7 Clever Painting Ideas to Steal from the 2019 IKEA Catalog

We all know that catalogs aren’t real life, but they can be excellent sources of inspiration to mine for your own home. IKEA has one of the best ones out there, and their 2019 edition (out this week!) is chock full of ways to add color, interest, and texture to your walls. Here are some clever and creative painting ideas to steal.

Here, IKEA uses two complementary paint colors for the walls: a dusty blue and pink. Note how they also painted the baseboard of the blue wall pink, which ties the two areas together, and adds an extra detail.

Here, cabinets are painted a mint green, and the kitchen walls are the same deep teal color as the backsplash tiles. The glossy finish on the tile is a subtle contrast to the matte walls, but overall, the analogous color scheme looks cohesive and serene.

We’ve seen all sorts of accent walls before, but painting only three-quarters up the wall is a nice twist. The color-blocking adds a little definition to a space, and another layer of color to the room.

Here’s another variation on this theme, using a couple of different neutrals.

In this little room vignette, the pink walls have a brushed or sueded look that are as much about texture as they are about color. It’s a kinder, gentler version of paint that softens the space and adds light and a little bit of movement. (A word of warning: this could veer easily into the dreaded faux wall painting zone, so go easy with this technique and make it as subtle as possible.)

In this nursery, cool blue is broken up by a thin plane of pink. That one pop of warm color is a striking contrast, and adds a ton of energy in the room.

On the flip side, an earthy olive color covers the walls, trim and doors. If you have architectural features you want to camouflage, this is a great way to make them disappear. It creates a seamless, polished look that feels expensive.

This isn’t practical for most homes, but these pink walls, paired with the bright yellow floor, are too fun not to share. It’s a great reminder that paint isn’t just for vertical planes.