Matt and I have learned to mix and match metals, as it has become more popular, but there’s still nothing quite as beautiful as touches of gold throughout a room. One room I particularly remember is a living room with a lovely floral sofa in a nice collection of warm colors. The background of the fabric was a muted gold, and we painted the walls to match.

I remember thinking that the matching color was wonderful because it was warm and welcoming and it made the floral design of the sofa really prominent. However, something told me there just wasn’t enough pizzazz.

Hmmm, I think it was Matt.

Anyway, we moved forward, and because of the warm tones in the room, we planned on using brass lamps and accessories, with pictures framed in gold. Those items were purchased and put into place, yet still something was missing.

Certainly there was sparkle, as the lamps were lit and the accessories glowed, but I wanted more. So I added gold-toned draperies and muted gold carpeting. Yet the answer didn’t come to us until we brought in an interesting area rug.

It was in just the right colors to set off the sofa fabric, but the design was of golden starbursts. If I could transfer those lovely golden starbursts to the walls, they would be visible from every vantage point and not hidden under the coffee table, which is what happened with the rug.

Finally, we knew what to do to give the room sparkle. The challenge was to figure out how to do it.

In a situation like this, I travel to the nearest craft store because it is always full of innovative ideas. I found gold star stickers, star stamps with gold stamp pads and gold paint pens that would allow me to color in my own starbursts, but the idea I liked best was a simple starburst stencil.

Now I had to determine what paint to use. When we designed this room several years ago there weren’t all the new creative paint finishes out there, so we used gold spray paint. This is still a solution, but it’s important to have an extremely well-ventilated room, wear a particle mask while spraying and add wings to the stencil to protect the rest of the wall from any overspray.

If I did the same project today, it would be a snap with the same stencil, a tray of custom-mix paint in a gold tone and either a small brush or a tiny roller to quickly apply the paint. There are also craft paints in metallic gold that could work very nicely and certainly reduce the amount of wasted paint.

So with the “what” and “how” figured out, all that was left was “wow”!

Our randomly placed starbursts shimmered when there was a fire in the fireplace; even the flicker of candles could be caught in the reflective stars. It’s a room where dreams are made, because you do feel as though you are in a very magical spot. And how nice that such a wonderful place can be right in your own home.

Touches of gold can be a great way to decorate your dining table for a special party or event.

Use the usual brass candlesticks but try placing a collection of them on a gold-framed mirror in the center of your table.

Sprinkle gold confetti or sequins on a creamy tablecloth for instant sparkle.

Give instant class to your bathroom by adding gold fringe to hand towels or cinching them with gold roping and tassels. Gold-toned bath accessories and brass hardware on cabinetry can add more sparkle than you think.

Now go fix that drab room of yours by adding a little sparkle with touches of gold.

Shari Hiller writes this column with Matt Fox. They also co-host the Home & Garden Television show “Room by Room.” For more information, visit www.hgtv.com.