Great Outdoor Pillows

 

Outdoor pillows can give your deck, patio, or gazebo an instant facelift! Nothing ages your outdoor living area like having shabby old cushions and pillows on your outdoor funtiture.

 

Why outdoor pillows?

 

You use throw pillows inside, right? You should think of your outdoor furniture the same way. Pillows add comfort, a splash of color, and a warm, cozy feel to any area, and outdoor pillows are no different.

 

Add a couple of outdoor pillows to a bench you might have on your deck or patio, or one on your chaise lounge. A few outdoor pillows on that wooden glider sure would make it a lot more inviting! Use your imagination and creativity with the outdoor pillows and give new life to your outdoor living spaces.

 

Types of outdoor pillows

 

Most outdoor pillows are made of special weather-resistant fabric that can hold up to all kinds of weather conditions. These are made of the same kind of materials that are used in outdoor furniture cushions.

 

With a little effort, you can find outdoor pillows in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. You’ll find square pillows, round pillows, rectangular pillows, and pillow rolls. For the best effect, mix and match the different shapes and sizes.

 

You’ll also find many, many colors of outdoor pillows, in solids, stripes, and patterns. Choose one or two contrasting colors, then accent the solids with stripes and/or patterns with the same dominant colors, along with additional colors or shades.

 

Do you want to create a warm look or a cool look with your outdoor cushions? Cool colors include blue, green, teal, and turquoise, while yellow, red, orange, gold, and rust are warm. Of course, you might want to mix cool and warm colors. For example, use blue with red, turquoise with yellow, or green with rust.

 

Since outdoor pillows are relatively inexpensive, you might want to change your pillows with the seasons. Yellow and pale green would work for spring, and navy and white would give a crisp nautical look for summer. Autumn would beg for rust, gold, and brown.

 

What kinds of fabrics are used for outdoor pillows?

 

Several types of fabrics are used to make outdoor pillows. These include acrylic linen, linen-spun polyester, T-spun polyester, stitchbond polyester, filament polyester, PVC, and olefin.

 

Acrylic linen – acrylic fibers that have been woven and died. This fabric is soft, resists stains, and will maintain color for years.

 

Linen-spun polyester – very strong. Begins to fade after about 500 hours of exposure to UV light.

 

T-spun polyester – Stain resistant and strong. Fades after about 400 hours of UV light.

 

Stitchbond polyester – nonwoven manmade fabric that has been printed with color pigments.

 

Filament polyester – woven polyester thread. Has a slick feel. Color begins to fade after about 300 hours of UV light exposure.

 

PVC – woven mesh of coated fabric. Resistant to fading and mildew.

 

Olefin – open-weave manmade fibers. Dries very quickly. Resists mildew, stains, bacteria, and fading.

 

How much do outdoor pillows cost?

 

With some online shopping savvy, you can find small outdoor throw pillows for around $10 each. Larger high-quality outdoor pillows will cost more.