assistant style editor Jennifer Koper shares fresh concepts for your next paint project.
I like a natural patina, like tarnished silver or weathered wood, however when the surface on a piece is less than desirable, a quick coat of paint has the power to totally transform it. Plus, painting is affordable, quick and easy, so you modification your mind whenever another color phone calls your name. This is why I’m a bit of a serial painter — the power of paint can be nearly addictive!
Whether you’d like to breathe new life into a area by painting your walls, floors and ceilings, or try your hand at a smaller job like sprucing up an old piece of furniture, there’s a paint for each type of material and application. Inspired? right here are some fresh concepts for your next painting project.
An open bookcase or étagère is a excellent piece to paint in a fresh shade, since the open back and sides will keep the color from feeling overpowering. A leafy eco-friendly upgrades this shelving unit, drawing the eye to some quite books and objets.
Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: home & house September 2014
Products: Purple patterned pillow, Pehr Designs.
Designer: Jenna Cadieux
While some brick walls are beautiful, adding warmth and structure to rooms, others aren’t so quite — and keeping a brick wall subjected just for the benefit of having one isn’t always the very best choice! In this renovated kitchen, designer Trish Johnston maintained the great structure of the brick veneered wall, however painted it a neutral white to conceal its flaws.
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: home & house February 2014
Products: brick veneer, Century Architexture; sconces, Elte; table, loft Doors; stools, RH Restoration Hardware.
Designer: Trish Johnston
If you can’t get rid of an unfavorable architectural element, you can either paint it out so it blends in with the walls, or have fun and accentuate it with a statement color. Here, senior editor Morgan Michener went with a strong tomato hue to revive a radiator, providing this area immediate great factor.
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: home & house September 2012
Products: artwork by Ray Charles White; radiator, Ironworks Radiators; yellow dish, Elte; Rust-Oleum; fluorescent spray paint, The house Depot.
Designer: Morgan Michener
In a neutral area such as this beautiful, light-filled kitchen, you can have fun with an energetic paint. The turned legs of these stools truly stand out in sunny yellow, and painting all four makes a bright statement. (Don’t worry: when pieces are fairly small, like these stools, you can quickly paint them again if you tire of the color.)
Photographer: Janis Nicolay
Source: home & house March 2014
Designer: Lisa Moody
Break the rules: trim doesn’t always have to be painted a shade of white, or the exact same color as your walls. phone call interest to excellent architectural elements, like high baseboards, with a coat of contrasting color. For a look that’s unexpected, however still sophisticated, go for a rich shade such as this excellent olive green.
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: home & house February 2013
Products: Settee, Châtelet; area rug, red throw pillow, Elte; patterned throw pillow, 1212 Décor; mouldings, The house Depot; wall colour, Pointing (2003), trim colour, Olive (13), Farrow & Ball.
Designer: Joel Bray
Don’t want to dedicate to color on your bedroom walls? Can’t choose between a few different shades? Whynot comply with senior style editor Joel Bray’s lead and paint out a few big canvasses, leaning them against the wall as an unscripted headboard. I like the soft taupe and blush combination Joel selected for this project.
Learn exactly how to make the pictured DIY: painted Canvas Headboard.
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: home & house October 2014
Products: Bench, chair, pink quilt, centre pillow, Elte; two-drawer table, little box, absolutely Inc.; duvet cover, sheets, Au Lit; round table, Kantelberg + Co.; lamp, ChairTableLamp; left and right patterned pillows, Peaks & Rafters; canvases, DeSerres; centre canvas colour, Shaved Coconut (P5242-34), right canvas colour, Body treatments (P5135-34), Para Paints (left canvas, custom colour); wall and floor colour, All White (2005), Farrow & Ball.
Designer: Joel Bray
Sometimes it’s not about painting any one specific piece of furniture or architectural element; it’s all about producing the perfect backdrop for a gorgeous piece. This handsome wooden chair in designer Deb Nelson’s charming house stands out beautifully against soft white-painted floors, stairs and walls.
Photographer: Janet Kimber
Source: home & house July 2014
Products: paint color (throughout), Cloud White (CC-40), Benjamin Moore; throw pillow, Deb Nelson Design.
Designer: Deb Nelson
It’s appealing to timid away from bright colors when painting something as big as a bed, let alone two beds in one space! however as long as you produce a sense of balance, by utilizing softer shades on the walls, for example, you can truly go for it on pieces of furniture. I like exactly how the glossy surface on these quite single beds intensifies the vibrant blue hue.
Photographer: Stacey Brandford
Source: home & house July 2014
Products: Rug, Serena & Lily; beds, Maine Cottage; tables, vintage fine Objects.
Designer: Natalie Hodgins and Kate Stuart
Painted ceilings are gaining popularity these days, so go ahead and embellish these long-neglected surfaces. however before you pick up your roller, don’t fail to remember to think about the surface of your paint. A flat surface has a tendency to absorb light and visually recede (creating the illusion of a higher ceiling), while a glossier surface will show more light, however recede less. designer Allison Pringle selected a sky blue paint in a glossy surface for her small apartment, which adds a great deal of brightness to the space.
Photographer: Michael Graydon
Source: home & house September 2014
Products: Ceiling paint colour, Blue flower (2057-60), Benjamin Moore; sofa, Ikea; coffee table, vintage fine Objects; ikat fabric, designer Fabrics.
Designer: Alison Pringle
A white-painted floor is charming, traditional and timeless. however in decorator Heidi Smith’s cottage, a sprinkle of watery turquoise truly livens up the mainly white mudroom, providing it a fresh, lively feel. In my mind, this is the perfect amount of color for a little space.
Photographer: Jean Longpre
Source: home & house July 2013
Products: floor colour, Blue flame (6152-42), Sico.
Designer: Heidi Smith