An Invitation to Relax

Ollie enjoying the sofa. Don't the new cushions just make
it look like you can sink into the couch and relax?

The new cushion covers are here! They arrived Thursday afternoon, just in time for me to update my couch's look before my book club gals came over.

My initial thoughts:

The section on the right is slightly
heavier than the one on the left.

1. I love, love, LOVE the pattern. Saffron Marigold hand prints all it's fabrics inch by inch, so if you look closely enough you can see subtle differences in different sections of the fabric.
2. The cushion covers are a little loose. I may try washing them to see if they shrink a bit. I'm slightly worried that the dye will run and mess up the pattern though. Maybe I'll try calling their customer service number to ask first. The cushions do have washing instructions attached, it says to machine wash with cold water, but with dyes you need to be careful.
3. The shams seem very well-made, but since the fabric is cotton I'm a little concerned about how they will hold up under regular use. Not that I'm particularly hard on my belongings, but the couch is one place that gets used every day.

You can read more about Saffron Marigold and my thoughts about the couch's old look here. I included the before picture of the sofa. The cushions were so flat and the uniform blue wasn't very inviting. I did keep a couple of the throw pillows (I made them when I moved into my first apartment), but I flipped them over since the fabric backing meshes better with the new cushions.

Before pic

 Steps to an Updated Look
I knew I hated how flat the old cushions were, so I had a couple of options.

• Restuff the cushions. My only problems with this option were that I had never done it before (not a big concern since I'm sure I could have figured it out quickly) and that I didn't particularly like the color scheme of the cushions.
• Buy new cushions. I still had a few choices once I decided to go with this option. I could get throw pillow that were large enough to serve as the sofa's back. Or I could buy regular pillows and find covers for them, I went with this option.

I bought regular Euro-size pillows at Bed, Bath & Beyond several months ago. I think I spent about $50 on four of them. I had more trouble finding a place to buy the cushion covers (or shams). Most of the ones I liked were part of a bedroom set or were just too expensive (the ones I liked at Pottery Barn were $50 each). I could have easily gone and bought fabric to make the shams myself, but the way my projects have been progressing lately I would have gotten rid of the sofa before my pillow covers were finished.

I came across Saffron Marigold by chance, but I loved their designs and what they stood for. I think it is important to support small businesses, especially those that give back to their community or work to take care of their employees.

The package that my shams came in included the receipt in a recycled paper envelope and a brochure about Saffron Marigold. And of course the shams. Here's a close up of the new cushion cover before I put it on the pillow:

Isn't it lovely. I'm so glad I went ahead and bought the shams. I think they help transform my living room into a space that I'll be happier spending time in.