Pillow talk

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