Vital Color

Vital Color: Color Themes for Every Room by Joanna Copestick and Meryl Lloyd. (SHNS photo courtesy Ryland Peters and Small)

Vital Color: Color themes for Every Room, By Joanna Copestick and Meryl Lloyd. Ryland Peters & Small, $19,95.

• This is one of those home decorating books that you actually have to read, because otherwise the pictures don't make much sense _ beyond just being pretty pictures.

• Vital Color is worth the investment for the homeowner who is serious about getting the color right in a room and doesn't want to pay for an interior decorator to call the shots. It discusses color theory, and which shades marry best with others.