The French Tangerine

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patio pillow predicament

Sorry if you are sick of me talking about my patio. Because here I go again...

This installment of whining about my patio falls in the pillow department. I'm obsessed with pillows as I'm sure I've made crystal clear by now. Here's a look through the years of my patio and the pillow situation. 

2011 was the first year of my blog, and the first photographic record of my patio. (Please, for the love, notice the trees planted along the fence on the other side… see last post) Anyway, the pillows are green here, from Pottery Barn. 

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And this striped pillow...

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I loved the striped pillows but they faded so dramatically the first summer they were used and were never brought out again. 

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Then I went for an orange stripe...

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Next, I did the Pottery Barn butterfly pillows...

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Somewhere along the line, I got the orange and coral pillows ~ about a thousand of them. And all the accent pillows seemed to work nicely with them...

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Next came the cameo pillows with the check backs... 

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I brought them out for this photo shoot...

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And kept them under the veranda for the rest of the summer!

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I like the idea of having the collection of orange and coral colored pillows, in actual outdoor fabric, and then updating every summer (or every other) with just a few coordinating accent pillows for under the veranda...

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So first I thought it would be fun to add blue. I've discovered blue late in life, and I especially love it with orange... About the time I thought of the blue idea, Tina (The Enchanted Home) did a post on an Etsy shop (Studio Tullia) with great pillows, and I fell in love with these:

Orange...

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and a pretty turquoise blue...

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Another Etsy shop (6 Wilson) Tina featured had these...

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 Just loved this fabric!

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Here it is in a different color... also charming...

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Then I thought of this salmon colored Schumacher chinoiserie...

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Or this Lee Jofa blue and salmon...

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And remember this Dana Gibson? This gorgeous coral is the exact color of my existing coral pillows!

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Mixed with this favorite Brunschwig fabric?

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And then, THEN, I discovered this beauty. Apparently I've arrived to this party a bit late because everyone seems to have heard of Schumacher's Chiang Mai Dragon except me. 

Can you imagine? With my existing orange and coral pillows?

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The color options are spectacular! (here)

China Blue

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And the orange is perfect in both Mocha and Aquamarine!

Mocha

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Aquamarine

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Clearly, there are too many options. So often when I'm choosing fabrics, I get too excited and get sidetracked choosing favorite fabrics that aren't necessarily the best for the space… they are just fabulous fabrics. So I calmed myself down, and realized I wasn't quite ready to do the blue thing, and some of the fabric choices might start to feel like a bit too much with what I've got going on…

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Loved this fabulous Manuel Canovas toile...

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And this Manuel Canovas "Lutece"? Amazing!

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That first toile option was not the right orange. (It sure looks like it works online, but it doesn't in person.) However, this toile, also a Manuel Canovas, is perfect in person. And it is perfect mixed with the Lutece. And it is the exact color of the orange pillows I currently have. Which is perfect.

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And so my friends, I have ordered pillows in the Lutece and the toile Manuel Canovas fabrics. OMG I can't wait for them to get here!

I've got a little something else up my sleeve regarding the patio pillows, but you'll have to wait for that... I can't tell all my secrets in one post!

Stay tuned...