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For years I have been trying to get that mix and match bedding down pat. I guess it was back in the early nineties when I fell in love with the way designer Ralph Lauren criss crossed his patterned, and solid bedding pieces to create inviting cloth islands for sleep. It was the way he masterfully intermingled florals with gingham, and checks with animal prints that absolutely had me spellbound.

What’s more was that he made it look so darn easy to achieve. Alas, without wanting to spring for his rather pricey linens in every bedroom in the homes I have since lived in, I set out to replicate this style. What I ended up with was more reminiscent of a table at a garage sale the first go round, and something simply gone wrong on the second. Needless to say there were multiple returns to the local shops, and a great deal of frustration on my behalf.

But, I persevered and ultimately came up with the following recipe for getting the look I love. The equation consists of this: pick on tone from the central pattern of your choice (I find it best to have that as the comforter or duvet cover) and ensure that all of the other articles from the pillow cases to the sheets have it also. The last touch is to place a blanket at the foot of the bed in that precise tone to unify the set.