Pillows By Dezign, a new online source for Grand Rapids-made custom decorator pillows

A new online business has become an in-demand source for handmade custom decorator pillows constructed in Grand Rapids. Pillows By Dezign, a sister business of The Home Studio (6744 Cascade Rd. SE), launched last summer and has since garnered accolades on designer blogs across the country and even TV's Nate Berkus.
 
Mother and son owners Marian Silverman and Brian Manley took the business to a wider online audience after local designers started buying pillows by the dozens for their customers.
 
"The easiest way to change a room is with pillows," says Silverman. "But the biggest complaint I used to get from clients is 'This pillow cost me $150.' I thought, I can help people have beautiful pillows in their homes and change them seasonally, and yet not spend $150 for a pillow."
 
Silverman made the first 50 pillows herself, using attractive designer fabrics and comfy pillow forms of a down and feather blend. "They started selling, so I made more and they sold," she says.
 
The pillows are now constructed in Grand Rapids using the same high-quality forms and designer fabrics that Silverman hand selects. They are offered in three standard sizes (custom sizes can be ordered) of 20-in.-sq. which averages $59; 13-in. by 19-in. rectangular, which averages $42; and a long lumbar, which averages $129, says Brian Manley.
 
Silverman says another advantage is that the pillow covers have zippers. Owners can purchase just the pillow covers and change them with the seasons. The removed cases can be stored on a closet shelf, which takes up less space than storing an entire pillow.
 
The pillows are available online at PillowsByDezign.com where shoppers can use the site's innovative sofa color selector to see how the pillows will look on their home sofa. The Home Studio also keeps hundreds of pillows in stock, so customers and designers can stop in and pick up what they want.
 
Editor's Note: Deborah Johnson Wood was introduced to Pillows By Dezign when she won a $250 gift certificate from the company. She has yet to use it because she can't decide which pillows to get.
 
Source: Marian Silverman, Brian Manley, Pillows By Dezign and The Home Studio
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor