5 Ways to Use Paint Other Than on the Walls

Painting the walls is a great way to refresh your interiors. Your choice of paint colour can transform the look and feel of a room to better reflect your personality and style preferences. But paint isn’t restricted to the walls, so let me share some other ideas!

1 - Colour Match the Skirting Boards, Architraves & Ceilings

My first suggestion is to colour-match ceilings, skirting boards, door frames, wood panelling, dado rails and radiators with your wall colour. Known as colour drenching, this creates a seamless, modern finish for your home interior. It has a calming effect, which can make the space appear bigger, as it’s not all divided by white boundaries. What’s more, a single background shade ensures eyes are drawn to your chosen focal points.

2 - Clear Your Cupboards of Leftover Paint

Before decorating, it is important to work out how much paint you’ll need for an even application. This saves you from spending more than necessary or having leftover tins. Having said this, it is common to complete the job with some paint still in the tin.

With the lid on the tin, paint can be used for around 2 years after being opened, as long as it’s stored in a frost-free environment, out of direct sunlight. To save space, why not transfer small quantities of paint into empty jam jars for storage?

However, if you don’t want this cluttering up your cupboards and you hate waste, there are ways to use up small quantities of paint. For example, why not extend the colour theme by sanding and painting the legs of your dining chairs?

In fact, any wooden furniture or fittings can be modernised to fit your interior scheme. That might include lampshade stands, your mantlepiece, bookcase shelves or cupboard doors. Work out what is viable with the paint you have available, so you avoid a half-finished project!

3 - Highlight Architectural Features with Paint

Do you live in a period property? If so, your home may include interesting original features such as ceiling roses, fireplaces, alcoves, picture rails and unusual windows. If you have a steady hand, it is possible to use paint to highlight these details. Check out Pitshanger Manor, the home of architect John Soames, for a premium example of what can be achieved!

4 - Zone Areas in an Open Plan Room

In modern homes, rooms can serve several purposes. For example, you may have a designated work space in the dining room or a play area in the corner of the living room. Use a different paint to the main décor scheme to create a block of colour on the ceiling, walls, shelving and skirtings. This is a subtle yet effective way to define this area.

5 - Add Decorative Designs to Your Home Interiors

If you have a selection of tester paint colours and you enjoy getting creative, you could add some pattern or decorative features to your home interior. One option is to purchase a blank canvas to create a piece of abstract art for your wall. You could even paint the picture frame.

Equally, you can use masking tape or stencils to add geometric patterns to terracotta pots for your house plants. Or, take inspiration from Indian painted furniture and upcycle an old side table or storage chest.

Donate Your Paint

If these ideas don’t appeal, another option is to donate leftover paint to your local Community RePaint. It will then be donated to community groups, projects or schools. Or, smaller amounts will be filtered and blended with other paints to create larger volume mixes for donation. I think this is preferable to taking paint to your recycling centre or waiting until it goes solid in your shed!

Interior Colour Themes & Schemes

If you are unsure about which colours work in your home or how to combine colours for a cohesive finish, my residential design services can help. I work with you to understand your preferences and discuss ways to realise the scheme across wall, ceiling and window decoration, as well as furnishings and finishing touches.

Contact me to arrange a personalised interior design advice session.