One sofa, four seasons

THE HECTIC SEASON IS OVER; IT'S TIME TO RELAX.

What's that? The sofa you've collapsed upon is looking a little tired? Take heart. Refreshing just the pillows and throw four times this next 12 months can create a brand new look for each season. Let's take a little trip to four Hampton Roads shops and witness a sofa face-lift. We begin with one very neutral, cream-colored Isenhour sofa covered in a textured cotton-chenille.

WINTER

WARM UP A ROOM: Take it from the holidays through the New Year with richly hued needlepoint pillows stitched with complementary (but not identical) designs. One has onion fringe, the other tassel. Add a third pillow in muted colors, this one an Aubusson with a proud parrot in the center. Tuck in a luxurious fringed paisley throw – $280 – in similar earth tones for a satisfying, rich and very traditional look that partners well with a room appointed with an antique or two. Pick up highlights of the elegant and understated color scheme in the accessories: a bowl of deep-red pomegranates, brass lamps with cream silk shades, a plush Oriental rug underfoot. Pillows and throw from Bayne Interior Designs Inc. on 21st Street in Norfolk.

SPRING

GREEN UP YOUR INTERIOR: Celebrate unfurling leaves, spring skies and birds singing in the trees. Send a message of renewal and rejuvenation with lime-green linen pillows with fretwork trim. They play well against aqua pillows with scroll embroidery. Taking the center seat is a saucy, tasseled, Ikat print bolster in aqua and lime to unite the look. A fringed cotton throw in aqua and cream is a soft touch and lets loungers take the chill from early spring days. This one is handmade in Maine on antique shuttle looms, a bit of an extravagance at $220, but it’s so pretty. Continue this look with a pot of sprouting grass seed or a bright green fern, an ottoman in a surprising and playful orange, shiny silver or chrome accents, and you’re ready for March and the months that follow. Pillows and throw from The Lemon Cabana near the Oceanfront on Laskin Road in Virginia Beach.

SUMMER

COOL DOWN SUMMER HEAT: Think soothing blues and beige. Evoke the beach and its refreshing sounds. Cushy, down-filled needlepoint pillows nestle into either end of the furniture. One 21-by-21-inch square sports a blue heron and onion trim, the other a nautilus shell motif with tassels. Both bring ocean breezes into the room and are $275 each, making them investment pieces. The seaglass-blue, custom-made throw with brush fringe adds texture, softens the formality of this traditional look and finishes a beachy color palette. Imagine in the room a simple glass or Plexiglas baluster lamp, a coffee table set with a bowl of shells, a found piece of driftwood as sculpture. Pillows and throw from the Second Yard on Laskin Road in Virginia Beach.

FALL

CAPTURE THE JOY OF AUTUMN: Two Missoni patterned pillows in orange, brown and terra cotta create the look. Evoke the forest and elusive animals by adding a third pillow square in burnt orange linen, stitched with an owl for just $45. Cozy the mood with an acrylic, wool blend throw in deep terra cotta. Release your inner wanderlust by adding rustic baskets, a metal lantern made in India, two drum end tables imported from the Far East or set the pair side by side, topped with thick glass as a coffee table. Pillows and throw from Exotic Home, with shops on Laskin Road in Virginia Beach and Granby Street in Norfolk.

SPECIAL THANKS: Styling by Julie Sims, design consultant and manager of the Second Yard in Virginia Beach. Photos shot at the Second Yard.

Krys Stefansky, (757) 446-2043, krys.stefansky@pilotonline.com