HABITAT Pillow Talk

Even a wallflower of a room can earn a place on every dance card in town with the right finishing touches-to wit, designer pillows. These days pillows seem calculated not only to inject color and accent into a room but to steal the show, too. Whether the theme du jour is peaceable kingdom or rancho mirage, nouveau ritz or old masterful, pillows pack a lot of personality into their surroundings.

Shown here, far left to right: hand-painted pillows by Hayden Hull (the rooster, S135) and Connie Connally (the dog, S900), both available at Past Perfect (to the trade only); gold Napoleonic bees buzz on silk/ polyester (S215), and a needlepoint damsel is surrounded by silk damask and Italian fringe IS383), on pillows from Rutherford’s; the Black Bear Lodge’s namesake prowls across a red suede pillow ($136), available at Anteks; a teal brocade trimmed in Egyptian beadwork and needlepoint ($800) is by Beauregarde, and is available at John Edward Hughes (to the trade only); the brown-and-white cowhide Western accent pillow ($98) is from Anteks. On the floor: bucking bronco ($98) from Anteks, and a gold-threaded red Italian silk with black lace, beading and tassels ($700) by Beauregarde from Design Directions of Oak Lawn (to the trade only).