Choosing Paint colors

While I certainly wish that I had more opportunities to do decorating - I mean, who doesn't? - I am often faced with a delimna that involves paint colors.  As a decorator, there are some rules to follow, but do I really need to follow rules?

I love my pumpkin wall with the burnished gold highlights - but is it for everyone?  Do you need to be subtle with a bold fabric piece or can you just go for it....

I like to decorate rooms that have a view to each other in a complementry style and have all the wall colors tie together.  For example, blues with yellows with red as an accent color will enable you to use all three of those colors on walls of adjecent rooms.....

Right now I am working on my own living room, in addition to a clients 750sq ft apartment.  The apartment has high ceilings - a great asset - and well, my living room does not.  So it makes color decisions different....I can take advantage of the height in my clients apartment and utilize a subtle color on the wall but in my own living room I have to consider the kitchen and dining room colors - which I am not changing.

So stay tuned as I work through these issues and try to make both of my decorating projects shine.