How to use leftover paint to punch up your decor
I have more partially-full cans of paint than I have rooms in my house. I have samples lingering from projects that never came to fruition and color choices that didn’t make the final cut. While I mostly hang on to them for practical reasons, like being able to do touch ups when trim gets chipped or walls get dinged, I also like to dip into them for little DIY side projects or when I need a pop of color.
Using leftover paint is a good way to create through lines in your home’s color story by bringing one room’s colors into other spaces in your home. When colors are repeated throughout your home the color palette and overall design feels more cohesive and thought through. Repurposing old paint is also easy on the budget and temporary: if you hate it or want to try something else, there’s always more leftover paint to experiment with.
Here are some of my favorite ways to use leftover paint to punch up any decor.
● Paint a lamp. Got a lamp with a chipped base or the color clashes with your new scheme? No need to donate it – just paint it. Yes, you can even paint the lamp shade. Covering a harsh white shade with a blush colored paint creates a warm glow that can transform the room’s vibe. With all these ideas, I recommend doing some advanced research for the best ways to prep different surfaces to ensure the best paint adhesion, so your finished product can last as long as you want it to.
Paint your trim and doors. Has repainting your bathroom walls left your white trim looking dingy? Paint it the same color as the walls. Drenching a room in one color creates a cozy,
enveloping mood and can also make awkward architectural features disappear. On the flip side, painting the trim with a leftover color that contrasts the wall color will draw attention to both the millwork and the color choice itself. Or paint the door at the end of the hallway a different color than the trim to create a focal point.
● Paint your furniture. An obvious choice, but there are endless ways to get creative: paint only the legs or the backs of your dining chairs; paint just the top of a wooden side table, leaving the legs natural; cover a dresser or sideboard with a hand-painted or stenciled pattern. Painting the interior of a bookcase or hutch with a color that contrasts the outside color of the piece will set off your glassware or collectibles.
● Paint your picture frames. Use an assortment of leftover colors on varying frames to inject vibrancy to your gallery wall. Or, paint them all the same color for a cohesive effect. Try painting designs on the frames to embellish them and add more visual interest. You can even paint the plain white mats around your piece of art to add depth and highlight the artwork.
● Paint wall features. If you have at least a quart of paint left over from a project, you’ve got enough to paint an accent wall, or create the feel of wainscotting by painting only the lower twothirds of a wall. You could also paint a large color block and hang complementary artwork on top of it or paint a large arch behind your bed as a visual standin for a headboard.
● Paint your own wallpaper. Make your own stencil or freehand and repeat a simple motif to create a wallpaper effect to jazz up a blank wall or characterless corner of the room. It doesn’t have to be intricate. Even a random pattern of polka dots or small groups of lines will do the trick.
Betsy Kornelis is a local interior designer. Find her at paisleyandpine.com.