i don't get it... isn't this stealing? i don't think it's cool to go in and take a couple hundred free samples of something.

@sarahkincheloe

If you read the orig post it says, " (...and don't worry! Home Depot was quite willing to have me take all of these paint chips- I asked first!)."

This is uncanny, I was thinking of doing this on the wall along the stairway leading down to my basement. Marvelous!

I wonder if Home Depot knew that they had no intention of buying paint. Also, it's the paint companies that pay to produce the paint chips. I think this is stealing.

I'm just not really a fan of this--it could be tolerable in an attic or for children's play room (which it appears to be). It just doesn't look very sophisticated in pictures--imagine the cheap effect is way worse in person.

Not cool.

I read once that paint chips are the single greatest expenditure for paint companies. Taking more than one needs for painting purposes raises the cost of paint for all of us.

Maybe this is a special case -- discontinued lines or colors -- but as a general rule, purloining paint chips should be kept to a minimum.

neh. dont like the look or the idea.

I know not everyone is ok with taking paint chips & using them, and while I doubt I'll change anyone's opinion, I figured I'd at least share further details on how I got them. Before even taking one, I not only asked if I could take them, I explained my plans and offered to pay for the chips. The clerks knew exactly what I was doing with them and that I did not intend to buy any paint for this project. They actually encouraged me to take more (which I did not do)! It also happened that the Behr representative (who restocks the chips) visited while I was collecting them, and he too, had no problem with my actions. FWIW, I also use this line of paint exclusively and quite often.

I'm sure that doesn't change anyone's opinion, but I feel justified in my actions and attempt to pay for the chips. And at this point, I'm just thrilled that the stairway no longer looks like a dungeon! :)

whomp whomp.Lot of negative nellies here on this post.

I LOVE this idea. It's very cute for that area of their house (from reading the original post), and I definitely want to try this somewhere in my apt.

Since neither of these people own Behr I don't think they were in the position to give their permission.

@CozyLittleCave - I think it looks adorable. :)
Stairways are a difficult animal, and you handled this one super-well!

I just can't wait until I have my own staircase. There's a part of me that wants to do what my grandmother did and allow it as the place where people can doodle. But there's another part of me that knows certain friends would draw penises and I'd have to repaint over it all the damn time.

I'm not crazy about the look. Kudos for creativity, and "thinking outside of the box". However, it's just not my style. But I do think everybody is being way too uptight about the "stealing" *eyeroll* of the paint chips. Good grief. Deep breaths, everybody. They are free sample paint chips. And she had permission. Good golly. lol

Ok, I love this! I think it's creative and looks fine. Will I do it? Nah, probably not, BUT I don't copy every style on this website. I think it's cute for this small space, and since she asked the freaking Behr rep in the first place, good for her!

I think it looks as cheap as the amount they spent on it. Not impressed. Would have some potential if there wasn't a tiny name and number written on each color swatch. It just looks tacky and wasteful.

Its fun and eye catching. I love it. Not everyone has the time or money to carry this out with paint. She has definitely looked outside the box to achieve what she wanted to.

I think everyone is taking this "stealing" thing a little too seriously. Especially after hearing CozyLittleCave's story.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the salespeople in a large hardware store gave me (yes, for free to take home) one of the store's many extra Minwax stain display swatch rings from the backroom when he saw I was struggling with a stain match. Was he not "in the position to give permission"? Should he have contacted the Minwax CEO to make sure some random customer could have a swatch display for free?

Come on, people.

PS - cute idea. Not for me, but I do think it is very cute here.

Jeeeeeeez, people!! As if none of us has ever done anything to drive up production costs. Give it a break!

I think it's a super cute, VERY cheap, unique technique for brightening up an area that doesn't seem to be used often. Well done.

Wow- I'm really surprised at the responses to this post. I think the stairway looks bright and fun. SO much better than the before.

One does not need to get permission from the CEO of Behr to get paint chips- once they are inside the Home Depot they are the property of that store to do with as they will. Sheesh.

I think it looks adorable! And for all the negative nellies, think of it this way. Her stairway is now effectively an advertisement for Behr paint--an advertisement that we're all looking at and discussing! (And I think I see a greige up there that I like....) ;)

I think I would like it better if it was just painted a solid colour.

Not that serious. Oh who cares about the paint chips? I mean really.

Though it is not my style either I still think that design is in the eye of the designer. Great job on making your space yours.

what is wrong with you people,i like the idea and it looks quite original.If you think about it ,they probably will end in your bin ,here they found new use and made somebody happy.

hmmm... my stairs are currently heading towards this look. Too indecisive!

I don't think I'd like the texture in person or the eventuality of the paint chips peeling off, especially with kids who like to put their hands all over everything. I'd either find some colorful wallpaper or paint some stripes.

Good lord. The "stop stealing paint samples from corporate America" contingent needs to lighten up.

It's a cute staircase and, with so little investment, you can change it up whenever the mood strikes. Nice work.

Not only can you get sleeves of paint chips, carpet samples and wallpaper books are sometimes available as well for the asking.

My poor aunt. When I was growing up, her whole house was carpeted with samples from Sears. They were all 3 feet square, and her house was a fun house indeed. When she finally came into money, her high rise apartment was completely white, with glass tables. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. I was in awe of that apartment. Now I realize, she was probably over compensating for the decade with the color squares.

Books of wall paper samples are a wonder. They are great for doll houses, and now, for scrapbooks. I remember my mother using wall paper under glass tabletops.

I LOVE it! I have a cute 1940's style apartment that I can't paint. by using poster putty, I think this would be a fabulous idea to spruce up the staircase with the avacado green runner that I can't touch.

I've also seen a bathroom wall tiled with 1" tile swatches as a feature. So adorable!

Love it. Great idea for getting some colour into what looks like a dark spot. I particularly like how you've set out the colours. Stronger colours in the light, pale colours in the shade. Works well and looks like the dogs like it too!

I think it's super cute. I could probably put a clear coat over the whole thing.

This is awesome! I like the multiple colors, but I think it would be brilliant in one color, multiple shades.

cute. you went above and beyond to get approval on those swatches. You could have just collected them over time. People need to chill.

I really like this, and I think that you could do a lot of different things with the paint chips. I also like the idea of doing this with various shades of the same color.

Kudos for creativity!

Yeesh people, chill out. I think it is really cute, and it is just an attic stairway that has a door closing it off. Great job.

This is thievery! Thievery and a lack of creativity. I subscribe to this blog for inspiration (most of the time you deliver), but this is hitting below the belt.

I personally think it's a cute idea !!
To the people who are going on and on about "stealing" omgosh....she explained herself now let her be, she only wanted to share.

The cutest décor in the pictures are the dachshunds!! The paint chips are nice too ;)

i like it! :)

Everyone needs to calm down about stealing paint chips. Who cares. A Dunn Edwards representatives came to my school and handed each student in my class their very own paint chip 'catalogue' (I guess you can call it) with over hundreds of sheets of paint chips showcasing EVERY damn color they had and etc. Just sayin, I think paint companies are aware of any possible reason for their paint chips to be used & they don't see it as stealing. Especially if the company is gracious enough.

Fun! And, chill out peeps. The middle class is shrinking (read corporations are making out big time) and we're worried about stealing paint chips? Not sayin' that stealing is okay, but give these folks a break!

I agree that this is pretty much now an advertisement for Behr paint.

I think it would have looked cool if the colors followed the spectrum up the wall instead of being random. I think my only hesitation with this look is that I really dislike several of the colors and that would drive me bonkers.

actually I think the rounded edges really make a difference...

I don't think it would look very good if they didn't have the rounded edges. Funny, that.

I have to agree with the above posters who commented on the inappropriate use of these paint samples... they're expensive and in this installation, "tragedy of the commons" comes to mind.

Style wise, it looks noncommittal, phrenetic, and frankly, cheap.

Not a fan.

Just to let you all know, where do you think these paint chips go after they've used them? I've seen 8 garbage cans (four feet high) CRAMMED with these paint chips, outside of a paint store~I assume making room for the new colors. I say kudos to her for recycling.
Dear Behrs,
Would you rather your paint chips go in the garbage when the new colors come out or would you rather they go onto a wall, then on a website for people to discuss (while advertising your product.)?
Sincerely,
Environment.

Dear Environment,
What do you think? Chaching!

p.s. Although this is something I wouldn't do, the after is colorful, bright, and clearly a great conversation piece. The before was scaaaary. Job well done.
p.p.s. The people who complain about this stuff usually tend to be unhappy in their own lives, so try to make others just as miserable (in my humble opinion). Just sayin'.

I was inspired by a post on AT months ago to use paint swatches as art. The finished piece I created is so eye-catching:

http://lisadiederich.blogspot.com/2010/10/colors.html

I really agree with @ach. Why not turn material that is normally wasted into something creative!?

I think the overall look is very cool!

Regardless of whether you like it in paint chips or in actual paint, I love the arrangement getting brighter and bolder as it goes down the stairs.

Not a fan.
If your going to have color, take the time to go to Home Depot, than why not buy the paint? Often Home Depot will have returned paint for real cheap.
Now that you have used a spray adhesive what happens when you grow tired of your work and have to peel the paint chips off? No fun now matter how I look at it.

I don't care about the money or the stealing, I just feel like I've seen this before... and when the novelty runs out - it's just not good design in my opinion.

Reading these comments was like watching a tennis match:
Stealing.....Not stealing.....Stealing.....Not stealing....Stealing.....
Ok, ok, OK!!!!! WTH guys???? Who here works for Behr? Who here can say for absolute certainty that she "stole" these from Behr and what damage she did?
There are some Behr experts on here that say those chips are expensive. Well, how expensive are they? I'm thinking they really can't be that terribly expensive because paint chips are ALL over the place at every friggin' store that sells paint.
Chartreuse, I actually chuckled when I read "thievery". Who the hell uses that word? You and Simplicit-me need to get together and pull the sticks out of each other's (bleep)

Well, ladies and gents (?), now that that's over with, I'm with ruru32; there ain't nutin' a good pair of DIOR sunglasses can't fix!
Cozylittlecave, you keep on keepin' on!!

Alert! Alert!
Garrett22 has a completely original house, it's full of brand new, never before seen items and innovative, groundbreaking home designs!
Garrett22, now do you see how your comment comes across? Why do you think so many people are on AT? It's so we can see great ideas other people had, great ideas SMART, CREATIVE people had so we can take their ideas and work off of them. That's the point, Garrett22. Geez. What a buzz kill.
The last time Cozylittlecave checked, you weren't living in her house, so you don't have to look at it, and therefore you don't need to make nasty comments about it. It's called "moving on to the next post" please.

i know my opinion means nothing but i want to share anyways.

great job! looks beautiful. as for "stealing paint chips" thats just stupid.

if you asked, explained, thats NOT stealing.

stealing is when you go and take something without anyones approval/knowledge!

Yougogreengirl you crack me up, well said. I think that we should all be grateful that people open up their homes to us and show a little respect when commenting. There are ways to be critical with out being nasty.

CozyLittleCave, I love all of the colour and think you have managed to make the space very interesting, I also love that you did this on such a small budget.

There have been posts where people successfully decorate with paint chips, i.e. you see colors, not paint chips.

This just doesn't look well executed to me. If they had invested time in cutting off the rounded corners and labels, it could look stunning instead of cheap.

Hahaha, I dare any of you hollering "thievery" to try and report this to a local police department.

They will laugh you off of the phone.

I think this is visually fun for kids, but i would have liked it if it was done on a gradient...

I really like it - great idea and it would make me smile everytime I walked in the door.

It's not stealing - she asked for permission and even offered to pay for them and the store said take them for free, here take even more (which she refused). How in the world could this be stealing?

What a cute, bright look!

(Don't touch the cheese tray at the grocery store-- it's stealing.)

I agree with Akay. As an artist, I don't see this as being terribly creative. To cut out all of the color--so that all you have are colored chips that don't scream Behr paint isle at home depot!--I think that would have been more interesting. You could make an amazing paper mosaic or collage, even geometric patterns. Nice redo overall though, the stairs look much more inviting now!

I suppose it is only cool to leave the color name and number if it is Pantone!

not my taste but it looks kinda neat. and you cant steal something that's free, people. relax.

I've read all of the comments and I've looked through all of the photos of this staircase and I think the staircase would look better if the paint chips were organized with some intention (in a pattern, by gradient, etc). Having said that, I still can't help seeing the wall treatment for what it is: dozens of free paint chips glued to the wall. And for that reason, it exudes the "cheap" vibe to me.

I think it looks cute and playful! But I do not envy them the time it must have taken to get each one on the wall.

lol People need to lighten up about the "stealing".

Cool idea, and it looks bright, cheerful and playful! I've been wanting to something with paint chips on a smaller scale, but it's the name of the paint on the chips that always stop me...Looking at this though, when you see them all together it's the colours that really stand out more than the writing on them.

Despite what all the holier than thou's say, I think it's cool and creative. And the argument that it was stealing, even after knowing that she tried to pay for them, is just idiotic. I wish that if people hate what others are sharing with us that much and can't think of anything nice to say or a way to give constructive criticism that they would just move on to the next post and not say anything at all. Nobody deserves to be bullied that way for simply sharing their ideas and spaces. I agree with the poster who said that people like this are generally miserable in their own lives and need to make others feel bad in order to feel better.

@LISA

love the piece you made. its really nice. i see yours as different than the original posters and actually like it for doing all the things the other fails to do- yours is compact, doesn't feature text and is layered beautifully. cool!

Hmmm to quote my dear mother...if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all! Cozy Little Cave did a wonderful job with the resources she had...end of story! I think Behr is not hurting in the least for her tiny stairwell redo! And I agree with another comment...they should maybe even pay her for free advertising!

I always like when people try to do something different, to go with a gut feeling and personal idea. I have very little money but I have managed to do a lot in my place. Any object can spark an idea. To decorate the walls in my place, in addition to paint, I used branches, puzzle pieces, joint compound and coffee grounds, fabric and tons of masking tape... Some mind find it tacky, "cheap" (hey, it WAS cheap) or crazy. I call it mine.

kudos for great idea, colorful space.
for some people a place is good only if it's expensive and has obvious big names on furniture.

Wow, thank you so much @bkbrownstone! I'm really glad you like the piece. I was afraid I'd get bashed for stealing too :)

Lisa, your piece of artwork above the bed appears original, creative, AND aesthetically pleasing. The difference in your work and that of the original poster lies in the intended purpose of the work. Yours is a self-contained art piece consisting of a limited number of paint chips that have been altered/improved upon from their original shape/form. The original poster used the paint chips IN LIEU of actually buying the paint. Upon first glance, the original poster's wall reveals what it is: a wall covered in paper paint chips. It's uninspiring and NOT original. Your work exceeds that, by far.

I laud the original poster for her/his deft ability to "paint" the stairwell on a budget but yours appears far more artistic to my untrained eye.

Nice work!

In response to Offtza's post above,

I wouldn't say that a majority of critics on here would find fault with the paint chip stairwell because it wasn't "sufficiently expensive." From a design standpoint, there appears to be a lack of forethought/ logic in chip placement and the chips sadly weren't the victim of "original" artistic invention. They were glued to the wall in their current, readily identifiable form. Frankly, it's neither artistic nor original merely to glue objects in large quantities to a wall...

Using the materials you listed (branches, fabrics, coffee grounds ??? - would love to see samples of that one!) in unconventional ways sounds fundamentally artistic and original.

To each his own, but honestly, the first thought I had when I saw it was, "No wonder paint costs so much," followed shortly by, "How will they remove them when they get tired of them?"

After having just purchased Behr paint from Home Depot, I'm wondering if the $25 cost for a one-gallon can of paint was so cost prohibitively expensive that the poster decided instead to purchase adhesive and supplies for $16, yielding a grand total savings of ...$9? If I were to purchase that house, I'd be subtracting $100s for the time and effort of removing the paint chips, repairing the drywall underneath, re-priming, and repainting...

"Missed the forest for the trees" on this one.

@simplicit-me
Breathe deeply. This is SOMEONE ELSE'S attic staircase. You are perfectly safe in your OWN home.

@CozyLittleCave
I ADORE your clever, cheerful attic stairwell. ONWARD AND UPWARD!

@GoldenRule
Your point is appreciated BUT the post is absurd. Featuring a design idea like this on AT?

Frankly, when I have a bad/ impractical idea I'm grateful when someone can help me see another perspective. Sometimes you can learn a lot by listening to other people (rather than proffering an obsequious otherwise meaningless accolade like, "that looks GREAT!"

Online, I prefer honesty and tact to virtual hand-holding with strangers, but to each her own...

Great job on making your point!

I think this is amazing! It's bright and eclectic but I feel it's modern and crisp too! As a person in an apartment their eventual removal/ not being permanent is a plus! Super awesome idea! I love it! And I would probably have all the supplies I need with the thousands of paint chips ive brought home and tossed.. Or the number of chips people pull out of the slots and toss on the floor for employees to throw..and it is advertisement!!!!

I'd love to know more details about how you laid them on wall..start in the center? Start at a corner? How many awkward edges did you have to cut? Easiest for laying out colors light to dark?!

My last comment on this thread - promise!

Reviewing some of my comments, they did come across harsher than intended. GoldenRule, thanks for helping me see that. To Cozy Little Cave, your work is consistent and clean... Nice job on using your creativity to turn this attic stairwell into something unique.

(Who knew humble pie could taste so sweet?)

I think it looks cool.

I think that the people who are calling it thievery have something to hide, perhaps they themselves are thieves because it is absurd to behave in that particular way towards this project. I use to do the visual displays at Marshall Fields and you would not believe what gets thrown away! So get over it because we are on this site to be inspired not to hear all of you whiners. The staircase project is amazing...so clever...so creative!!!