This post is sponsored by Rit. All opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep The Crafted Life making!
The sofa aka the modern dining room thanks to Netflix. Seeing how it’s the focal point of just about every home, why not make it look great? There’s a few easy tips and tricks to keep in mind when styling PLUS I’m sharing three different ways you can DIY your own pillow cases to match your space perfectly. Here’s how:
1. Make it cozy. Consider how you and guest will interact with the space on a regular basis. Blankets not only add an additional pop of color and texture, but they’re also a welcoming signal to your guest that it’s okay to come in and get comfortable. Try to avoid adding too many pillows so that your guest don’t have to fumble with where to sit.
2. Pick a color palette. Not everything has to be matchy-matchy in order for a space to look cohesive. Pick a color palette and play around with different prints and patterns within it. I went for blues, pinks, and greens within my living area instead of trying to match everything to the rug pattern which I think would’ve been impossible (you can see how I made the pillows pictured above further down this post).
3. Mix it up. Play around with pillow shapes and sizes to add depth and variety to your pillows. Some great sizes to play around with are: 20″ x 20″, 18″ x 18″, and 12″ x 20″.
4. Have fun! Pillows are an easy way to give a space a makeover without investing a ton of money. Go bold and have fun with it! Try new patterns or colors you’ve always been interested in but are maybe nervous about doing on such a large scale.
And to get a totally custom look, here are three different types of pillow covers you can easily make yourself:
Materials:
– Rit DyeMore for Synthetics
– Plain white pillow cases
– Large pot/stove top + spoon for stirring and handling fabric
– Rubber Gloves
– Rubberbands
– Pom poms + felt glue
I used Rit’s synthetic line for my pillows since they were a polyester cotton blend and not 100% cotton. The dye requires you to work on the stove top to keep the temperature hot. If your pillow cases are cotton, you can use their all purpose line which doesn’t require the stovetop.
Play around with colors until you get the palette for your living room. Dipping a paper towel in the dye will give you a sense of the color before you add the fabric.
Straight Color
A simple colorful pillow will help you create order with other patterns in your space. With 1,000+ color formula possibilities, you should be able to get the exact color you need to pull everything together. I used Tropical Teal (Rit’s shade for 2019) for my solid color choice. I recommend looking for those pillow cases that might have some extra detail, like a pom pom trim, to give it that extra boost.
Patterned
Patterned pillows are a great way to incorporate some fun and they really pop against a solid color sofa and blanket. Layer them with other pillows or they can easily stand on their own. For a subtle, yet interesting circular patterned, grab a bottle of Kentucky Sky (or any other color of your choice) and do the following:
1. Prewash the pillowcase to remove any finishes that may interfere with dye absorption.
2. Lay pillow out flat and then make small 1″ bundles and tie off with a rubber band. The larger the bundle, the larger your circle will be. Finish one side and then repeat on the back.
3. Submerge into the dye bath and stir constantly until your desired color is achieved.
4. Rinse in the sink then remove the rubber bands. Wash + dry.
Textured
And if you really want to make your pillows pop, add texture! It can be a small detail like tassels on the ends, or you can cover the entire pillow in pom poms like I did above. To get the same shade of pink I used Super Pink (but very little) and only kept the pillow in the dye bath for a few minutes. Again, test your solution to make sure it’s perfect before submerging your fabric.
1. Dye your pillow then wash + dry.
2. Lay pillow flat and then map out your design with pom poms.
3. Glue poms to pillow and leave to dry for a few hours.
