You have heard the term 'earth tones' many times and for some reason you believe these to be staid and boring. When have you ever really looked at the magnificent colors of the desert Southwest or the distinctive colors of fall in the Appalachian Mountains and said it was anything but breathtaking?

Mother Nature is the world's best artist. She uses the most vibrant and meaningful colors throughout her landscapes. Each hue elicits a different emotion and you can weave these feelings into your home with accents that bring the freshness of the outside to your interior spaces. Yes, your beige carpet is one of the earth tones and if your home was empty with white walls and light beige carpeting, it would be boring; it does not have to be.

Brown is the color of the earth (unless you live in some Southern states where it is red clay). The earth is strong, stable and can sometimes represent a quality in everything you own and hold dear. Trees have brown bark that covers and protects them. Most of our animal friends in the wild are tones of brown, which protects them by allowing them to camouflage from enemies. You should never be afraid of brown or afraid to use it. On color charts, you will see brown ranges from deep chocolate to the creamiest beige.

Gold is an earth tone. You see plenty of gold in the color of leaves in the fall. Gold can be used to bring luster into the home with various accent pieces or as embellishments on throw pillows. Gold can have a softer side as well, it does not have to attract all of the attention in a room.

Remember the red clay earth of the South? If you ever have the opportunity to visit some of our country's most famous deserts, you will see red in different variations and hues and there are various names for all of them. The one name they have in common is beautiful. Native Americans and early settlers used a lot of red because it was a good stain and was abundant.

We may think that red is feminine because of Valentine's Day; however, red is bold, masculine and powerful. The matador does not tease El Toro with a pink cape. Red can be motivating. Again, how quickly does the matador get away from the bull? It is no secret that red is the color of passion, sex, and ardor. It is highly romantic for a man to give a woman red roses. Red makes us feel warm and tingly.

Red is now the new navy when it comes to decorating. Currently, there is a flurry of red furniture, red accent walls, and red rugs. The use of too much red may make your friends think that you are decorating in retro-bordello. Red accents in any type of pieces, however, can add strength and boldness. As an aside, the color red is supposed to be very lucky within certain Asian cultures.

Let's move on to the color green. Mother Nature bathes the trees and grasses in a display of greens, from deep fern to the lighter sage. Green represents a balance in life and in your decorating. It is supposed to be the meeting between your head and your heart. If you look at a problem through green glasses, you should come out with an answer that seems appropriate and pleasing to your senses.

Green is peaceful. It is also the color of new beginnings. In spring, everything begins to grow again and you can smell the fresh grass in the air. Various shades can be nurturing, like Mother Nature herself.

When you are choosing pieces for your home or office and you want to know whether a certain color goes with another or whether it clashes. When in doubt, just look at a picture of the mountains in autumn. There is a cacophony of diverse colors: red, gold, green, brown and more. If you find the colors in nature, they never clash.

Using a more subdued tone, such as beige, on the walls provides a more neutral backdrop for pops of color through accent pieces. These pieces can quickly be changed without the expense and hassle of repainting an entire room. Likewise, using a big bold color on the wall makes a statement and the rest of the pieces in the room need to support the wall color.

Earth tones are vibrant. If you bring enough of the colors of the earth into your life, you can find a balance and harmony that nature provides in your home.