Cheries;
Girls,
let’s talk. Excuse the informality but this is simply too important
not to mention. It is about pillows. The current trend is a tidal
wave and beginning to crest for goodness sake. We are being swamped
with them. I have actually seen bed arrangements that literally
engulf more than half the space available. Stop before it is too
late!
It
is no less inviting to prepare a bed with two pillows per person and
a nice bolster for support if needed than it is to establish a
beach-head of fluffy obstructions to wade through. Where on earth do
you put them all when you sleep? I hope not on the floor but I
suspect as much. Spend your effort on economy in the bedroom and do
it tastefully with a sleeping pillow and a nicely covered display
pillow for accent. If you can, have the display pillowcase
monogrammed or use very fine material to make a special presentation.
Many heirloom fabrics are still available in the better linen stores.
Let the hotels exaggerate the pillow-mania and reserve a signature
style for your home. Please don’t make it look like a hotel. Your
guests are there for you.
Then
there are the sofas. Call them davenports, couches, lounges or what
you will they are usually quite comfortable as they are made, usually
with abundant cushioning. Use pillows as accents and not as an excuse
to slouch and slump in dreadful postures. Is it any wonder that the
advertisements for back pain remedies and even for surgeries are more
and more commonly displayed everywhere? The modern American back
muscles have been softened to a frightful degree and excessive
pillofication is the culprit. Pillows are accents. Use them
accordingly. They are not to hide behind or wrestle with unless you
are under ten years old. Choose contrasting colors, patterns or
fabrics to make your points. A fine bargello needlepoint
offers a touch of refinement and plenty of support. Don’t be
stampeded into over-doing it just because you see them cascading in
catalogues. Remember that their purpose there is to sell you more
pillows. A tsunami of pillows is an obstacle and not an accompaniment
to conversation or to rest. And you really don’t have to crease
them in that sort of artificial manner seen in hotel lobbies across
the land.
Girls,
my advice is that if you want to make a fashion statement, do it with
subtlety and an artful choice of restraint. One is not impressed with
piling on. It is easy to avoid this fault of common-ness. Your home
ought to exemplify your personal standards in every way. Make your
style stand out with an exercise of moderation when it comes to
pillows, the accents that display a warm welcome and solid comfort.
As
ever, Celeste
