Spruce up your house with throw pillows

When using throw pillows on a bed, go for colours and shapes that match with the main theme.
photo by Rachel Mabala

What you need to know:

Throw pillows are one of those accessories that will enhance the beauty of your house and give it a classy look. Find out what you need to consider to achieve a perfect look with throw pillows.

Throw pillows are one of those trendy items people are making a necessity in their homes either for comfort or enhancing beauty in the house.
Having a perfect type of throw pillow on the chairs gives the room great ambiance.
Jacklyn Biira, an interior designer, says before one buys throw pillows, there are a lot of things to put into consideration if the room is to stay tidy and uncluttered.

The size of the pillows
She says throw pillows come in different sizes but in order for one to get the appropriate one for chairs, home owners need to know what size is suitable for their chairs.
“Having big throw pillows causes discomfort for those who are making use of their chairs, and the small ones make them look like they are hanging on the chairs,” says Biira.

“The L-shaped chairs are always better with big throw pillows because they always have large surfaces and also need something big to cover them up,” specifies Biira.
She says for the three seater, one seater and two seater chairs, two small throw pillows are appropriate because their surfaces are not that large.

Patterned covers
She says patterns look beautiful on chairs that have a plain cover but also the colour of the patterns should match the plain colour on the chairs.
“Patterns have the power to either make your house look nice or destroy its beauty so people should be careful when making use of them,” says Meridah Nandudu, an interior designer at Dah interiors.

She says some people have ignored other items in their living room and only concentrate on chairs when buying throw pillow, which has always turned out to be a blunder.
She says having house items themed saves a lot because there will be less efforts needed when it comes to choosing the patterns you need for your house.

Jonah Okoth, a carpenter, says the patterns should not make the shape of the chair look confusing, that is why people should be careful when using them.

Shapes of the pillows
Nandudu says having throw pillows of different shapes is a beautiful decor idea that people should try out but having them mixed up with the commonly used square and rectangular ones makes it more attractive. She, however, says these unique shapes such as ovals, hearts, kites, cones are not to be overly used on one seat because they draw a lot of attention and do not look good when not properly used.

Nandudu, adds that having one on each is okay.
She says these unique shapes can always have different colours or prints from the dominant square and rectangular shapes but they should blend in perfectly.

Nandudu says the uniquely shaped throw pillows do not really dictate the size to be used, all the individual should do is make sure that it matches the size of the rest of the pillows on the chair.

Floral covers
Biira says the floral throw pillows usually have bright colours that need dull-coloured chair covers if they are to match the chairs.
She says the florals should at least match the curtains or better still the paint because something has to look the same as them if they are to give off a beautiful effect.

The furniture shape
“This is something that looks minor but it usually leaves the room wanting, especially when it comes to having some pillows thrown on them,” says Okoth.
He adds that it starts right from the number of throw pillows one chooses to have on the chairs because this will either define the chair shape or distort it.
He says the reason why people have resorted to making chairs with cushions is because they intend to keep the shape of the chairs and maintain their beauty.
He says they usually have the customers ordering for chairs to be made for them to choose the covers they want and they also help in case there is need to.

Colour of the paint
The colour of the paint is very crucial because there is no way a house will look good if the items or furniture in it are not matching with the colour on the wall and throw pillows are not an exception.
The pillow throws either match or blend the colour on the wall otherwise no beauty will be attained if that is not is not done.

Material of the chair covers
We need not to ignore the chair covers, which come in different types so do the throw pillow covers.
The throw pillow should have covers that should blend with the covers of the chairs that are available in the home.

Using them on the bed
Sharon Amoding, an interior designer, says the bed is usually large so all a person should concentrate on are colours and shapes that can bring out its beauty.
She says this does not have a particular formula, all a person needs to know is how to arrange them so that they look attractive.

Accessorising
Amoding advises against adding accessories to throw pillows because the designs, patterns, shapes or florals on them are enough.
“Adding more accessories may just make the place look crowded, which is something an individual does not want for their home,” says Amoding.

Maintenance
She says most throw pillows have zips that allow them to be washed, while some can be dry cleaned depending on the material of the cover.

Costs

Sharon Amoding, an interior designer says the cost depends on the material and size of the pillow, for instance, the small size pillows cost between Shs50,000 and Shs60,000, which includes the pillow and the cover. The big ones cost between shs70,000 and Shs100,000.
She says these prices vary from place to place depending on where a person decides to buy them.
“It becomes cheaper if a person buys their own materials but this depends on what the person decides to charge for the labour,” says Amoding.