Inexpensively Update Your Home with This One Trick
“You have WAY too many throw pillows”… said no one. Ever. Unless you’ve been to my house. Then you’ve probably at least thought it. But, what can I say. A throw pillow can change your life… or at least the look of your living room.
I’ve never had an unlimited budget to update our house every season. What I did have though, was a NEED to refresh our home at least twice a year. It usually happens with the change of seasons (we barely have 2 here in CA, ha). You know, when that cold weather starts to show, I want to make our home cozy. And when spring rolls around, i’m ready to add a touch more color and store the faux fur.
Since it can get pretty pricey to update bigger items that often, I turn to throw pillows. You can change the look of your space by simply removing 2-3 pillows and adding in a few new ones. The best part is, once you have a collection (and a space to store them that doesn’t drive your partner nuts), you basically have your own little store to choose from each season. I move mine around so often that I forget what I have. So, it’s a nice little surprise that can feel like a new item when you pull out a pillow you forgot about.
My Tips for updating your room with throw pillows
Change the color scheme. Usually I will make little shifts to the color palette I am using in the room so that it feels new, but when I want to rearrange, I can work in my older pillows.
Use multiple colors but keep it to 2-3. I usually have a palette I stick to of 2-3 colors… pink and white, then I will rotate in another color like green or orange depending on the season. Again, this keeps the overall look cohesive while allowing for something new.
Toss anything that you wouldn’t want to lay your head on for a nap. Enough said. Get rid of gross pillows your dog slobbered on. It’s easy to overlook them when they’re squashed in between couch cushions, so do a little check every now and then. I’m sure this applies if you have kids too;)
Try washing your pillow covers and store for future use. Since many throw pillows come without inserts, you can easily store your covers in a linen closet so that your inventory is tidy without having a room dedicated to pillows. Another option (that I use) is to cozy up your guest room with the extras.
Tuck old ones in a basket. If you want pillows out of sight, but there in case you want to use them for those naps I mentioned above, I love having covered baskets just for things like that (and throw blankets).
Fluff and chop. Give an old pillow life with the old fluff and chop method. It’s great if you need to get aggression out (totally serious). I take my pillows outside, hold a corner and hit them to get the stuffing moving around. Rotate and get your anger out;) For softer pillows you can “chop” the top (to make that pretty V). I think it breaks up a sea of flat pillows and gives them a bit more style.
Test before you buy. There is NOTHING worse than a rough pillow when you’re trying to relax. I know you can’t test them online… but if they have beads or are made of materials like jute, I wouldn’t plan on getting cozy with them… which is the point of pillows right? My favorites are faux fur, velvet and canvas.
14 RECOMMENDATIONS TO REFRESH YOUR SPACE
So if you have nothing to do this weekend, pull out your throw pillows and give your home the quick update that it probably needs post holidays!
What is your favorite way to freshen up a space without spending your entire paycheck?
Images by Kimi Domino