Mixing Patterns & Prints

I showed off my living room yesterday, and let me tell you, even though it is far from groundbreaking interior design it was a little bit of a stretch for me.  I say that because I used multiple patterns in one space.  I'm typically a little afraid of pattern and color.  I usually have one pattern and then solid colors that match that pattern.  In the old version of my living room I only had two throw pillows that had pattern on them.  Everything else was solid.  Solid couch, solid curtains, solid throw, and the 10 other pillows I had were solid.

Here's what helped me get over my fear of pattern and color.

scan of House Beautiful via

The February issue of House Beautiful had an interview of Christiane Lemieux, the founder of Dwell Studio. (Did you notice that she has the yellow rosette Target pillow on her bed? Love that!)  Usually House Beautiful is just pretty to look at.  I feel like I, a completely untrained, non-designer, could never duplicate most of the looks in the magazine, the products featured are mostly way out of my price-range, and the tips from designers aren't all that useful.  After looking through an issue I just think, "How do they do that?  How do they make that look good together?"

I was surprised to read something so helpful in the short feature on Christiane and her bed.  This is what she said when she was asked about the prints she used in her bedroom.

"...Usually my formula is three prints--one large, one medium, and one coordinate that ties the other two together with color."

How easy is that?!    I, the completely untrained, non-designer, found that sooooo easy to remember and implement. Some of you may be thinking, "Duh!", but I had never heard a tip for using pattern and print explained so simply before.
  

It's definitely a tip I'm going to keep in my pocket and use as I try to finish the rooms in the rest of my house.

How 'bout y'all?  Any mind blowingly, easy tips you've put into practice or wanted to put into practice as you decorate your home?  I'd love to hear more!