rating, passing 60,000 rubs; and retains its color beautifully after washing, so it will be a long time before it looks faded. It comes in lots of colors. The low pile is perfect for an urban look, a traditional room, or a casual space. It's 100% polyester with a soft hand. Our washable upholstery trick? Upholster in this fabric, and be sure to make arm covers. When the furniture needs cleaning, zip off the cushion covers, and wash with arm covers in cold water. Drip dry. 

For a lighter, more summery look, we like 100% Acrylic outdoor canvas. It looks and feels like a crisp cotton, and stains wash out easily since it is made for outdoor use. Again, zip off cushion covers, wash in cold water and drip dry. it's important to use a mild detergent and stay away from heavy hitting upholstery stain removers, since they really aren't good for fabrics. Just use a gentle laundry pretreatment for stains like you would use on your clothing. You'll eventually see signs of wear after many washings. Just like clothing, furniture fabrics wear out with repeated trips to the laundry. For easy care, washable upholstery is a great solution for high traffic rooms. 

An easy and quick Master Bedroom Drapery Makeover.  Our Regency Vine Embroidered Sheer Draperies dress up corner windows in a master bedroom.  Our Sandstone Drapery Hardware is the perfect color for the taupe and pewter tones of the embroidered vines.  So pretty filtering the light; blinds beneath offer privacy and light control.

One of our favorite fabrics, Vintage Plumes Jade by Dwell Studio, made up beautifully for custom draperies in a young couple's dining room.  One of the best things about fine fabrics is the wonderful hand of the material - this pattern is printed on a chunky woven cotton and linen blend that has lots of body, so it is perfect for draperies. We used our steel drapery rods in Sandstone, a handpainted soft brown finish that has a patinated look and works beautifully with the soft brown in the print. Here's a closeup of the tailored European style pleats I used for a modern look:

And here is the finished project:

I hung them a bit long so they would "crash" on the floor and break open the panel to spread out the pattern. I really love the climbing vine effect of this pattern! Christiane Lemieux, the designer, is very creative and her designs are truly original. She is also very gracious and encouraging to others in the industry, as we were lucky to find out when we met her last year in High Point - here we are:

 That's Layla on the left, Christiane and me :)

We're always excited to see the new Dwell Studio designs when we go to Market!

Our clients for this project are a young family with 3 small children and a sophisticated art collection. They wanted easy to care for interiors that weren't too casual. They also anticipated moving the next year, so they wanted flexibility. And, they wanted to reuse much of their existing furniture which was in good condition. First, we slipcovered a pair of their existing sofas in our Lido natural linen. The flax tone and heavy linen texture is substantial and stylish looking. One sofa went to the living room and one to the library.  They look great in both rooms and can be reunited in the future. Club chairs were slipcovered in our durable Siggy Stripe in the client's favorite colors of aqua, green and brown.The stripe hides daily smudges, washes beautifully, and will be reused in the next house in a different room. In the meantime, the stripe and linen are happily together in the living room:    

The other linen sofa looks great in the library with a different painting and pillows:

A love seat is slipcovered in an Outdura fabric for the other end of the living room:

  The other half of the pair of chairs sports a pillow of our Vintage Plumes fabric: 

   All of the slipcovers work perfectly together or separately. And now that the clients have moved into their new home, they can reuse everything in different rooms.

The big news this fall is the addition of our first collection of pillows with original artwork from our friends at Casart Coverings.  We're all women entrepreneurs, and we believe we can produce stylish and affordable designs right here in the USA.  Lorre Lei,  Ashley and Lindsey design and produce original wallpapers – their idea of “Slipcovers for Your Walls” intrigued us right away.  Casart Coverings are removable and reusable wallpapers based on original artwork  -  they also create custom murals and maps.  Their unique designs are a perfect fit for pillows, so when they contacted us about producing pillows for them, we thought it was a great idea.

So after months of emails, phone calls and late nights on both ends, Casart Designs have arrived at PillowFolly! We’ll be making the pillows right here in our South Carolina workroom. The fabric and pillow inserts are made in North Carolina, so we can honestly say these pillows are 100% Made in the USA.

They’re like jewelry for your sofa

Because comfort is the biggest luxury of all 

So we can indulge our passion for beautiful fabrics 

Because there’s always room for something fabulous 

To undecorate the prepackaged room 

In a mass-produced world, we appreciate the handmade 

Because every room should tell a story

Because dogs love 'em!

Born in old Hollywood's heyday, Hollywood Regency is a glamorous, sophisticated style combining fine-lined furnishings, rich colors, and fantasy elements such as chinoiserie, palms, and fretwork.  Legendary set decorator Billy Haines became interior decorator to the stars in the forties, and the style carried over into fine residences of the time.  Hollywood regency rooms functioned as "sets" for their inhabitants, who ostensibly lived a glamorous life of poolside parties, cocktail hours and exotic travel.  Today's Hollywood Regency style has evolved into almost a cartoon of itself, with over the top pattern and color.  To read more about the roots of Hollywood Regency, visit our interior design article here: Hollywood Regency Design at Posh Living

To see our Hollywood Regency pillow collection, just click here:  Hollywood Regency at Pillowfolly