Adventures in Layers

You know those pictures of houses in magazines where the rug and the pillows or other textiles don’t match at all, but they go together perfectly?

Yeah, that’s not my house. Pattern layering like that is NOT a strength of mine at all. I tend to overthink things and give up pretty easily. Plus, I’m cheap – so I’m not just going to buy the perfect thing at any price. I’m at the mercy of the “picking” gods, so to speak.

My bedroom has been the best example of this. I’ve changed out the rug twice now, I’ve been through approximately 5-6 bedding sets and an equal amount of simple quilts and blankets, and let’s not even talk about pillows.

When I refinished the vanity turned nightstands back in January, I think that was the first time I showed the new rug.

It’s generally not my style, but I have seen so many inspired pictures of rooms with an oriental-ish rug ranging from boho to modern, so I wanted to give it a try. Plus, I had been looking for months for a rug that size at a good price. $90 from Ross made the decision easy. I was convinced I could work it into the space like a neutral (haha!)

But as you can see, I was still rocking the neutral blanket look. Once I got such a bold rug, I couldn’t find any bedding I liked. Everything I saw seemed to compete with it. The search went on and on, especially after I got my new Serta bed (which I LOVE, btw). Almost daily, I checked my usual haunts – Ross, TJ Maxx, Target, etc. Bed, Bath, and Beyond is too expensive. I’m thinking $50, max. I know myself and how much I like to change things around – it’s just not worth the money to invest in something expensive.

Finally, FINALLY I spy a grey-ish set on the shelves at Ross. And YES, it’s King size! I have been disappointed many times after seeing something cute, only to find out it’s for a queen size bed. The fact that I liked it, and it was in the right size seemed like a sign from above! I realized I wouldn’t really be able to tell if it would work until I brought it home, so I snagged it for $39.99 and kept the receipt.

At first I was unsure. I trust myself so little in this area. I laid out the comforter and stared at it, then I unpacked the shams and put those on the pillows. Slowly I began to think, “this might work!”

A few weeks later, I posted this picture on instagram and realized I really love the way it looks because I could use every pillow I own with it.

I’ve been making my bed every morning since then like this. Yes, there are 8 pillows.

I think the pattern on the spread is interesting without being too competitive with the rug. And, they share the gray and tan tones. Sorry for the bad photos, this room is really hard to shoot because of the way the sun hits this side of the house. I think this is working, what do you think?