How to Decorate with Mixed Print Throw Pillows

Hey all! Anybody get April fooled? I did, and I’m too embarrassed to say how gullible a moment it was! Let’s just say it was within 2 minutes of waking up and involved trying out the new scratch and sniff feature on the iPhone. Haha!

I haven’t shared any progress on our house lately, because frankly, it’s been at somewhat of a standstill. I’ve been a wee bit obsessed/compulsive with finding throw pillows for our living room, so the rest of the decorating has been neglected.

I’m a big fan of mixing different prints, textures and colors with throw pillows. I kind of still get surprised when I hear myself say that! My design style has changed so vastly; there was a time that everything simply HAD to match. And be symmetrical. And many other rules that I thought I had to abide by. I can’t pinpoint the day that the switch flipped, it’s been more of an evolvement, but I’m so glad that it did! I’m liberated and say to heck with the rules!

If you’re like the me of old, and the thought of putting together all of these different design elements makes you feel a little scared, I hope these tips will help you to make the plunge. I promise it will set you free! 😉

There are many elements that you can mix with your throw pillows: color, style, size, texture/fabrics, prints, shapes and more. The key is not to mix all of the elements, but to find a balance of 2 or 3 of them with commonalities that make them transition beautifully.

In the 3 pillows below, the blue and white is in common among all of them. The 2 on the right are the same fabric, the style of all 3 is modern, with a geometric theme among them.

One Kings Lane • Pier 1 Imports • Home Decorators Collection.

One of my favorite tricks is the transition pillow. Have you ever had 2 different colors that you want to find a way to integrate into your design scheme, but they appear to present you with an either-or situation? Enter the transition pillow! The pillow on the left and right are completely different in texture, color and pattern. The middle guy, who plays well with both sides, grabs both of their hands and says “why can’t we all get along?!” The middle and left pillows have orange as a logical pairing; the right pillow complements the middle pillow with their very tactile textures, and brings out the green threads weaved vertically throughout the middle pillow. Now they can all play together!

Target • World Market • Dot & Bo

All 3 of the below pillows have different textures/fabrics, but the shades of purple, modern style, and vertical pattern they all share in common.

 Bellacor • Society 6 • H & M

Do you see where I’m going with this? Are you with me or does it make you feel a little sweaty in the palm area? 🙂

These are some my favorite sources to find stunning, affordable, unique pillows that offer endless possibilities…

Society 6

I stumbled upon the Society 6 website via Pinterest and I could’ve spent hours there. Or maybe I did. It was that consuming that I lost concept of time! It reminds me a little bit of etsy in that it’s a marketplace for individual artists and designers. They showcase everything from throw pillows, to shower curtains, to duvets to cell phone cases, and everything is so unique!

Target

I feel like Target is a no-brainer, how about you? I love (my wallet does not love!) that I can go in for toothpaste, and come out with a pillow, laundry detergent, lipstick and a garlic press in one shot! Target always has a plethora of home decor; right on point with current trend and represents every color of the rainbow.

Wayfair

Shopping on Wayfair is my equivalent to a kid at Toys R Us. Everything I could ever think of I might need for the home… yep Wayfair’s got it. Considering they have over 22,000 throw pillows, clearly I didn’t get through a fraction of them, but found so many that I loved that I don’t know where to begin to narrow them down!

CB2

Crate and Barrel’s funky little sister CB2 has a collection of rich colors and detailed designs that sets it apart from it’s more conservative sibling. They have several complimentary patterns that take some of the work out of mixing the prints yourself.

Kohl’s

When I checked out Kohl’s online I was amazed by the sheer volume of throw pillows they have! They have a fabulous array of colors and sophisticated prints and solids. I’m positive that at least 1 or 2 of their pillows will end up somewhere in our house! Kohl’s puts their pillows on sale often so if you see one you like, but it’s more than you want to spend, chances are within a month you will get it for as much as half the original amount.

Home Decorator’s Collection

I got a coupon for Home Decorator’s Collection in our “welcome to the neighborhood” slew of ads we got in the mail after our move. A. I had never heard of it. B. Upon scanning the site I learned that it is a part of The Home Depot. They have some of my favorite geometric prints with awesome color combos.

Pier 1 Imports

I frequented Pier 1 in college, when I thought I would one day have a home decorated only with the eclectic style of this worldly market. I love the variety of textures and cultures that they capture with their pillows!

So what do you think? Are you a fan of mixing like me? If you haven’t mixed before but kinda like the idea, I hope this helps you feel less overwhelmed and intimidated.

Thank you for reading.