What color is your parachute? How about your living room?

I grew up with white walls. White. Not Ecru, not Eggshell, not Mountain Mist or Snowflake. White.

Don’t get me wrong. White walls can be all good. They can make delicious backdrops. They can make furnishings and decor pop. They can even impart a sense of space. But, when not done well, they can give off the Blahs. They can make a home less home and more hospital, in fact.

Nonetheless, choosing a color to cover a swath of wall (or an entire room) can be daunting, if not downright paralyzing. Mushroom or Loam? Lipstick or Poppy? Baby Blue or Toddler Teal?

Never fear, my dears: Paint giant Sherwin-Williams has just released its color forecast for 2009, making it easy for us color-rubes to choose up-to-the-minute hues to make our interiors sing. A plus for those looking to sell in the current market, too — as they always say, a little paint can go a long way to sprucing up a home pre-sale.

For 2009, toned-down shades inspired by nature are all the rage, according to Sherwin-Williams’ hue gurus, who studied color influences “from consumer electronics to international street style” to determine the range of colors that will starting cropping up in architecture and interiors alike. (Bodes well for Mushroom and Loam, I’d guess; maybe not so much for Toddler Teal.) Check out selections from the forecast at Apartment Therapy.

And, if the narrow list is still too broad, try the Color Sense Game at Pittsburgh Paints. This online color picker determines your color faves based on 10 questions that associate color with words, images, and the five senses. So maybe it won’t solve your color woes. But it’s fun, nevertheless.

What color are you?