Pillow Talk ~ Beauty life styles

There's no easier way to freshen up your home for summer than investing in some new throw pillows. They're a great way to change the accent color or the decorating scheme of a room, and nothing suits the carefree days of summer like a whimsical pillow that makes you smile each time you look at it. While beach-inspired accents such as coral and bamboo might look out of place in most cities in December, with just a few throw pillows, you can bring the nautical look to your living room for the summer months, then swap it out again once the summer ends.

As you can see, there are quite a few stores these days (such as Pier 1) that have taken the inspiration of "investment pillows" by designers such as Madeline Weinrib and Jonathan Adler and made them more affordable. While up close they may not have the impeccable detailing and luxurious fabrics of their original counterparts, they're pretty good at conveying the same style statement. See if you can spot the original versus the inspired!

Geometric: A geometric print is a great way of staying in the traditional realm while adding a dose of whimsy. And if two of these pillows look the same to you, your eyes aren't deceiving you- one is the Jonathan Adler version for $175, and the other is from Pier 1 for $12.98! Can you tell which is which?

Clockwise, from top left:

Jonathan Adler Palm Beach P illow, $110

Pier 1 Embroidered Geometric Pillow, $12.98

Navy Bamboo Pillow, Well Appointed House, $88

Williams Sonoma Home Embroidered Cane Pillow, $88

Jonathan Adler South Hampton Pillow, $110

Jonathan Adler Bargello Chevron Pillow, $175

Monogram: We can never resist a good monogram, pillows included! While we wouldn't go overboard on this type of item, one monogrammed pillow in your home can really make an elegant statement. Despite the fact that you can order seemingly anything monogrammed online (which leads us to ask- does the world really need anything else in curlz font, let alone a car decal? enough please!), it's actually rather difficult to come by spectacular monogrammed pillows online. If none of the above choices strike your fancy, we'd suggest taking a great solid colored pillow cover to your local monogram store and seeing what they can do for you.

Clockwise, from top left:

Jonathan Adler Letter Pillow, $98

Kailey Hawthorne Monogrammed Pillow, $29 (from Etsy)

Ballard Designs Basic Pillow, $22 (monogram included- the steal of the day!)

Monogram Pillow, Red Door Home, $69 (we're crazy about this monogram style)

Natural History: We love pillows inspired by natural history antique prints and by our favorite sea creatures. Pillows like this are a wonderful way to bring the summer and the beach into your home during the warmer months without looking to "beachy."

Clockwise, from top left:

Thomas Paul Octopus Pillow $100 (The whole Thomas Paul pillow line is fabulous)

Koi Fish Pillow, The Well Appointed House, $58 (though the Well Appointed House isn't where we usually look for bargains, they have a fabulous range of hooked sealife pillows that are a steal for $58!)

Seahorse Hook Pillow, The Well Appointed House, $58

Thomas Paul Moby Pillow, $88

Thomas Paul Coral Linen Pillow, $100

Audobon Print Flamingo Pillow, The Well Appointed House, $150

Ethnic: Though ethnic-inspired decor can often look more kitchy than authentic, ethnic inspired pillows are a perfect way of bringing a touch of the exotic into any room. Can you tell the difference between the Madeleine Weinrib ikat pillow and the ikat pillow from Pier 1? We can't!

Clockwise, from top left:

Madeleine Weinrib Hazelnut Daphne, starting at $450

Kilim Toss Pillows

Madeleine Weinrib Sunburst Lace Pillow, starting at $450

Kuba Cloth Pillow, $199

Thomas Paul Bali $44

Pier 1 Ikat Pillow, $17.91

Floral: Traditionalists take heart- floral has gone fresh, as opposed to the twee Laura Ashley florals of years past! We love these feminine, summery pillows.

Clockwise, from top left: