Shopping: Good Throw Pillows.

A few throw pillows in a living space are like gloves, hats and scarves.

Not that many people use them to advantage anymore, but when well-chosen and of high quality, can make the difference between a dowdy ensemble and a chic, inspiring one.

I adore girls that wear hats. And I love throw pillows.

For example, I've never been one to spend a great deal of money on upholstered furniture, such as sofas. They start looking dingy too quickly, especially when your pets run the household. And the cost of reupholstering has become astronomical. So, I'm a fan of buying modestly-priced upholstery pieces and sinking the real money on the other stuff: dining tables and chairs, accessory tables and lighting. Good art. The stuff that lasts.

Also, I don't spend my money on upholstery that is too trendy. Nice neutral, restfull colors do it for me.

Why?

Because, like hats, gloves and scarves, you can change the mood of a room by moving around some tchatzkahs and casually throwing some new pillows on the sofa. (Hence the name.)

Hable Construction, of course, makes some really beautiful pillows. This textile design company, started by a native Texan, focuses on using the highest quality fibers and works directly with a women's cooperative in Hungary to develop many of their pieces. I particularly like this beautiful woven jaquard pillow:

And this really great looking wool felt applique design:

Jonathan Adler always has something fun in the way of pillows. And the super cool thing is that you can use his swatches and customize your own.

This hand-silkscreened branch pillow from DesignPublic is really beautiful. In fact, I think I might need it:

The Magazine offers a decent selection of fun pillows as well. I like this leaf design:

This angled multi striped job from Crate and Barrel tickles my fancy as well:

All this talk of hats, gloves, scarves and nice fluffy pillows has me questioning my masculinity. I think I need to sit around and burp for a while.