Luxury Squared

Pillows embody the essence of rest and luxury. Holistically, they can produce a desirable flow of renewing and refining interior energy. Whether purely for comfort or decor, the tangible qualities associated with your pillows and cushions express elements of their inherent symbolism.

The look and feel of where we rest our heads signify the ideas from which we draw the most contentment. Most of us sleep on rectangular pillows. The rectangle represents materialism and retention (think bricks and buildings), so it would be safe to say that most of us take comfort in material permanence. The larger the pillow, the more we like to retain.

Below are a list of other shapes and their meanings

• square: solidity and structuralism

• circle: infinity and perfectionism

• sphere: spirituality

• heart: romance

• star: excellence, idealism

Fabrics and stuffing also carry symbolic significance. The ouside of the pillow gives off the first impression while the inside represents where one invests his or her energy or spirit. For example, a high thread count cotton pillow stuffed with goosedown would indicate at first glance a simple yet strong life path. Down, in this case, symbolizes lightheartedness and enjoyment, so such would be where the owner invests his or her energy.

More fabrics and stuffing symbolism...

• Styrofoam: change

• plastic: flexibility

• polyester: sufficiency

• cotton: simplicity

• wool: warmth

• flannel: relaxation

• fur: protection, primal power

• lace: sensual pragmaticism

• satin: brilliance, competency

• velvet: honor, distinction

• silk: delicacy, prestige

• leather: instinctual toughness

Accents and accessories add bold statements of character to your pillow, like they would on a piece of art in your home or garment on your body. A sash can subtly denote mystery and preservation, while gemstones and a peacock feather declare ambition and success, respectively. Noting the type and color of jewels (this goes for fabric, too), one can more deeply study the meaning behind their embellishments.

• buttons: wealth, security

• brooches: expression

• gemstones: life, ambition

• precious metals: strength, desire

• ribbons: playfulness, frivolity

• bows: femininity, social ties

• flowers: gentleness, beauty

• leaves: time, progression

Each element of design gives off a unique energy that interacts with us visually and palpably, which explains why decorative pillows are great conversation starters, and luxury cushions often therapeutic.

Jonesie's Dolls

When I was really little, my mom would occasionally bring home a stuffed animal after work. And since she was a single mom, she was gone a lot and I had a lot of stuffed animals.

I would cuddle the dolls at night and carry them around during the day. Most often, though, I would play with the lot of them in one sitting.

Little me would sort the plush toys by color, species, or texture - and take note of the variety of dolls that I had accrued. It looked something like:

4 bears, 3 ducks, 2 dogs, 1 rabbit, 1 turtle;

5 brown, 3 white, 2 yellow, 1 rainbow;

9 furry, 2 nylon

Back then I would mentally tally them up and assign a personal value to each one. When I got bored with that I would examine the different features and how the dolls were put together. Take for example the typical teddy bear: plastic eyes, stitches for mouth, cylindrical limbs, and a seam down the middle of its belly. I would also set them up to depict life-like scenes, but more often I would bunch the whole gang into one big congregation.

Just before I started kindergarten, my mom had settled and the income of dolls had slowed way down. I noticed I had too many to keep track anymore and soon lost interest. Instead I started making real-life friends and learning how to read.

A few months later one of my sisters was born. This time I would use the dolls to entertain the baby - making them sing, dance, and talk to her. Sometimes I would make a little nest out of the plushies and lay the infant inside it. She would eventually play with them herself and do the same things I did while my attention diverted to barbies and Nintendo games. As the years went by, the impressive doll collection was going more and more unnoticed; cartoons and video games were becoming so much cooler.

By the time my youngest sister joined the family, our fuzzy friends were getting lost, tossed, or given away. I managed to hold onto one of my favorites for over 20 years - a raccoon that I named Rocky. Not after the movie.