One of the things we loved in Nick and Rachel's warehouse loft was their blue kitchen island. It was an unusual color for a kitchen space that added a relaxed and outdoorsy vibe to the space without a big color commitment. So, this weekend, when we came across some leftover paint, we came up with some ways to use it up while adding tiny bits of color to our home at the same time. Grab your paintbrush and get to work! (Bonus points for color that's out of your comfort zone!)
- Dip your chair legs: a quick update for a tired dining set is to paint just a few inches of your chair's legs. A bright spot of color and a bit unexpected.
- Paint the inside of a door: Even if you know it's there, a bold color can perk up your day. Depending on how much paint you have, paint the whole door, a panel or leave the panels white and just paint the frame
- Or the inside of a cabinet: Paint the back wall of the cabinet where you keep your dishes and be greeted by a pretty tableau each time you set the table or reach for a coffee mug.
- The back of a bookcase: The back of your bookcase is mostly hidden by books and just the spot to add a bright note of color. Paint each square the same color or get creative and paint random squares.
- Stencil a design on the floor: If you can't cover the whole floor, try a few squares.
- Paint your bathroom's pipes: Try red pipes in an all white bathroom for an unexpected knock of color.
- Paint your baseboards: Run the color around the whole room or only along one wall.
- Breathe new life into an old dresser: Paint a drawer front or two.
- Paint your switch plates: Even for the color shy among us, this is a fun use of color. Do this and we bet you won't forget to turn out the lights again!
- Paint a window's frame or a windowsill: This is especially effective on those small bathroom windows.
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I have a friend who painted all her window frames turquoise. It looked great against the white walls.
Maybe slap a coat of paint on that jacked up chair on the right. That thing looks rough.
In my childhood, a friend's parents never bought more than one can of paint, and each color ended abruptly, the next color starting where the earlier one left off. That house was nothing but unexpected color!
I have some brilliant blue paint left over from an old apartment that I keep meaning to use to paint the inside of my closets. Thanks for the reminder!
In theatrical scene painting class, we'd take old cans of casein paint (limited shelf life) and mix them all into one bucket to serve as primer for the projects we did that semester.