Choosing paint colors for your house - a huge question mark

I have a problem. I am terrible at deciding paint colors. I love all colors, yet I like my house to be cohesive. I want to be able to move items from room to room and have them "go." Which is why, since I've lived in this house (purchased in 2004), I've gone with earth tones throughout, whether paint colors, furniture colors or accessories.

Currently, this is the breakdown. Since every room can be seen from the living room, I have all room colors based off of an area rug in my living room. That way there's cohesiveness. I've never been a fan of each room having it's own identity as far as colors are concerned. To me, it makes the entire house seem disjointed. Unless you are Dina. Her entire house is full of color, which I adore. And it works. She has the magic touch.


Here's the breakdown (all of these colors can be found in my area rug):

Living room/foyer/common areas: taupe
Dining room: currant red
Kitchen: taupe with brown glaze treatment
Guest room: butterscotch-ish/dark mustard-ish
Office: (was dark green) now is a very very VERY pale warm gray/beige
Craft room: (doesn't count, nobody sees it but me)
Master: pumpkin/terra cotta

I do have these same colors as accent pieces in other rooms. For example: My taupe living room has currant red sofas. The butterscotch guest room has white bedding with currant red and brown accent pillows. Etc.

In an effort to change things up a bit, I'm trying to not only paint rooms that are just too dark, but trying to maintain the cohesive earthy feel...just lighter.

Office is now a light warm gray/beige (Chocolate Froth by Behr). Here's my question. What if I want a lighter color like that in several rooms? Should I repeat paint colors? Or choose another? Would it be weird to have 3 versions of a warm gray/beige/taupe in the house in different rooms?

I'm just not good at this part. I mean, it would seem kind of boring to have the same taupe or gray all through the house. Yet, wouldn't it be weird to have 4 or 5 variations of it? What would the point in that be?

How did you decide on paint colors? Do you also crave a cohesive feel throughout?