colors - maybe do living room gray/blue/yellow idea in office instead (plus they're in the same room - do spring color scheme in living room once I have a room for each, and then a different office scheme once I have a family room to do the blue/gray/yellow in)
tools: A nail set is used for sinking nail heads below the surface of the wood, so that you can then fill the hole with wood putty and sand it, to make the nail disappear. This way the hammer never has to make an ugly dent in the surface you are pounding.