I love to decorate! I am no designer, but I have my own taste and I trust myself enough to experiment.  What I like the most is when I create a WOW that doesn’t cost too much (when I’m done paying for boots, sandals and gym classes for my girls, it leaves less for the decors I dream of).  However, over the years I have found some inexpensive tricks to add life or change the look of my décor, one of my favourites being to mix & match decorative pillows.

I played safe when I started by choosing only one pillow with a pattern, but now I am a little more daring and use different colors, patterns, sizes and textures.  All the stores with affordable prices, carry many choices, however you can not expect to find everything all at the same place so you might have to visit a few to get the match you are looking for.

Here are some rules that might be helpful if you do not know where to start, or if you are afraid to make mistakes; these rules apply for a living room or a bedroom:

1. Have a look at your duvet cover or sofa to identify the dominant color and the accent colors (meaning those that are less present).
2. Choose the accent colors you like and want to highlight in the room.
3. Establish the number of pillows you need; only one will give some sparkle but a mix of a few will create a WOW (but don’t exaggerate, otherwise it is no longer economic and not really practical when it is time to move them to sleep or sit).
4. The first pillow should be the focus, the one that features the accent color you prefer (it can be a little bigger than the others).  Then, you can look for the complement pillows with another accent color or the dominant color with a motif. If you have more than one pillow with in the same color, it’s fun when at least one has a pattern or a different texture.
5. If the duvet cover or the sofa features motifs, it would be nice to have at least one solid color pillow (a solid does not mean there can’t be a motif, but maybe a tone on tone or perhaps a refined motif which is then considered a solid).
6. It is better to try mix and matches with an odd number of pillows, it will be more balanced and allows to have a solid and two patterns. If the duvet cover or sofa show no prints, the pillows can be even more original.
7. In addition, it is also important to pay attention to the types of fabrics as they will create different impacts on the kind of ambiance or style you want to create.  For instance, satin and velvet add elegance, as long as they are not paired with a light cotton but rather with a fabric with a certain level of nobleness. Faux furs and marbles are fun for kids bedrooms.  Linen and cotton bring freshness and are suitable for less formal decors while leather is chic (do you see what I mean, the fabric does have an impact).

These rules are meant to help you, but you should always trust your instincts and have fun!