Are you stuck in a home where you are not allowed to paint the walls but love color? Or maybe you have the option to paint but are too afraid to commit to any one bold color? Treating your home accessories in the very same way you treat your fashion accessories – any look, any statement you want to make can be achieved with the small changes. New artwork, lamps, rugs or drapes could be all it takes to enliven your space.

Start by tackling the boring beige wall in your home. When thinking about color for your accessories, keep in mind: the darker you go with your accessories, the more dramatic the statement will look; the lighter you go, the softer it will look.

The easiest method is to pick one color and create a “color pod”, where your accessories are all of the same color. This one color can be the same exact same color, or, it can be a variation of the same color, like mixing the color green with the color tundra or turquoise. Pick up a color wheel at your local arts and crafts store to help during this process. It will be your very own pocket guide to color and color theory.

Below you will find two examples of a color pod, one soft using a variation of one color and one bright using one value of color. Keep these simple rules in mind and you’ll be creating your own color pod in no time!