These tips are also from Wired How To 2007, in where they pinged Todd Oldham, the celebrity-designer host of TV's Top Design, for some tips.
1. Mix two shades. The laws of interior design say you should never mix different shades of the same color - especially not green. Ignore them. Trimming a pastel with a darker tint says confident.
2. Think big. Don't pick small pieces for small spaces; that creates clutter. Instead, stretch the visual space with one or two large items. "Fewer gestures is a great idea, especially in bedrooms".
3. Show some wires. In a clean space, a few exposed wires just make the place look lived in.
4. Work the walls. For example, use strips of adhesive shelf paper on your kitchen walls and cabinets to make a motif that brings the space together.
5. Be crafty. For example, if you are stuck with fluorescents, sheath them in plastic tubing or try leaving half the tube exposed and alternating 6-inch strips of pink and orange over the other half. "It'll look like it's always 5 o'clock in your house."