Experienced interior decorators, renovators, or even seasoned DIY enthusiasts will readily tell you that this is rarely the case. In place of the colors that people see on television or in commercial establishments that they tend to want to emulate, here are some recommended paint color ideas that are readily available and can be bought from both traditional and online paint stores:

Serene and lofty color palettes - These color groups are primarily dominated bu whites and shades of blue.  Both blue and white colors are popularly known for their relaxing and comtemplative effect on people, and are thusly ideal for the areas in the house where people tend to relax or do a lot of thinking.  These colors will do well as bedroom paint colors and living room paint colors, allowing a person to be de-stressed just by looking at them, and makes for a good inspiration when one is looking to go into deep thought about something.

Natural and mineral palettes - The word natural colors often bring to mind hues of green and maybe some yellows or shades of red that are seen on flowers everywhere.  There is, however, a palette that is still actually part of the natural color group.  Colors like rosy brown, lavander, and dusty blue are well into the natural color group, reflecting the colors often associated with rock formations and earthy aspects of nature.  These colors lend a palpable soft and inviting atmosphere to the areas of the house that are painted with them, thus making them excellent choices as kitchen paint colors and interior paint colors for the bathroom.

International exotics - The greatest appeal that television has on people is its ability to bring people, or at least show them, places where they have never been to, and probably never will be because of their hectic work schedules.  The television is also a portal where people at home get to see the vivid colors used by other cultures of the world in their everyday life.  This international appeal has been seized upon by companies that manufacture house paint colors and they have made available to people the exotic colors that they only get to see on television or in books.  These are usually the rich and vivid colors seen in market places where items that feature traditional and native colors are sold.  These colors include the deep browns and deep yellows, rich red and lively purples, as well as an interesting blend of blacks and whites.  Exotic colors work well with dining rooms, where the guests and family members can compliment the quality of the food and admire the color of the walls at the same time.

Flesh-colored neutrals - Finally, there are the color combinations that are primarily based in skin-like hues.  One of the best assets of the human skin is the ability for it to be able to beautifully go along with alomost any color in the spectrum, as evidenced by the many colors people find when buying clothes.  This quality of the human flesh has been utilized by paint companies when they made fleshy hues of pink and brown.  These colors, just like human skin, also inherently go very well with almost any color of interior decor, fixture, and furniture that can be bought commercially.  These colors will work wonderfully with any room in the house that will predominantly feature fixtures or pieces of furniture that are of different colors or are of colors that are quite bold and tend to stand out.

Warm colors have the ability to seemingly draw in space, and make even a large and imposing area seem cozy and inviting.  Warm colors can also make a particular element, design, or logo seem to pop out and surface over other adjoining elements, making it particularly useful when advertising something.  Warm colors are almost always identified with strong emotion or ideas, warmth or heat, controversial and provocative issues, and generally matters of great importance.  This is where warm colors work quite well when it comes to color combinations.

The most popular of the warm colors is that which is often associated with the source of warmth: fire, and that is the color red.  Of all the warm colors, red stands out as the color that generates the most “warmth”.  It is also a color of festivity and fortune in some cultures, hence, a red-colored establishment is often associated with having a fortunate disposition.  For many, warm colors also have a very inviting element to it, just as easily as it draws attention.  As a house paint color, red makes for a very cozy hue for the house.  Used as interior paint color combinations, it makes the inside of any home seem particularly inviting and cozy, which is why it is one of the more popular interior paint color ideas.

Warm colors, specially those of the lighter hues, have the seeming ability to bring in the sunshine into the house, thus adding to the interior brightness and light.  This is quite useful when trying to avoid a gloomy and dark look inside the house.  Too much warm colors in a house, however, does leave a person quite wide-eyed because of the bright colors, and some may even complain of it being an eyesore in some instances.  To remedy this, warm colors may be toned down with other warm color hues, thus providing a needed relief from one particularly bright and warm color while providing an attractive highlight at the same time.  When trying to come up with paint color ideas, be sure to be careful when trying to mix warm and cool colors, because even in equal parts, warm colors can effortlessly overwhelm cool colors.  This is why it is always best to try out a small portion on a section of the wall if the wall paint colors you have is a combination of warm and cool colors, if only to see if the cool colors will be drown out by the warm colors.  As a rule, living room paint colors should always be interior paint colors that you will be proud of, since guests are bound to comment on it when you have some over, so be sure to check if your color combinations are something you can live with and show off to friends and family alike.

Durability and maintenance
Different paint colors have different life spans and poses different maintenance issues for owners. When you are using dark colors, it is important to keep in mind that they will more likely fade easier. This characteristic of dark paint color makes them very difficult to touch up when you are doing small paint maintenance. The one advantage of dark colors is that they can conceal small stains that are easily noticeable in lighter shades.

Sheen
Also, when choosing the interior paint colors of your houses, you need to decide on what type of sheen will compliment the look that you are going for. Paint colors have a variety of sheen that range from dull and flat to high gloss. The main thing to remember here is that the higher the sheen your paints have means it can absorb light better and the colors will in turn be more vibrant. The only drawback is that when the sheen is higher, small details like uneven strokes and other similar marks.

Actual color
There is a slight difference in the sample colors that you see in swatches as oppose to the actual color that you will be seeing in your paint project. Colors tend to be darker when used on a large area and the amount of light in the room will also affect how your color looks.

These are some of the things that you have to keep in mind when you are doing a paint project. Keep these elements in mind as they will greatly affect the way that you will be choosing paint colors.

This is where a homeowner must then consider the house paint colors they intend to use on the house itself.  On the outside, the homeowner must consider the surroundings of the house when choosing an exterior paint color combination, that is, if the homeowner doesn’t want the house to stick out like a sore thumb.  Or conversely, if the homeowner is the type that rocks the boat and doesn’t subscribe to the norm, a different and striking color may be picked for the outside of the house, just so the house isn’t just another abode in the mundane-looking row of houses.  The inside of the house, however, is really where the homeowner can cut loose with a furious storm of creativity and choice.  This, however, is still subjective, as what may look creatively acceptable for the homeowner may be something that leaves others, particularly guests, with a desire to wince while looking at the house paint colors.

Here then, is a little help with choosing paint colors for the house:

1.) What else do you have in the house?  You may have existing furniture and fixtures with a particular color.  This is as good a start as any to pick what color to paint the house.  Decorations and other things you intend to display in the house are also good points to consider when choosing your paint colors.  You can either go with the predominant colors you already have with the decor and the furniture, for that “themed” effect, or you could go the other way and make a striking contrast by choosing a color on the other end of the spectrum as that of the decor and fixtures.

2.) Is the color you picked really the one you want?  paint samples always have a way of hypnotizing an unwary homeowner with their seeming beauty and ability to blend well with the house and everything else.  Ever had that experience wherein you never thought you’d like a particular color, but here you are ready to buy gallons of it?  Pay close attention to the color, scrutinize it, study it, really contemplate it.  Remember, while it may not be exactly permanent, since you can always paint over it or have it removed, it can be quite a chore to correct a mistake when it comes to paint.

3.) Rely upon the experience of others.  This is especially helpful if you are a newbie to all of this.  Nothing teaches a person better than what has already caused them headaches and unwanted stress, as they tend to remember this hard lesson for a long time, so it may be a good idea to take this into consideration.  Some colors will work better than others, and while it may be something that isn’t unique, since it has fallen into the “tried and tested” category, sometimes it is better than getting something from the “you could have done better” category.

4.) How do you finish the job?  By finish, I mean the actual paint finish to be used in completing the job and hiding the imperfections in the whole job, since no project is absolutely perfect.  There are many finishes to choose from, so this is where the opinion of an expert may come in handy.  Remember that type of paint you used, what type of surface you applied it one, and where the surface to be finished is located, as there are particular finishes that are suited to different factors.

5.) Give yourself a pat on the back for stepping back, thinking about the entire project before diving headlong into it, and actually preparing what was needed, rather than just charging into it and realizing mid stride how unprepared you were for the entire thing, and end up with a bigger disaster than when you started.  Remember, paint color ideas may be so temporary and ethereal while in your head, but quite solid, hard to remove, and hard to ignore, when it is finally brought into reality.