Texas Artist Hits the Big-Time With Pillows (Yes, Pillows)

Texas artist Rusty Arena, a wizard of hand-designed wall coverings and fabrics, has launched a collection of pillows with RH (the new shortened moniker for Restoration Hardware), with the inventory hitting stores around November 11.

The collaboration was born after an Restoration Hardware representative culled through Arena’s more than 200 fabric and wallpaper patterns — some going back three decades — in his 20,000-square-foot warehouse in Houston.

Three were chosen that work exquisitely with the retailer’s fall furniture collections. The embossed-velvet patterns for RH come in traditional rondel and medallion damask patterns, along with a more contemporary Tigre pattern, tone-on-tone in fog, mist, and slate blue. Look for three sizes, including a chic small lumbar pillow.

As with all of Arena’s fabrics and papers, his RH collection is handmade in the United States. “It’s a big thing for us, and we’re excited,” Arena says. “We’ve dealt to the trade for 30 years, so this is our first retail collaboration where we’ve had such a broad audience.”

There’s more to come — Arena is working on a collection of linen pillows for spring.

$219 to $249, at RH stores.