By Lisa Neff

Contributing writer

Meet Hedda and Sofia.

And Hedvig and Alvine.

Gisela and Katrin.

Meet Ikea's new textile collections for the design-challenged who want to shift out of the neutrals but don't know how to mix and match.

Adding colors can impact emotions, drawing out strong feelings. Bright red can spark passion. Bright yellow can bring warmth, liveliness and friendliness to a room. Even varying shades of colors can elicit different feelings: lavender is a romantic color whereas deep purple stimulates creativity and introspection.

"Americans understand the power of color but need to build their color courage when it comes to home decor," says Leatrice Eiseman, of the Pantone Color Institute. "Bringing color into the home by simply adding a few colorful textiles, including draperies, rugs, throws, bedding and cushions, can easily and inexpensively express personality traits and dramatically transform living spaces."

So, Ikea launched its "be brave not beige" campaign, introducing new Scandinavian-inspired textile collections four times a year—for winter, spring, summer and fall.

Earlier, Ikea debuted six collections of cut fabrics, bedding, curtains, rugs, throws and other items for every room in the home. The collections range from big, bold patterns in strong vibrant colors, to softer, more traditional cozy patterns, including some inspired by works from an 18th Century French textiles museum. The new cut fabrics cater to every taste and can be easily mixed and matched with the ready-made textiles. We have to add that the Website, with its "not beige" videos and design-a-room game, is addictive. www.ikea.com

Summertime blues: Ikea's hot colors are bright reds, contrasting blacks and whites, vibrant greens, yellows and oranges. Also hot this season or summer blues—Heliotrope, Milk Paint, Spring Lake, Blueberry Patch and Royal Hyacinth—according to Pittsburgh Paints' artistic director Josette Buisson.

Knock, knock: Don't want to redo a room around a new color? Professionals recommend just trying a little accent for change. Try experimenting with the front door, suggests Ed Waller, co-founder of CertaPro Painters.

"People often find it easier to experiment with an accent wall color or just a front door. Classic front door colors are Chinese red or sunshine yellow, but don't rule out electric purple or teal blue. Pick color from your garden and co-ordinate with your front door. That way one can enjoy a garden year round," Waller says.

Waller recommends orange for inspiration—from deep sienna to a lively mango, orange is one of today's hottest colors.

For peace, Waller recommends blues—what color better represents the calmness of both the sky and water?

Greens, Waller says, are perfect for bringing the outdoors in and yellows suggest optimism. www.certapro.com.

Full-color fabric: In addition to making upscale outdoor living collections, UK-based Gloster Furniture offers summer fabrics. Gloster has added a fresh burst of color to its classic designs with a slew of fun new fabric options that are weather-resistant, provided you don't live next door to a CTA bus stop.

Sticky stuff: Think vinyl went the way of the eight-track? WallPops is a new line of peel-and-stick wall art made of a flexible vinyl. Just chose the style you like best—box or dot—and chose the color you like best—Totally Orange, Lello Yellow, Sizzlin', Flirt, Purple Perk, Oh Pear, Electric Blue, Stylin' Green, Way Cool Blue, Shh!, Ghost and Black Jack. Then peel and stick. www.wallpops.com

On the desktop: Looking for haute couture in a hot computer? Dell has hit the runway with notebooks cloaked in Sunshine Yellow and Flamingo Pink, Ruby Red, Midnight Blue and Jet Black. www.dell.com

Beside the desktop: Want to add some color to the home office and accomplish this with ease? Post-it Notes' newest Samba collection line consists of an energetic color palette—coral, orange, lime, thistle and teal—and lush subtropical motifs—vines, sunbursts and florals. The collection also consists of a lot more than the standard sticky notes, like page markers, weekly planners, index cards, folder tabs, and highlighters. www.postit.com