Add color, pattern, comfort, and style to your space with throw pillows.

Love the idea of throw pillows to help pull the decor together, but not quite sure how to make it happen? Read on for some easy tips for how to mix and match throw pillows to make your space comfy and stylish.

Ideas for Mixing and Matching Throw Pillows

1.Stripes and Prints

Image: Pottery Barn

The first rule of pillows is: don’t be afraid to go for it and mix and match stripes and prints. Whether going for the classic dots and stripes mix or mixing stripes and bold florals, go for the drama of mixing and matching boldly.

2. Fun Color Combos

Image: Mod Cloth

Your living space should reflect you, and if you are a wild and fun loving, then your space should mirror your qualities. Love turquoise and bright yellow? Go for it. Think bubble gum pink and mint green are a match made in heaven? Then make it happen!

3. Big Scale, Little Scale

Image: Anthropologie

One lovely way to mix and match the prints and patterns of your throw pillows is to vary the scale of your prints. Adding smaller scale prints is a great way to temper the overwhelming effect that can happen with larger scale prints.

4. Monochromatic

Image: West Elm

When in doubt, go monochromatic. It’s easy enough to mix patterns when you keep to the same color. It also can make a dramatic and elegant impact.

5. Complementary Colors

Image: World Market

If you want to introduce more color into a room, consider going with complementary colors. Complementary colors are opposite one another on the color wheel and usually go well together. Reference a color wheel if you forget which colors are complementary.

6. Pillow Sizes and Shapes

Image: Crate & Barrel

Alternating the size and shape of throw pillows is another easy way to mix and match decorative pillows in any room.

7. Prints All in the Same Family

Image: Anthropologie

Pick a print theme and replicate that throughout your room. Choose a pattern like floral, tribal, chevron, and others and mix and match colors and sizes along that theme for a truly stylish look.

8. Vertical and Horizontal Patterns

Image: West Elm

Mix and match vertical and horizontal patterns for the ultimate in visual interest and to really help bring a room to life.

9. Matte and Metallic

Image: West Elm

Using different textures is also a great way to mix things up and one perfect example is mixing matte and shiny metallic throw pillows in the same color family or of similar a pattern.

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Image: West Elm

The post 9 Ways to Mix and Match Throw Pillows appeared first on EcoSalon.

Throw pillows are like the icing on the décor cake. These little gems of plushy goodness provide the perfect finishing touch for nearly every room in the house, and they’re a guilty pleasure some hardcore decorators might even deem mandatory. Fortunately, you don’t have to sacrifice style for compassion because we have some eco-friendlydecorative throw pillows that will seriously rock your world. But you know, softly.

Whether you plop them on your bed, sofa, floor, or your favorite wingback chair, toss pillows add much needed layers of color, texture, and warmth throughout your home. They are relatively inexpensive and have the potential to create serious design impact. Plus, choosing unique patterns and images can really allow you to express your personality without taking big risks.

Sadly, many pillows manufactured today contain some less than savory materials. Down feather inserts, wool, alpaca, synthetic materials, and chemically laced dyes are just a few of the obvious obstacles that we’re faced with when shopping for cushions. Not only can these be harmful to our health, but the animal derived materials are seriously cruel. If you need further proof, check out this article from PETA on the abuse of geese for their feathers to make down filling.

On the bright side, we don’t have to support these heartless manufacturers in their quest to inflict all sorts of pain and suffering on the human and animal populations because we’ve rounded up some conscious retailers with several beautiful and decorative cruelty-free pillows.

1. Bursaria Workshop

If you’re a fan of Australian wildlife, or any sort of cute animal really, then you’ll fall in love with these pillows featuring wombats, possums, and even crayfish. The graphic designer and printmaker who runs this little shop has brought her original designs to life in the form of charming, creature themed cushions and the occasional abstract image.

Bursaria Workshop uses recycled PET fiberfill whenever possible (which seems to be very often, if not all the time), utilizes organic hemp and organic cotton regularly, and prints using water based inks.

It goes without saying that these pillows would fit right in nestled on the bunk bed in a child’s room, but these are also great for the kid at heart. Add one or two of these among a small sea of cushions atop your sofa, or isolate and call attention to a single piece of furniture that holds a special place in your heart.

2. Zleep Shop

Bold geometric patterns and colors more your thing? Then look no further than the modern Zleep Shop. This small retailer contains a limited selection of designs, including the ever popular chevron, stripe, polka dot, scallop, and abstract printed encasements. Hand crafted from natural and eco-friendly materials, the pillows from this shop are made from exclusively organic cotton fabric.

Although bold and contrasting, these pillows are actually very versatile – just as easily as they are able to stand out, will they also blend in – it really just depends on the atmosphere and the overall design goal you’re interested in achieving.

Black and white geometric patterns are excellent safeguards to utilize when getting your feet wet with pattern mixing. These are generally neutral territory despite the contrasting images, but the basic color, or lack thereof, keeps them very grounded in a sea of other colors, images, and patterns. I recommend trying the chevron or scallop in black and white. 

3. River Oak Studio 

Finally we have the perfect shop for you to pick up your organic and sustainable fabric-based pillows from that has simple and modern cottage living in mind. With softer patterns and a more subdued palette, River Oak Studio definitely understands how to appeal to the masses.

The designs are sophisticated and look like they belong in a West Elm or Pottery Barn display for sure, although they can be a tad on the rustic side. Fortunately, this shop owner has good intentions with her use of eco-friendly water based inks for printing and organic cotton GOTS certified sateen.

These would be the highlight in a quaint and quirky bohemian abode, especially the patterns leaning more toward the organic side, like the feather, dahlia, and even bunny rabbit prints. When decorating for this laid-back style, eclectic is best, so it may be better to buy your pillow patterns singly, rather than in matching pairs.

With that said, this shop’s offerings really are so versatile that many of the pillow designs could be used in a variety of applications – from the nursery to the beach house, to the apartment of an avian obsessed fan – do spare a moment to check out this well-intentioned online shop.

We really hope you enjoyed our decorative eco-friendly pillows compilation. What did you think? Let us know your thoughts on the EcoSalon Facebook page!

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Image of Pillows on Bed via Shutterstock

The post 3 Eco-Friendly Decorative Throw Pillows That Will Rock (and Cushion) Your World appeared first on EcoSalon.

You two lovebirds really are disgusting, it’s enough to make me hurl (these throw pillows at you).

If you and your lover are snuggle bunnies, you might be compelled to buy these throw pillows, created by the mother-daughter artisan duo kstudio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And we wouldn’t blame you. They’re hand-embroidered on an exterior of natural flax, organic cotton and recycled wool. The inside, which is what counts, is stuffed with fiber fill. Moreover, you can customize your pillows to look like you.

Very lovely, very tender. Eh, you deserve each other.

Price: $150 via uncommongoods.

Look for Lustables daily at EcoSalon. 100% gorgeous green finds, and never sponsored. Submit your favorite to tips@ecosalon.com

The post Lustables: Couple Themed Throw Pillows appeared first on EcoSalon.

The crisp temperatures are dropping, which means you will be dropping your derriere inside more often. As you cuddle on the couch, you may find yourself wishing your throw pillows could boast soft winter textures while they linger in the corner of your upholstery. I would never induce your craving for warm and comforting surfaces without offering up solutions on a gleaming silver platter. How will you ever survive winter without at least one of these lovelies?

Above, the Twill Organic Pillow is a flannel wonder in golden honey while the harvest palette of the Striped Alpaca Throw Pillow sings. The handsome Lazy Pig Pillow is just begging for a cuddle while the Pin Tuck Sham is a flirtation with contouring textures.

Below, the Edith Pillow shines through the adjacency of handmade silk roses and quiet linen while the dramatic Velvet Pillow is simple and luxurious.

The post Temperature & Textures appeared first on EcoSalon.

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Microwave oven

I haven’t had a microwave since Clinton was in the White House. Sure, on occasion I’ll miss the opportunity to melt down butter without burning it on the stove. I’d just rather give the counter space to something more deserving, like cookies. Or cupcakes. Or brownies…

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Electric wine bottle openers

Waiters can open a bottle of organic wine, at the table, with just a mere flick of a wrist and cork-screw. Mentally raising a cork out of the bottle with special brain powers would be cooler, but for now a simple corkscrew works fine. And gives good strength training!

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Bread machines

Sure, bread machines can be an awesome way to get perfectly-shaped loaves of steamy, fresh bread. But allow us to face the delicious reality of fresh bread. If you’re taking the time to make fresh bread in your bread machine, you probably have the time to bake fresh bread in your oven. Hard realities, folks. Hard realities.

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Neck creams

It’s become casual sport in Hollywood to guess an actress’ age by her neck, which still remains hard to control by Botox or a lift. So now there’s a whole industry of creams dedicated to the neck. In reality, you should just use the same creams and treatments on your neck as you do on your face. Moisturize tone, mask – just bring it down a few inches lower than your jaw line.

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Beauty products tested on animals

To which we and super cute-bunny-that-fits-in-a-hand say – really? Products like said Botox are continually tested on animals with appalling results. There’s a whole world of products, beauty or otherwise, that are cruelty-free. You can find them here.

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Hand sanitizers

I’m not saying medical professionals should go without, or that we should immediately start diving into gas station bathrooms to dance around barefoot. But washing your hands will kill germs just as easily as hand sanitizers. Sanitizing your paws every time you touch a door knob will kill most bacteria. But the tough ones that survived will multiply and will be stronger than the cousins you killed off. (Read more about that here.)

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The latest product from Apple

iPods are fun. As are iPhones and yes, even iPads are kind of cool. Do they get more fun as the latest updates cycle through every year and/or month? (As giant UFOs bearing the Apple insignia lower into our horizons.) Sure, maybe we all need the ability to instantly play music/record/brew latte with our phones. But why not let your old apples actually fall from the tree before you replace them?

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Automatic toilet flushers

One of the greatest questions of our time is obviously – do toilets really need to flush on their own, causing us to flee to the other side of the stall to avoid splash back? And repeat.

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Motion-Activated Anything

Recently, I saw an advert for a motion-activity candy dispenser. (Because obesity isn’t enough of a problem in this country. Yes, I’m waving a cranky cane right now.) Motion-activated devices are fantastic for people with disability issues. But how many wheelchairs do we see on escalators? We also opened doors for centuries without the power of electricity.

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Throw pillows

When you’re lost under a gigantic pile of plush, you have no one but yourself to blame.

Images: sparkys, susang2, Bed Bath & Beyond, crystalwood, chungyc, ivyfield, amanderson2, @davestone

The post 10 Things We Don’t Actually Need appeared first on EcoSalon.