answer:Welcome to Fluther! My decorating book would be in the antidepressant genre. My home is definitely a haven for my soul. I am strongly affected by light, color, texture, etc. I’ve carried on and on about this in other threads. You will want to consider your own personal taste first. I can certainly tell you what lifts my spirits and what calms my soul, but if this is not your kettle of fish, results may vary. I suggest you go to a paint or hardware store and start randomly picking out colors that appeal to you. Give no thought to whether they work together or not – just let them “speak to you.” And get a lot. When you get home, start playing with them to see what works together. You’ll likely find that one may not blend with the palette that you’re creating, but it provides that perfect little spark to ignite the palette. This might be a metallic tone or a very deep, vibrant tone against a more neutral palette. Just play with the colors to get a palette that is pleasing to your eye. Those become your paint, trim and accent colors for the walls, and they also direct all other decorative touches in the room (furniture, rugs, lamps, accents, etc.). I would also suggest you leaf through some of the “do it yourself” decorating magazines just to pick up some ideas. You certainly don’t have to copy every element in a design, but there might be features that really catch your eye. Make note of them. My home (so this is my taste) is decorated in the warm tones. I have rusts/oranges/chocolate browns against wheat-colored backgrounds. But I contrast these with decorative accents in various shades of green and some deep blue in pieces of art. Copper accents have worked wonderfully. I have a large rug in my family room that actually ties together all of the base and accent colors – I had to look a long time to find it. That might be the one piece I couldn’t do without ;-) My calming color is always a light green: sage or seafoam generally catches my eye. I’ve painted home offices in those tones. And I love purple accents against a light green! Comfy furniture is so important. And it must be comfortable to the eye as well as the body. As you look for items, you’ll be drawn first to the style/shape, but spend time considering the fabric – the feel of the fabric. Choosing colors that work well with your palette is very important! I can’t say enough about the colors. In my family room, I have a chocolate brown sofa, a deep blue chair/ottoman, a pumpkin chair. The fabrics are all pretty dark, so my accent tables are travertine marble with a bronze base. I’ve got pillows that bring together all the accent colors, and there’s that rug I mentioned earlier. This current décor is relatively new – and it took me well over a year to plan, execute and tweak the final product. I loved every minute of it. For me, art is essential. Over many years I’ve acquired items (and most of these are not costly) that have really touched me in some way. Some are prints of “famous” artists (Picasso as one example); but most are works of artists exhibiting at local art shows or in shops I’ve visited during my travels. In all cases, I’m simply drawn to the piece. I’ve noticed that I gravitate toward abstract art. I’m also drawn to art that features peasant women, doorways, moonlight – these are just recurring themes in my art. You’ll have your own magnets. Lighting is important. A beautiful lamp can make or break a space! And lighting really does affect mood for many people. While I’ve probably not answered you in any way that is helpful, my overarching advice is to spend some time designing your colorscape, spend some time finding the art that moves you, spend some time acquiring the elements in your space that you want to look at time and time again. I’d gladly be your personal assistant were you in/near Austin, Texas – your profile and other posts indicate otherwise. And one more point that I want to stress—this is a journey that should life your spirits. Take your time and savor the experience. Wishing you success!