Sometimes it's helpful to know what kind of colors you tend to wear.

Brights?

Muted?

Warm/cool?

I think lately, we have seen a lot of whites, with (as they say), pops of colors to stand against the white. And the ubiquitous gray and white. I feel like cream and ivory are going to have their day, and I can't wait to see it all.

So, do you prefer to have a lot of white around, with navy blue, greens?

Or perhaps a warmer cream/gold/tan warm look, with maybe some burnished orange or even red?

Here are some pictures to try to help you define what you LIKE and want to live with, v. what looks nice in other people's homes.

Find a pice of fabric you like and use that color scheme as a jumping off point.

Rita has a good suggestion above. Is there a rug or something you love that you know you'll use in the house? We used to have a small cottage on a small lake, and while it wasn't our main home, I wanted it to be colorful and cozy without a lot of the usual lakehouse "stuff". I, too, was stumped on colors. I happened to find throw pillows I loved at Ikea, embroidered on one side and striped on the other side combining blues, greens, yellows and reds. I went from there and painted the walls a very pale yellow, brought in casual (and inexpensive!) furniture in navy blues, beiges and whites, and then focused on the other colors in those pillows in accessories, linens, curtains and things I liked. The walls provided a neutral backdrop for lots of varying colors that worked together based on those pillows. And the wide range of colors I was using didn't limit my choices.