Nothing seems more motivating than being surrounded by bright and cheerful colors. For years, studies have proven that colors make a difference on how people perceived the world. Colors are simply symbolic. Red and gold are often favorite color combinations in most Asian cultures while Islamic people have a penchant for certain shades of green because of its lucky connotations. In the western hemisphere, white emit a sense of purity, clarity, simplicity, cleanness and freedom.

Whatever your color motivation, it’s important to infuse it in your decor. The secret for success is to opt for a more neutral tone backdrop, such as white, beige, taupe, and other subtle, earthy tones. This allows for an innite number of possibilities without compromising your grounding pieces of furnishing, and your wallet, for that matter. It’s a lot easier to change out decorative pillows than it is to metamorphose a whole living room’s furnishing.

The truth is, everyone has experienced home design mistakes, especially when it comes to bright colors. It happens to everyone, including top designers! We fall in love with a bright tangerine item while shopping at a boutique and try to apply it at home. But the lighting may not be the same at your house, and your furniture contour happens to be a shade that does not marry well with tangerine.

The results can be disappointing so take the risk out of leaping into big design mistakes and introduce the right tone into your space, one step at a time. It’s a good idea to try it out by tossing some pillows in that striking shade on your sofa first.

I may be a bit partial about decorative pillows, but if you asked anybody out there with a bit of affinity for interior design, the feeling is unanimous. Throwing a few pillows will dress up any seating or arrangement. To bedding, it’s an invitation to unwind in comfort and beauty. It’s like a piece of jewelry that can transform an otherwise plain oufit into the trendy accoutrement everyone covets. And that is the single reason why I am so passionate about pillows: it makes a powerful statement in any type of décor.

I am so convinced decorative pillows are the most versatile home accessories. In fact, I created a book about the topic, where I boasted obvious illustrations. These feather-filled pieces of art have the power to ground every sofa.Like I said before, who said artwork had to be hung on the wall? This is your opportunity to introduce the unexpected to your home design.

Inject a color splash, create contrast, add texture, bring dimension to your space, infuse elegance, make a statement, use the pillows to tie in the whole color scheme of the space. Whatever it is, make it interesting for your enjoyment. How many things do you own that can be this multi-faceted?

As spring approaches, why confine the idea of decorating with pillows to just your interiors? Au contraire, bring the outdoors in and extend the indoors out by tying the spaces together, whether by color or other similarities, or impose contrasts for that matter. Creativity has no rules, especially when you are under the powerful spell of pillows.

If you’re like me, with lots of foreign friends living overseas, you’ve run into the same dilemma when it comes to offering gifts that represent the good old American dream. Common sense beckons, a gift is something of personal nature, therefore should represent thoughtfulness in selecting it. It’s something I think my friends would like to have, and if all possible, something that can remind my friends of me, therefore of our friendship. It just so happens, as an American, I cherish the gifts I receive that depict my friends’ cultural background or ethnicity. I like to reciprocate that by presenting them with something of the same symbolic consideration.

Made in the USA, let’s face it, is a challenging commodity to find these days. In my Austin based boutique atelier setting, I keep that philosophy in mind with my creations. I hand select the material used in my products. I proudly design locally, draft out the concept by hand cutting and assembling the pieces and go as far as personally measure the quality of each individual piece that is produced.

It’s probably a matter of diplomacy, and with a sense of humor, I’d like to outline that it may also influence world peace because it promotes cultural sharing and understanding.

We have all often heard that the secret to designing your interior is to make it a reflection of our own personality. But what does it really mean? Well, in my mind, it all starts with colors and inspirations from our experiences. In fact, we are surrounded by colors so it’s a natural attraction. The experiences that inspire us are personal choices on what move us.

In my recent trip to Patagonia, Chile, I was moved by the environmental beauty the region had to offer. I was very drawn to the flint stone hue, a slate grey, against a bright green native vegetation. At home, I set out to marry those two colors in a pillow collection.

I can envision for these two tones to infuse a lot of classy pizzazz in any setting. There is something classic about this dense grey, and something cheerfully exciting about contrasting it with the right green spectrum.

So the next time you’re out and about, make a point to look around and pick out elements that move you. Bring that inspiration forth in your décor – It’s a guaranteed pleaser, which by the way, will also offer plenty of conversation topics when your visiting friends comment on the new striking look or accessory you’ve donned a room.