Horsley Kaufman Couture Pillows and a Giveaway!

There’s lots to cover in this post – a new couture pillow line, a fabulous launch party (including a custom cocktail recipe), lots of inspirational décor pictures, and last but not least – an amazing pillow giveaway worth $575!  Information on the giveaway is at the end of the post, but there are lots of beautiful images between here and there, so let’s get started.

Earlier this year, I was thrilled to learn that Margaret Kaufman, a fellow parent at my youngest daughter’s school, was designing a couture soft goods and pillow line with well known Atlanta antique dealer Linda Horsley.  And now, the Horsley Kaufman collection has officially been launched, and it is beautiful!    Their collection of fine soft goods is created with hand-selected antique textiles and trims and the highest quality modern materials.  The addition of fine dressmaker detailing elevates the old-world and couture inspired pieces to original works of art.

Word of Horsley Kaufman’s pillows and soft goods has already begun to spread.  Some of their pillows can be seen on seating arrangement at the end of the bed in this beautiful master bedroom designed by Amy Morris.  Image via Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles.

Circa Interiors designers Cindy Smith and Patrick Lewis used a Horsley Kaufman pillow made from an 18th century antique tapestry in the Adamsleigh Traditional Home Showhouse. Photo: John Bessler

Horsley Kaufman pillows are seen on the sofa in this beautiful living room of a house that was featured in Veranda, and was on the market recently. I wrote a blog post about this house here; photo credit Blayne Beacham.  Interior design by Peggy Stone.

A beautiful vignette from the Horsley Kaufman website – one of their pillow designs ‘in situ’. Photo credit Katerina Fullen of Katerina Photography.

One of my favorites, an early 1900's Scroll Applique on Velvet with Shirred Wool Border

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Earlier this month, Linda, Margaret, and Edgar-Reeves owner Stephanie Reeves co-hosted a Fall cocktail party and trunk show celebrating the new Horsley Kaufman line of pillows at Edgar-Reeves Lighting and Antiques, located at The Galleries of Peachtree Hills.   The party was a huge success, with many of the luminaries of the Atlanta design community in attendance.  There was even a signature drink – the sparkle and snap – more on that later (with a recipe).

All images, except where noted, by Katerina Fullen of Katerina Photography.  Her portfolio is beautiful and can be seen here: http://www.katerinaphotography.com  Although Katerina specializes in editorial portraiture of children, she also photographs events of many types.  Please visit her website for more information.

 

The party took place at Edgar-Reeves, one of Atlanta’s premiere sources for custom lighting and shades.

Linda Horsley and Margaret Kaufman, founders of Horsley Kaufman. 

Many Horsley Kaufman pillows were beautifully displayed throughout the shop.  Here are a few that caught my eye…

Collection of Dressmaker Pillows in Linen

Pillows with Antique Tapestry, Monograms, Trims and Tassels.

Cummerbund Pillows in 18th C Metallic Embroidery, Antique Lace, and Shimmery Corded Linen

A beautiful vignette I couldn’t resist including, using my new favorite, ornamental kale.

Antique Trim with Shimmery Linen Looped Bow

Mix of Old-World and Couture Inspired Pillows

Antique Trim with Silk Flower on Velvet

1920s Leather Applique on Velvet with Handmade Tassels of Antique Trims

Couture-inspired Bows, Straps and Knots in Wool, Velvet and Suede. 

The Beatrix Potter inspired buffet table was beautiful and so perfect for a crisp fall night.

Linda Horsley and Margaret Kaufman (front) posing with the Edgar-Reeves team (left to right, Davis Harrington,  Deborah Childers, Edgar-Reeves owner Stephanie Reeves, and Maggie Bailey).

The hosts worked with Morganne Lee at Atlanta's H&F Bottle Shop to create an original Autumnal champagne cocktail for the event.

It was really delicious (like an adult version of ginger ale), so I thought I would ask for the recipe and pass it on to you!

The key ingredient is Shrub & Co's Spicy Ginger Shrub. Spicy Ginger Shrub is also great with sparkling water for a non-alcoholic alternative.

For the evening's playlist, Linda, Margaret and Stephanie asked some of their Atlanta design friends to submit a tune.  All of the music was put on a CD and was handed out as a party favor at the end of the evening. Take a look at what some of Atlanta’s best designers picked as their tune!

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To shop for Horsley Kaufman fine soft goods, please visit their website here - http://horsleykaufman.com/.  Horsley Kaufman regularly updates their online gallery with new works.  To view their current inventory, be sure to visit their website on a regular basis.

Follow Horsley Kaufman on Pinterest here.

Follow Horsley Kaufman on Facebook here.

Subscribe to the Horsley Kaufman email list here.

Now, on to the giveaway!  Horsley Kaufman will be giving one of their dressmaker linen pillows to one lucky Things That Inspire reader. The retail value is $575, so this is a generous giveaway!

The winner can select one of these two pillows styles:

Horsley Kaufman Dressmaker Wrap with Shirring & Woven Knots Pillow (this pillow can be found online here).

 

OR

Horsley Kaufman Dressmaker Braiding with Shirring Pillow (this pillow can be found online here).

To enter, please visit the Horsley Kaufman online gallery and take a look at their beautiful pillows.  Then, make a comment on Things That Inspire with the Horsley Kaufman pillow that catches your eye!  Leave a comment on this post (email subscribers, click here to make a comment).  Any anonymous comments must contain an email contact so I can contact you if you are the winner!  

Comments will be closed Thursday, November 21 at 5 pm, and winner will be selected at random and may pick from one of the two dressmaker linen pillows pictured above (Retail Value $575).  Winner will be notified by email. Horsley Kaufman will ship the winner's chosen pillow to their address.

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Horsley Kaufman, and best of luck in the giveaway!  Click here to comment for your chance to enter the giveaway. I will need some way to contact the winner, so if you don't have a blog profile, don't forget to leave your email in the comment. 

UPDATE: comments are closed.  The winner of this giveaway is 

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Monogrammed Pillows

Thank you to the Washington Post for including this post in your Blog Watch, July 24th, 2008!

My wholesale source for monogrammed pillows (available to all): Quatrefoil Design

When I lived in Boston, I volunteered at the Junior League Decorator Showhouse one year. I was lucky enough to be staffed in a lovely bedroom that influenced my taste in bedrooms from that day forward. It was decorated in shades of blue and gray, and had the most beautiful bed linens I had ever seen. They were by Pratesi, and were a crisp white with a blue chain stitch on the sides of the blanket cover and on the pillows.

Now that I am living in Atlanta, I have not forgotten those Pratesi sheets, but we do not have a Pratesi store in Atlanta. We do have some amazing linen stores, though, that carry lines of similar quality and style to those linens that I remember from Boston. To add a Southern twist to the linens, I love the look of a monogram on the pillows.

Matouk linens, classic chain pattern. These definitely have the look and feel of the linens I remember from Boston.

Leontine Linens, started in New Orleans, is a wonderful company that differentiates itself with heirloom quality bed, bath and table linens. I think their monograms are incredibly beautiful., particularly on their bed pillows. We are fortunate to have a Leontine Linens store in Atlanta.

Leontine linens.

From Leontine Linens spring collection.

Hard to see in this picture, but the two square pillows have a monogram that is the exact shade as the fabric on the headboard. From New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles (via Bayou Contessa), January 2008. Bedding is from Leontine Linens.

Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, July 2008. Bedding by Leontine Linens.

House Beautiful, February 2008. Design by Ashley Whittaker, linens by Leontine. This is my favorite monogram style from Leontine.

A more streamlined way to have a monogram, one bold initial. Design by Barclay Butera.

Two euro shams with a monogram. Interior design by Phoebe Howard.

From an Atlanta real estate listing. Note the tiny initial on the boudoir pillows.

From an Atlanta real estate listing. It is hard to see because of the distortion of the wide angle of the lens, but there are three pillows across the bed, all with a monogram in the shade of blue on the walls.

Southern Accents, May/June 2008. Note the small monogram on the top of these euro shams. Bedding by Leontine Linens.

Atlanta real estate listing. One decorative pillow with a monogram. Note that the pillow in the settee to the left also has a monogram. I thought I saw a tone on tone monogram on the linen shams on the bed, but my picture is not high enough resolution to tell for sure.

As always, the variety of choices has me paralyzed, and I can't quite decide which linens and which configuration of sheets and pillows I should get for my king size bed. I think I am going to wait until my headboard is finished, and take it from there! Stay tuned.

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Decorative Bed Pillows

A few months ago, Domino had a big survey asking some of the top decorators what they thought about certain decorating topics. One that surprised and dismayed me was the subject of decorative pillows on the bed. It seems that the majority of designers in the survey vehemently oppose decorative pillows on the bed.

I must admit, I have too many decorative pillows on my bed. Not including the pillows that are used to sleep on, I have nine decorative pillows on the bed, in all shapes and sizes. It takes me way too much time to take them all off at the end of the day, and making the bed has become a bit of a chore. However, once the bed is freshly made, I love how they look, all arranged just so. I think I needed this fleet of pillows because I have never had a headboard; I have never really found one that I like. So, the pillows take the place of the headboard.

Now that I am about to order the fabric for my new upholstered headboard, and do a mini-redesign of the bed, my husband has voiced a strong opinion about getting rid of all the pillows. You see, he is the one who makes the bed most of the time (aren't I lucky?), and he is tired of dealing with 'the clutter'.

This would be my husband's nightmare. Way too many pillows for him! I count 12, and this is only a partial view of the bed! Via Cote de Texas (on her tacky trend post).

So, I decided to look at my picture file for bed pillow inspiration. I also went through old posts from two of my favorite blogs, Cote de Texas and Style Court. I found a lot of great ideas! Southern Accents online also has a feature on headboards, and some great tips on pillows.

This is a bedroom designed by Barry Dixon, featured on the Southern Accents website. The room is small, but the client wanted a king size bed. He wanted the bed to feel like a sofa in a room that did not have the space for a sofa. Dixon says that he always uses bolster pillows on beds bigger than twin size, because they allow the decorative pillows in front to sit forward. This creates more depth, and allows a better view of the headboard. He likes to do the bolster pillow in the same fabric as the headboard. What size do you think these pillows are? Perhaps 24"?

Lee Kleinhelter's bed, via Cottage Living Magazine and Style Court blog. Queen size with a few shams, a few decorative pillows. The headboard really shines through because the pillows are not competing with it, and they are not too tall.


This is a beautiful room, and one of my favorite bed pictures. It is from the Century Furniture 'New Traditional' catalog. The bed is king size, and the headboard is quite high, which allows for large scale pillows. I love the coordination of the shams and the pillows leaning on them...a great balance of white and green. The Greek-key inspired design on the pillows is striking. I also love the green stripe on the bedspread.

This is from Jeffers Design Group. Two king sized pillows upholstered in Designer's Guild fabric, and one large decorative pillow. I love design on the decorative pillow.

A Jan Showers designed bedroom, in Western Interiors magazine (via Katie-Did). No small accent pillows here; she used three large European shams with two large square pillows.

This is another Jan Showers designed room, and a king size bed. Showers seems to favor using large European shams on bed, two or three based on the size of the bed.

Lee Kleinhelter's guest room, via Cottage Living Magazine and Style Court's blog. Simple white shams and two rectangular decorative pillows.


Domino magazine, via Style Court. The headboard here is quite low, or maybe the European are very high; the shams virtually cover the headboard. A long bolster pillow is in front of the shams, and a few small decorative pillows.

Carla Lane design, via Style Court. She has three shams leaning against the back of the headboard, with three 20 inch pillows for decoration and color.

Carla Lane again, via Style Court. One long bolster pillow resting against three white pillows.

Jackie Lanham design, Southern Accents Magazine. This bed has the old fashioned type of blanket cover that I like...the sleeping pillows are covered, and the decorative pillows rest against them. I can barely see the headboard because of the large pillows.

Ellie Cullman design. I love the look, but this would qualify as too many pillows to my husband.

Bedroom of Alexa Hampton, via Peak of Chic. Three European shams across the front, then two small accent pillows. The only problem is that the pillows obscure the lovely headboard. This looks like a king size bed to me.

Here is a bedroom by Barrie Benson. Two European shams and a roll pillow on the bed. The pillows seem to be the focus, not the headboard.

Krista Wooten, design assistant to Ruthie Sommers. I think the proportion of these pillows looks great on a Queen size bed.

I can't tell the size of the bed, or how many pillows are on it. I suspect it is a king size bed with three square pullows, and a rectangular bolster pillow in front. I like how you can still see the beautiful headboard (which is Lewis Mittman) even though there are pillows on the bed.

A lovely room designed by Joni of Cote de Texas. Three European shams across the back, and two pillows across the front. I can't tell if this is a king or a queen size bed.

Another lovely bedroom designed by Joni. In this one, there are two shams across the back, two pillows with fabric that matches the headboard, and a long bolster pillow across the front. I like the look of the long rectangular pillow across the front of the bed.

This is Joni's bed from Cote de Texas. She seams to favor the long bolster pillow across the bed, in a fabric that matches the headboard. Three European shams across the back.

This is by Suzanne Rheinstein. A king size bed, with three pillows across the front. The pillows match the linens.
Amelia Handegan, a Charleston designer, has a simple approach to pillows on this four poster bed. The Indian sari at the foot of the bed is the focus, not the pillows.


This picture is from an Atlanta real estate listing. The bed is defined by two large silk pillows.

Well, this post has been very therapeutic for me! I realize that the size of the bed is fundamental in determining the number and size of the decorative pillows. I have a king size bed, so I will need two very large or three large pillows to get the look I want. I like Barry Dixon's idea of putting two bolster pillows behind the decorative pillow, because I want the headboard to be a focal point. So, I am leaning towards a 60" high headboard (I have a vaulted ceiling in my bedroom) in solid blue, two king size shams in white (tailored and zippered so they are solid and not droopy), a long round bolster pillow that is close to the width of the bed, and three 20" (or maybe a little bigger) pillows in some fabric...maybe the blue of the headboard, with the cool Greek key inspired design that is on the Century bed.

If you have any thoughts and ideas on pillows, feel free to comment! I always enjoy others perspectives and ideas.

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