The age old design question - Can I mix a series of styles together? Or.. My home tends to have different feels in different rooms and I would like it to be more cohesive. Can I mix and match with the pieces I have? You've guessed it.. we say yes, yes, yes! All day, everyday! There are a few simple tricks to making these looks come together..but once you get the hang of it - you'll never go back to coloring within the lines!

Three reasons the above look SHOULDN'T work:

1) The monochromatic feel of the black and white oil painting sets the tone for a very modern and minimalist room - and this room is anything but

2) The whimsical checkered black and white Mackenzie Childs pillows are loud pieces on their own and should be paired with solid colors - again, this room has anything but

3) The Moroccan inspired ottoman is eclectic and would accent warm tones that surround it - and you guessed it, this room has anything but!

Three reasons the above look DOES work:

1) All of the above!

So here's the skinny.. or the rules to stick by when it comes to mixing in pieces with different styles/feels:

1) Be willing to play around with the item's you have - TRY IT OUT! We tried 5 different type of pillow sets before we put this one on and surprised ourselves. You will know what looks pleasing to your eye..keep going until you find what looks just right!

2) Try to look for the not so obvious tie in elements - the Mackenzie pillows work with the painting because of the commonality of the strong and bold black color. The Moroccan ottoman actually softens the feel of the painting and picks up on the light brown/tan parts of the painting to make it look less stark. If we move this ottoman away from the painting - what appears to be the tan color on this painting becomes almost off white. It is amazing to see how pieces play off each other! Remember, not everything is as it seems!

3) Mix textures and colors - Be a risk taker. This can pay off majorly with design elements. And nothing is permanent. Every painting can be moved, every ottoman can be reupholstered and every pillow case can be changed. Have a room painted emerald green? Put a mustard yellow accent in it. Have a loud red and white printed decorative pillow? Put in on a royal blue chair. The pages you gawk at in your favorite interior design magazine made it in there because they broke all the rules.. not become they followed them!

So off you go to style the next space in your home - you'll have fun living on the wild side of design!