Throw pillows are great, aren’t they? When your couch is just not supportive enough, throw pillows pick up the slack. They make a neat little seat when there is seating overflow, and really wee ones can use throw pillows for all sorts of things. And they’re pretty, too!

But really, enough is enough. If you really need twelve giant throw pillows to make your couch comfy, it’s time to get a new couch. Or if you find yourself sitting on the very edge of the couch, it’s probably time to reevaluate how you’re using throw pillows. This image above is not it, but there’s definitely a right way to use ‘em, so I recommend grabbing some cute throw pillows like these:

Are these sweet? Go on, click the pics!

Do you find using color intimidating? Then you’re not alone. It’s no surprise that things like painted doors and bright painted cabinets aren’t exactly common and why books like this are necessary. I like to consider myself as a reforming colorphobic – once upon a time, I avoided it out of fear of messing up. Now I’m more confident with color!

Lately, I’ve realized that color users – by which I mean people who decorate colorfully, as opposed to the colorphobic – usually fall into one of three categories:

Some people find it easiest to stick to a limited color palette when decorating – often because it gives them the freedom to play with brighter, more striking colors without fear of clashing or overwhelming the space. Sound like you? If you choose, say, three colors to work with and you know they coordinate well, then you don’t have to think as much about how and where you’re using them. Break out: Add a few alternate color accent pieces to your otherwise perfectly coordinated room.

Others are most comfortable using multiple colors when the colors are serving as an accent in an otherwise neutral space. There’s a certain amount of freedom here, too, mainly because you’re not making a huge color investment. Don’t like that accent piece or chair? Move it, toss it, whatever! Break out: Try painting one wall of your living room a bright, vivid color. In other words, make a commitment, but make it a small one.

And then you have those rare folks who don’t feel at all intimidated by a color palette that includes lots and lots of very different hues. I am envious of these people – I just don’t have the guts to, say, bringing in a bright orange couch. If this sounds like you, you don’t need to break out. You’ve fully embraced the possibility of color, and that is pretty awesome!

Images: Beaux Arts Mansion

How many times have I mentioned that we were having a little remodeling done? A bunch, I know. Which means it’s only fair that I share at least one picture of my new bedroom, which was finally finished at the end of last month, yay!

Want some details? We went with mismatched bedside tables and no-VOC paint from Freshaire in a pretty gray color. Our color scheme includes gray, a very dark gray for detailing, white, and red, with some black furniture and some wood. We decorated using furniture we already had, which has saved a lot so far, though I did make some quickie DIY “art” using scrapbooking paper and picture frames I had lying around. (But it wasn’t this or this, for the curious.) I’m loving it so far – and I’m feeling especially proud of the work we put into it!

What have you done in your home lately that you’re especially proud of?

All you need to replicate this cool heart mosaic photographed by Goode Green Photography is your choice of original 3″ X 3 1/8″ Polaroids (or something similar in a non-Polaroid format) and a picture frame or canvas. If you opt for the former, you can paste down your photos on the matting, and if you opt for the latter, just paste your pics directly onto the canvas. Which you can’t paint first or not, as you like it. Easy! And doubly good since it’s yet another way to deal with all those pesky snapshots taking up space.

Boring work spaces make working boring, and when working is boring it just plain sucks. Maybe a mushy squishy silicone rubber pencil holder would make your desk a little less dull? He won’t give you any attitude – poke him, drop him, or stab him with a pencil, because this hedgehog is harmless.

Hedgie here was designed by Ionut Predescu, but sadly only as a concept product. BUT you can have something similar in the Sebastiano Pencil Holder designed by comic-strip illustrator Massimo Giacon. Sure, it’s somewhat more sinister, but it’s just as cute.

Those who love sweetness and light could do worse than to take inspiration from this very lovely Williamsburg Brooklyn loft. There’s not much not to like about it! It’s simple and pretty, but in a grownup way, and I think my favorite thing about it is that it doesn’t look like the lair of Hipsterus Americanus. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that look – it’s just not my thing.)

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I’m loving these super cute hand screen printed pillows, cushion covers, stockings, and cozies from Robin & Mould! Everything they sell is printed using water-based inks on natural linens and cottons at their little shop in the UK. Yellow and teal seem to be the colors they favor, but they’ve taken custom orders in the past!

Is clutter always bad? There are some sources that say so, maintaining that there is absolutely no way to lead a productive, low-stress life if you don’t have a place for everything and everything in its place. Downsizing in the word of the year when it comes to stuff, and the simplicity movement asks us to scale down, maybe even to as little as 10 personal possessions per person. But while clearing out the clutter – physical, mental, etc. – is definitely a good idea, it doesn’t necessarily follow that ALL things labeled clutter are bad for YOU.

Who says, for example, that clutter has to be ugly? We’ve all heard of hoarders by now, but just because stacks of newspaper and bags of bottle caps make headlines nowadays doesn’t mean that clutter can’t be beautiful. If your clutter is a collection of meaningful things you’ve acquired over the years – especially things that make you happy and are cute to boot – then you absolutely shouldn’t feel obligated to stash it all away just to adhere to the popular aesthetic. Still feeling overwhelmed by your stuff, even though you love it? Maybe the answer is looking at your collections or art or photos or whatever it is that gets you going as a challenge. As in, it’s time to ask yourself how to turn ‘clutter’ into something awesome by incorporating it into your space in a different way.

And in a way, your clutter is you, or at least a record of where you’ve been and what has touched you enough to save. I’m not talking about all the stuff that really ought to get put away, like clean clothes, but rather the little mementos of life, like souvenirs from your journeys, letters, gifts from the people you care about, and so on. That book you’ve read a hundred times. The pillow you sewed in home ec when you were 12. That kind of thing. Is it clutter? Maybe, but it’s also the stuff you’ve chosen to keep when you’ve probably discarded plenty over the years. Personally, I don’t think that all that needs to go in the bin just because your home might look a little more spacious if it was gone.

Just make sure that your good clutter isn’t suffocating you or cramping your style. Just so you know, good clutter CAN turn bad – like when it’s getting in the way, making it hard to do what you need to do, or stressing you out. The best way to avoid falling into the trap of keeping bad clutter around is to periodically take a look at your life. Do you need X, Y, and Z? Maybe not. Do you still use, want, or love X, Y, and Z? If the answer is no, consider getting rid of it so it doesn’t end up doing all those things the anti-clutter brigade warned us about.

So as it turns out, I wasn’t quite finished with the subject when I posted about mismatched dining chairs a few weeks back. Problem was I had lots more images of great dining room “sets” featuring a varied selection of chairs. Sometimes it’s the color that’s different, sometimes it’s the pattern of the seat upholstery, and sometimes it’s just a great mix of chairs that have absolutely nothing in common. Anything goes when you’re picking out your dining room furniture – have fun with it!

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…or, you know, the space for one of these. I’m not sure how it happened, but when I moved from an apartment into an actually house, I lost bathroom space. The old apartment didn’t have much going for it, but it sure did have a sizable bathroom, and a sweet free-standing clawfoot tub to soak in.

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