Soft, muted pastel colors are lovely anywhere, but they’re especially nice in the bedroom. Add a little candy hue to that palette and you’ve got yourself a winner. Here’s how to make it work! Remember one step too far and you’ll land up in Barbie’s dream house.

1. Add different hues of the same pastel to the room. Think lavender, a soft thistle, pansy purple accented by a pop by neon yellow.

2. Combine the pastels with some hi-intensity neons or brights. A throw, a tray, a clock or a couple of throw pillows will do the trick here.

3. Backsplash with white. Feature a palette of mixed pastels (blues, lavender, citron) with the simple addition of white. Trust me, it may sound jarring, but you’ll have a great cohesive scheme to work with.

4. Mix with natural materials. Think wood, bulrush and rattan. It’ll add a lot more character, as candy colors aren’t typically so organic on the eye.

5. Accessorize. Touches like pastel flowers teamed with brightly hued coffee table books are an easy, non-committal way to play with this combination.