If you love color, but are wary of being too bold because you plan on selling your home, you'll be happy to learn about the new era in color called toned neutrals. We've all been warned to choose neutral colors when painting a home for resale. While all shades of white are always classy, and taupe with black trim is on every exterior finished in 2008, those with a bit of a wild side are left wanting more.

Toned neutrals may just offer a solution to those wanting to jazz up their home without offending buyers. Start by choosing your tone. What color would you paint the walls if it was never going to be anyone else's business? Once you've selected a color, have just a touch of it added to a neutral color. For example, if you choose a red tone, have a tiny bit of red added to a batch of off-white paint. The final color might look like a very, very light pink, or slightly orange if you've gone with a more cream-colored paint.  Another example would be to ad a tiny shot of blue to a very light gray paint. By adding darker and brighter colored furniture and accessories in the same family as your chosen tone,  to your toned neutral room, you make it pop. When this tone is on its own, as it will be when you move your stuff out, it is soothing and mellow. But combined with  accents in its color scheme, it is vibrant and gives your wild side the visual excitement it craves.

It is generally safest to combine toned neutral walls with white trim. Doing the trim in a semi-gloss paint helps them stand out. Ad to that a slightly darker toned neutral for the flooring, which will help ground the room.

Many people want to ad a focal point of some sort to a room. If there's a fireplace or a large picture window, it can be easy. With a fireplace, consider choosing a darker paint tone to surround it, and then place a piece of art or mirror above the mantel to help it stand out. With a window, ad a classy trim, then choose drapes that will accentuate the feel you are trying to achieve with the room.

If you don't have an existing focal point, create one with a piece of art on its own, or something else with visual interest. Arranging furniture around the focal point helps accentuate it. In fact, furniture can even be your focal point, as in the case of a large sofa placed against a wall, with the rest of the furniture gathered around it. In this case, a nice piece of art still helps the area stand out. Remember that art doesn't have to mean a painting. A sculpture, or even a unique vase or some other functional item will do. Further, a large plant might be just the thing to accent the room.

Whatever you do in your decorating, remember, it is possible to create something visually exciting without scaring away potential buyers. The key is to not cover your home with dark paint colors that will be hard to paint over. By utilizing toned neutrals and your own personal, and bright, accessories, you can achieve practicality and boldness at the same time.

Joshua Sloan is an experienced San Diego real estate agent. Visit his site at SanDiegoRealEstateBuzz.com for help finding new homes with the San Diego MLS listings.