Are You a Matcher, a Coordinator or a Mix-Matcher?

There are two types of people. Are you a Purim person or a Pesach person? Some drool over Purim and take their mishloach manos and costumes to a new level, themed to the T. Others want to get it over with, and love the Pesach cleaning and organising, taking nachas in seeing the black bags pile out of the house.

Here's another classification. Are you a matcher, a coordinator, or a mix-matcher?

The matcher

You shop for your boys and girls in the sets the stores offer. For this you need patience and mazel in finding all the right sizes in the right form — long sleeves for one, short for another, a onesie for the baby.

Then you have a matchy-matchy family where teenagers, girls, babies and boys all match, because the clothes are made of the exact same material.

The benefit: it makes seder in a frazzled mother's head when spotting her children in the park — and if one goes missing, you can show everyone that the lost child is wearing exactly this, just in a dress.

The disadvantage: the girls end up in dull colours, and the boys in pink squiggles and flowers.

How this translates to design

All design elements have something in common. Boho chic has been trending for a few years, and yes, it can work for both boys' and girls' rooms — though I doubt you'd choose it for an only-boy room.

When going bold with wallpaper, it needs to be played down with solid-coloured and white furniture. Look how this floral wallpaper is paired with a blue couch, a white pillow and a side coffee table.

How would I know this? You'd know it too. Intuitively, you'd pair a busy floral shirt with a solid colour or white. Right?

The coordinator

A more sophisticated way to have a cohesive family. Instead of dressing all your children in the same fabric head to toe, think coordinating.

As long as the colours blend, your family will have a coordinated look. The girls can have one style and the boys another, within the same colouring. For this you need a little more imagination and flair for shopping — personally I take the boys' styles from one store and the girls' from another.

How this translates to design

A monochromatic colour scheme for your room. You can never go wrong with this approach; staying neutral gives a placid, harmonious feel.

The mix-matcher

I'm not talking about each child in a different colour — that's not design, that's haphazard. When I say mismatched, it still has an element of match. It's a mix and match.

How this translates to design

I sometimes use this: for bed linens, instead of one set, use two sets of solid colours and mix them. Or use one solid and one chevron or stripe for a more interesting effect.

So look at your clothes shopping pattern — it can continue in your home.