Is your living room all one boring shade, or does it look more like the inside of a broken kaleidoscope? Color is an effective and affordable way to tie a room together, but it can also be confusing and easy to mess up. If you’re looking to redecorate your home with refreshing new hues, here are four ways to take your interior design from drab to fab with easy-to-follow color schemes.

Pair Bright Colors and Earthy Neutrals

If you love bright colors but don’t know how to incorporate them without turning your home into a kindergarten finger painting, consider pairing brights with earthy neutrals to balance out your color scheme. Splashes of jewel tones or bright primary colors look great against a backdrop of chocolate brown or slate gray. You can also choose accessories that incorporate both, such as a brown pillow with a bright swirl pattern.

Purchase Decorative Sets

A very easy way to follow a color scheme is to purchase matching decorative sets. For example, you can buy a bed-in-a-bag set packed with a duvet, sheets, pillows and curtains made to match. When it comes to furniture, you can find matching living room or bedroom sets in most furniture stores. Sometimes you can even find them sold with a color-coordinated rug or wall decor.

Keep Curtains Monochrome

Curtain patterns are often a stumbling block when it comes to setting up a color scheme. Keep things simple by using one neutral color, such as white, gray or beige, for all your curtains. Not only do monochrome curtains make color matching easier inside, they also make your home look more polished from the outside. Plus, neutral colors go with any room and will never look dated, so you can keep them for many years.

Make Colors Pop With Accent Pieces

To avoid going overboard on colors, consider limiting bright shades to accessories and accents like pillows, vases and art. Keep large pieces of furniture and rugs neutral to create a sophisticated background for showing off your fun, colorful pieces. This color scheme strategy can also save you money in the long run because furniture in neutral colors stays current longer and resells for more money than trendier styles.

Although following an easy color scheme can make your interior design look more sophisticated, don’t forget that your personal style is the most important factor. If you love eclectic, mismatched colors and bold, funky pieces, don’t be afraid to go for it.