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Yes, You Can Use Outdoor Pillows Inside Your Home!
Have you ever purchased a new throw pillow for your living room, only to spill a glass of soda or wine on it a week later? Here’s a solution! Outdoor pillow fabric is made from a cotton polyester blend that is both stain and sun resistant. Some styles even come in luxurious silks and wools. Not only will it last a lot longer if you are raising young kids, but now you can get that puppy you always wanted.
There’s nothing more annoying than damaging a brand new pillow, except perhaps watching your older pillows’ vibrancy fade away from sunlight exposure. Outdoor pillows fade more slowly (some don’t at all!), and it will protect the integrity of your décor when a couch or chair is opened against large, south-facing windows.
Decorating With Outdoor Fabric
The protective polyester comes in a great number of styles, colors, and various textures. In fact, it is easier to find well-decorated, textured fabric with outdoor-woven covers. Comfortable lawn chair cushions make great body-sized floor pillows in the TV den or basement or perhaps just a comfortable place to relax with a book.
If you are unable to match your indoors with the outside, consider bringing the outside in! Bamboo ceiling slats or tiles look smashing paired with wicker furniture and a bold color. If you are one of those people with a spring and summer furniture set, you can seasonally decorate by swapping out the bases and keeping the cushions to match the ceiling and walls.
Make Your Own!
As it turns out, making outdoor pillows is pretty easy. You can find the weather-resistant inserts you need for the cushion for as cheap as $10. Next, purchase a waterproof fabric. You will have a variety of options and outdoor canvas comes in several styles and is easily purchased online.
If canvas sounds too rough, you can also use outdoor tablecloth. There are other fabric options which work just as well, but they are a tad more expensive. You can use solution-dyed acrylic, or 100% spun poly fabric. Solid dyed acrylic averages $30 /yard, while stripes and woven are between $40-50 /yard. Spun polyester is much cheaper, ranging between $10-20 /yard. The big drawback to spun poly is it will fade in sunlight.
You can read through the process step-by-step here. The project guide recommends also using a shower curtain liner to prevent mold growth in the insert. Besides that, all you need a sewing machine!
Decorating with Throw Pillows: DOs and DON’Ts
If you don’t want to paint an entire wall or commit to a trend that is going to soon die, it’s a great idea to use throw pillows to encompass fresh concepts on a budget. However, many people struggle with finding pillows that coordinate with one another. This interior decorating dilemma creates a pillow nightmare! (Pun intended). But don’t panic! By following certain guidelines, you can successfully transform the look and feel of your home by decorating with throw pillows only.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Decorating with Throw Pillows
People commonly (and correctly!) complain about the matching throw pillows that came with their sofa looking rather dull and unexciting. Don’t let those drab little guys ruin your living space! Here are some suggestions to help you use pillows to decorate with taste and purpose .
- Don’t: Purchase a random patterned pillow because it is cute. It is important that you coordinate the colors throughout your rooms, and if you are going to use a patterned cushion, make sure it picks up at least one color that is already in your space.
- Do: Look to see if there is a color in your room you want to pull together. If you have accents throughout your room in similar hues, incorporate a solid bold pillow to pull everything together. For example, if you have caramel tones throughout your house, find some striking orange pillows. Always search for complementary colors.
- Don’t: Mix random textures that are too different in styles. For example, textures that are better suited for a formal setting (damask, satin,velvet, etc.) might not coordinate well with less refined, rougher textures often used for earthy, casual interiors (tweed,canvas,leather,corduroy, etc.)
- Do: Break the rules and be creative! When done with taste and purpose, combining different styles, textures, colors and patterns can bring amazing results. This approach works especially well when you are going for an eclectic interior, full of personality.
Finally, it’s a great idea to take a fan deck of paint colors and select chips that match furniture already in your space. When you go out shopping for throw pillows, you can easily reference the chip to determine which option will best match your decor.
Bold Caravan Cotton Pillows in a range of solid colors are great for tying in decor accents
Hand woven raw silk pillows in a range of muted solid colors.
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