The Cush Life



WRITER CREDIT: 
PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
The Cush Life | Add locally made bespoke style to your Big Day (and newlywed nest) with Motif Pillows

When West Ashley resident Priscilla Bramlett got hitched in 2010, she found herself facing a design dilemma: while she was head over heels for her new hubby, Steven, she was less than enamored with the fire engine red couch that had accompanied him into their newlywed nest. “Our lives were flung together,” says Priscilla, “and we needed to find things that represented both our styles.” A longtime seamstress with degrees in fashion and interior merchandising, she hunkered down at her sewing machine to stitch up some pillows to meet in the middle (and temper said sofa).

That project proved a success—so much so that in 2012 the couple launched Motif Pillows, an online shop and Etsy boutique that sells couture pillow covers ranging from soft-hued velvet stunners to others with colorful Moroccan prints, bold graphics, and more (typically $35-$200 each). The local shop’s been praised by the likes of Redbook and House & Garden magazines and is a go-to for interior designers across the country and beyond, along with set producers for shows like “The View.” “Our pillows were propped behind Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg!” gushes Priscilla. “It was surreal.”

Local wedding planners and brides are in the know, too, and have worked Motif designs into many a cozy reception lounge. While one-off pillows can be purchased through Etsy, event designers also commission one-of-a-kinders to rent to couples as Big Day décor. And many newlyweds opt to buy the pillows after the fact—a smart move, says Priscilla. “Any token that brings you back to the romance, love, and friends and family being there to celebrate all of that with you is so important.”

 

Suite Idea
Build wedding­ details around a fabric suite, then reuse décor (like the pillows pictured above) at home. Above, from left, “Chenoceau” from Schumacher; “La Fiorenta” from Lee Jofa. Photograph by Sarah M. Dorsey Designs

The Wedding Row

October 4 2019
Y’all. I almost don’t want to write a thing here because the shots from Folly Beach’s Wiki Wiki Sandbar are so freakin’ amazing they need no explanation, embellishment, or extrapolation. I mean,...

October 3 2019
Psst! Want a sneak peek into how a photographer helps a couple warm up before the lens long before the Big Day? Here’s how it’s done, Charleston-style, by Priscilla Thomas of Priscilla Thomas...

October 2 2019
Inali and Leon met on a college trip to Washington D.C. back in 2012. Inali’s first impression? Leon was the strangest man she had ever met. Six years later, after some solid QT together, she...

October 1 2019
We love how bride Savannah operates. That dress she’s sporting? It was purchased at what was formerly The Gown Collective (and now is Magnolia Bride, an upscale gown consignment shop downtown on...

September 30 2019
The stars aligned for Emily and Meryl not once, not twice, but three times to make sure they ended up a couple. The first time, Emily sidled up to a bar where Meryl was slinging drinks when sparks...

September 27 2019
If you’re craving a love story and the tale of how this wedding at The Gadsden House came together, click here for the original story that ran in summer 2019 Charleston Weddings. If you’re wanting to...

September 26 2019
You know all those paradise weddings you’ve seen? Those where the bride and groom are standing on a windswept beach with palms blowing in the wind and the bride’s veil flutters almost as much as her...

September 20 2019
Sparks flew a few years back on the Fourth of July in Charleston when Michelle was introduced to Patrick. After what we are assuming was one memorable holiday, and after dating for two-ish years,...