Everyone has an old Ikea chest of drawers which has seen better days, or a coffee table you inherited from your cousin’s flatmate’s Aunt. Whatever it is, you can improve it with just a lick of paint, varnish or some new handles.
I recently purchased two very old Ikea bedside tables (when they still used solid pine rather than MDF or chipboard) for £8. Here is what I managed to create, thanks to some new handles, some wooden dowels and, of course, a can of Valspar wood paint in Saint-Pierre.
“When upcycling furniture, using a paint formula that is suited to the surface is really important. For items such as dressers and drawers, it is recommended to use a dedicated furniture paint. Valspar’s furniture paint is an all-in-one primer, paint, and finish and is suitable to use on bare and previously painted interior wood, melamine, PVC, glass & metal. Bold and popping tones, tend to work well when upcycling, giving new energy to a piece of furniture and making it a new focal point in a room. Industrial greys like Downing Street and pastel lilacs such as Valspar’s Eye of Horace are popular for wooden furniture, alongside bright yellow and pink shades like Heartbreak for cosy and warm renovations. For bookshelves and opened cupboards, get creative by adding contrasting colours, and line the inside with patterned wallpaper.”
Charlotte Radford, Senior Product Manager Emulsion at Valspar
Paint your skirting boards
Revitalise tired-looking spaces by updating your skirting boards, using contrasting or complementing tones. Whether it’s just a fresh coat or a new frame for the room, this simple DIY job can turn your room upside down.
Will Thompson, Head of Product Marketing at Valspar, says:
“You shouldn’t feel restricted by rules when it comes to complementing wall shades with skirting boards. Dark shades can create a frame effect and give the room more character as well as choosing contrasting tones can add some drama to a room, such as juxtaposing rose walls with deep petrol skirting boards, such as Valspar’s Cape Verde.”
Remember to paint in the right order when working on finishes such as skirting boards: Start at the top and work your way down. Paint skirting boards after you’ve tackled the ceiling and the walls. When it comes to prep, protect the floor by taping a dust sheet or a piece of cardboard underneath the skirting boards, then sand and clean the boards. Prime the surface and leave it to dry. To paint, start at the top, positioning the brush at a 45-degree angle and go from right to left, starting in one corner of the room and working your way to the other. Do the same for the bottom section and fill in the middle. For the best results, apply two coats of colour. Then you should have a completely reframed and revived room.
A long-life project: paint a gender-neutral nursery for your baby
Whether you are expecting a new addition or want to update an existing nursery, think beyond the boundaries with our top tips for neutral and nurturing nursery interiors.
Colour plays a fundamental part in creating a special space where children can grow, learn and explore, promoting limitless imagination. Additionally, if you are expecting and keeping everything a surprise, neutral colours can help the future addition bring their own colours to the room in the years to come. Valspar partnered with TrendBible and The Sleep Charity to create The Colour Effect, a range of inspiring palettes and advice, to help people, including children, sleep better to live better. For a cosy and unwinding nursery, muted shades like Coconut Juice or natural tones such as Soothing Sage, are great at providing a calming backdrop for children. For a stimulating playroom, inject brighter tones with a white base, such as orange hues and yellows like Weathered Kumquat and Golden Sue, which will encourage joy and positivity, reflecting as much natural light as possible.
Transform your kid’s room by painting a feature wall
Children’s rooms are the ideal place to let your imagination run wild! Bright cheery colours and fun shapes are what it’s all about. If you feel a colourful room can be overwhelming, why not start with a feature wall?
Feature walls are amazing to emphasise features in the room, but when the space is already overcrowded – and we know kid’s bedrooms usually are – you run the risk of creating a chaotic feeling. Feature walls don’t have to be bold colours. If you want to bring new life and fun to the room without the dramatic feeling, use the same colour as the rest of the room but a few shades darker or lighter. Otherwise, choose a contrasting colour, just make sure it’s of the same intensity or hue as the rest of the room or it will be drowned out.
If you’re planning to paint a feature wall as a backdrop of the playing area, why not try a pattern? Stimulate your children’s fantasy by painting mountains or geometric shapes in contrasting colours. In both cases, you just have to follow a few steps: Use strips of masking tape to make the outline of your shapes. Paint the border first with a brush and use a roller to fill in the rest. If you had imagined every shape in a different colour, grab a fresh brush and repeat the process for each of them. Leave it dry for 4 hours before applying the second coat. Remove the tape while your paint is still wet and leave it to dry. Now, apply tape along the dry painted edge and fill in the gap with the right colour.”
Spruce up your garden fence
Whether adding for privacy, or structure, we’ve got many garden fence ideas to inspire – but think creatively and cast your own style into the garden.
Senior Brand Manager at Valspar, Tobie Lewis, said:
“A garden is more than just flowers and plants. The best garden fence ideas can bring structure, texture, and joy to your outdoor space. Here are creative ideas for sprucing fences:
Go Back in Black: paint your fence in dark shades like Tempest’s Teapot, a timeless grey which will make your plants look even greener.
Paint a feature wall: who said that feature walls are only for indoors? Be inspired by the seasonal trends and give your fence a splash of paint. Choose three or more shades from the same paint family – from the dark and vivid Scarlet Tanager, to a vibrant Flamboyant Flamingo or delicate yet bright Coral Crush. Paint using the darker colour at the bottom and the lighter one at the top, let the fence fade toward the sky.
Set a neon pink trellis: brighten up your old wooden fence adding a colourful trellis. Easy to fix and perfect for climbing plants, a vibrant trellis in Lovers’ secret intense pink will light up the entire garden in a cost effective yet practical way. Adding a cheerful trellis is an optimal solution for small outdoor spaces, providing a new point of view and structures to hang plants.
