You can transform the entire appearance of your home with the right interior paint colors. The right color not only sets the mood for the room but also gives it some personality. The key is in knowing which interior paint colors are right for your home and how well they blend with the other elements of the room. Instead of choosing safe and conventional interior paint colors, why not take the time to research new possibilities and choose the right color combinations. First of all, you need to decide the budget for painting your house. After you settle down with a ballpark figure in your mind, make some more things clear for yourself. What is the end effect you would desire? Do you want some color eccentricities or do you wish to stick to the conventional colors? Once you decide this, go to the next step. Explore a few basics about the paints and colors. There are many paint brands and types available. Choose any brand that fits your budget. You will also have to decide the type of finish. You have Matte, Satin, Gloss, Semigloss and Eggshell finishes to choose from. Finalizing the color scheme is the most important step that will decide the complete look of your decor. This needs to be done very carefully. The information given below will help ease the task for you. Monochromatic Color Scheme: Here you use the same color together with its tints and shades. Analogous Color Scheme: This scheme is made up of colors lying next to each other on the color wheel. Complementary Color Scheme: This scheme is made of colors lying directly opposite to each other on the color wheel. When these opposite colors are used side-by-side, they make each other look brighter. You can experiment with this scheme by taking a logical triad of red, yellow, and blue or a double complement that includes four opposite colors from the color wheel. There are several things you need to consider before you settle down on any particular color scheme. The room to be painted and its correlation with the rest of the house The existing color schemes in the house The total area of the room The natural lighting in that room The contrived lighting in that room The existing elements in the room -- for instance, whether the room has stone or brick finishing The existing furniture in the room The furniture to be installed in that room The existing fabric, furnishings, and carpets in the room The fabric furnishings and carpets that you plan to incorporate in the room After you have decided the color scheme for one room, you have to do it for the entire house. Be sure if you are going to: Use just one color consistently throughout Use different colors for different rooms Use correlated colors for different rooms Use different colors for different sections of the room Use different colors to provide accents to windows, shutters, doors, crown molds, chair rails, columns, etc. Use different shades of the same color to adorn parts of the room Make a motley; experiment with shades of the same color for windows, shutters, doors, wall trimmings, moldings, columns, balustrades, etc. Check the colors at various times in natural light and under artificial light. Colors look very different under different light arrangements, and what seems attractive during the daytime may not seem as pleasant when the sun sets! Similarly, you cannot necessarily expect a color to prove its credibility during daytime, if it exudes panache when the stars are out! Paint a 2 feet by 2 feet area to check how the color looks, and imagine it painted on the entire wall. An important point to note here is that when the paint dries up, it becomes at least 2 shades darker, so keep in mind to observe the color when the paint has dried completely. Keep continuity. Choose a maximum of 4 base colors and 2 patterns. Keep alternating them as your primary and secondary colors, else you'll end up with an interior that is very stimulating visually. One more important aspect to be kept in mind is that when you stand in one room, keep the door of the other room open, see how much of the adjacent room is visible from this room, and plan accordingly. You should keep at least one or two colors that all your rooms will share. Paint the house in a neutral shade, if you enjoy changing the color scheme of your house often. Whenever you are in the mood for redecoration, simply do up your interior with the incorporation of colors by using pillow covers, sofa covers, curtains, or rugs in electric blue or bright red. When your mood strikes again, just mix and match the accessories. Use colors to create a sense of illusion. Using warm to dark colors on the walls and ceilings can make them appear pulled together, while light, neutral shades can create an illusion of the walls being pushed away. Similarly, painting the ceiling darker than walls can make them appear lower and vice versa. Use light colors to highlight projecting wall portions and dark colors to highlight trim details and wall recesses of a room. Match the skirting color to that of the floor to give a larger feel to the area. Dark colors require more maintenance than light colors. Dark colors fade sooner than light colors. Dark colors absorb more heat than light colors. Actual colors are slightly different from what you see in color swathes or online color samples. The total effect of the color depends on the extent of the area to be painted. A color scheme that looks great in a large spacious room, for instance, may not necessarily exude the same feel in a smaller, less spacious room. » Water-based paints are a good option if you are thinking of painting the walls and ceiling. They are also called 'Latex or Acrylic Paints'. These paints can be diluted with water and are fast-drying. The advantage of using these paints are that depending on the dilution, they can be made to act like a 'watercolor' or an 'oil paint'. They work best on previously painted surfaces, but they should not be directly used on high-gloss paints, bare steel, and wallpaper. A high-gloss surface may cause adhering problems, bare steel may rust, and the wallpaper may peel off due to the water content of the paint. » Oil-based paints are used if you need to paint the cabinets and furniture. They not only provide a protective coating but also create a smoother finish as compared to the water-based paints. Oil paints are diluted with solvents, such as turpentine or varnish to increase the glossiness of the resultant oil film. They are slow-drying but are quite durable as compared to water-based paints. Also, these paints provide glossy, luminous colors. » Flat/Matte paints are the most commonly used ones. They are the weakest type in terms of tolerance and suffer damage easily. » Satin gives a silky/pearly finish and is easier to clean. It creates a moisture barrier and therefore can be used for kitchens and bathrooms. » Gloss, which is durable and requires little maintenance, is used mostly in kitchens, bathrooms, and other rooms that are frequently used. » Semigloss is sleek and hard-wearing that can be used for doors, windows, wall trimmings, balustrades, etc. There is yet another breed of paint known as the Eggshell paint. The best description of this type could be not too glossy yet not too matte; just subtle sheen. Eggshell has the potential to lend an element of vastness to your spaces. Ditch the color palette! Look around to get more creative ideas like the ones illustrated below. Just about anything that catches your eye can be grist for the mill. Collect samples of different colors, patterns, and textures. Try to put together different or unusual combinations that you wouldn't normally go for, and see how they mix and match. Add these tips to your knowledge bank, dunk the paintbrush into the color palette, and see your space deliver more than what you expect!