Paint isn’t just for walls. Take a look around your home and imagine everything—yes, everything—in another color. In fact, walk around your home with a color palette from Benjamin Moore and try visualizing an array of colors on different surfaces. The exercise will start to unlock your creativity and help you understand how to pump up the color in your home. Here are some more ideas that might spark a new project.
Sit on a new hue. Picked up an old-style wooden chair at a flea market? Scrape off the deteriorating paint, sand it down and paint on a vibrant color that contrasts with the wall, or even one that glows in the dark (Benjamin Moore® Studio Finishes™ Glow in the Dark, 312). Then upholster the seat pad in a rich floral pattern.
Colorize your conversations. Tired of the high-tech look of your cell phone? Be bold: paint an old land-line telephone and install it in your bathroom. Elaine Ryan, author of Color Your Life: How to Design Your Home with Colors from Your Heart, says her single clients adore this tip and claim that it’s done wonder for their social lives!
Spiff up your bureau. Add a new spark to your bedroom furniture by painting your bureau the color of the wall. A matching shade of eggplant, like benjamin Moore's Sleepy Hollow (1454), on both can look especially sophisticated.
Split-color shelves. Don’t think you have to paint a bookshelf all one color. Consider contrasting tones for the frame and the shelves. White on the frames and a golden yellow on the shelves might remind you of an egg! Or match contrasting colors in your overall color scheme. Try Benjamin Moore's White Vanilla (201707) and American Cheese (2019-40) together.
Screen your colors. Oriental wood screens painted a bold color makes a fun divider for a children’s room. Or build a colorful platform at one end of the room in a color that matches or contrasts the walls for an instant sitting or study area.
Get chalky. Think of the fun you and your kids can have when you turn any surface space into a huge chalkboard. Paint a flat board (or wall) with Benjamin Moore® Studio Finishes® Chalkboard (307) and frame it with decorative molding to create a handy message center. Then stock up on multicolored chalks and a eraser!
>Beyond Your Four Walls: Check out these photos in our Design Gallery