Waste not, paint pot

We’ve collected inspiring ideas to use up leftover paint and tester pots. Sometimes all you need to make a big impact is a small amount of colour

Simply Refresh One Coat paint in Drift, Golden Sands, Blood Orange, £43.19 per 2.5L, all Dulux

COLOUR ZONE

Energise your working day by zoning the area around your desk with bright colours. Yellows and oranges will help to keep you motivated, while a dash of nearby blue will act as an aid for deep thinking. Using different shades to define areas for specific activities, such as working, reading or sleeping, can help your mind to focus on the task. It’s a neat trick in children’s bedrooms, or for breaking up large open-plan living areas. Apply the basics of colour psychology to your paint choices and select bold tones for a lively, fun-filled area or tone things down with tranquil pastels or very deep hues in spaces designed for relaxation. Choose a pale base tone for the rest of your walls to tie your scheme together.

Walls in matt emulsion in Snowdrop, from £18 per 2.5L; headboard in flat matt emulsion in Cushion Craze, from £36 per 2.5L, both Crown

Use warm, earthy tones to create a dreamy effect for a good night’s sleep

BEFORE SUNSET

Get in on the shaped headboard trend without splashing out hundreds of pounds for a new piece of furniture. Painting your headboard straight onto the wall instead means you’ll have a choice of thousands of colours and hundreds of shapes. Minimalist styles, such as curves or straight-edged blocks are quick to apply and you can easily create this look in an afternoon. If you have a bit more time, why not try something more ornate, like a stepped or scalloped design? Use a washable paint for these headboards as regular contact with the wall can cause marks to build up.

AROUND IN CIRCLES

Perfect curves look tricky to achieve, but there are a couple of different ways you can plot them out before you start painting. If you’re planning to create several circles or curves of the same size, it might be worth investing in a reusable stencil. For a one-off design, follow the steps below for the nail and string method.

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Start by marking the centre of your curve or circle. For the headboard design shown on this page, the centre point would be the middle of the width of the bed and level with the top of the skirting board. Make a mark at the widest point of your design. Cut a piece of string 10cm longer than the space between your two marks.

Tap a nail into the wall at the centre point, then tie the string to the nail. At the other end of the string, tie a pencil. The distance between the nail and the pencil should be the same as the distance between the two marks on your wall. Hold the pencil so that the string is taut and lightly draw the guideline for your curve.

Use a thin brush to paint in the edges of the design. Use the tip of the brush to push the paint up to the pencil line so you get a crisp edge. If you don’t trust your painting skills, use tape to mask out the design instead. Cut small slits into the outside edge of the tape and gently bend it around to follow your drawn line.

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Easyclean matt emulsion in Cream White and Mustard Jar, both £23 per 2.5L, Crown

Sunshine yellow and sky blue are great choices for complementing the view outside of your window

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Expert advice

FINE LINES

Marcus Jarvis, In House Painter & Decorator at decorating tools brand, Harris, explains how to paint super-neat edges with ease.

Along with great coverage and a smooth finish, neat edges are vital if you want to feel satisfied with your DIY painting and decorating. The most important thing is to use a paint brush that’s been specifically designed for ‘cutting in’ (painting edges). Look for a brush with tapered bristles that create a thin, blade-like edge. This will give you more control and an improved finish.

01 Start painting by placing the wide tip of the brush against the edge and pulling the paint along in segments around a metre at a time. Then, using the brush as you normally would, thicken the edge by another 5–10cm.

02 With the edge complete, switch to a roller to fill in the outlined block. Start about a foot from where you’ve cut in and apply the paint in a W motion. Overlap as much of the brush-painted area as you dare, remembering to avoid painting over the actual edge. This technique will blend the brush-painted edges in, preventing a ‘framed’ look.

SUNNY SIDE UP

Open up your alcoves with radiant colour. Far from being dark corners, these recessed features can be turned into the focal points of your room. Sunshine yellow and sky blue are great choices for complementing the view outside of your window and you can go on to paint the window frame with specialist paint too. If your alcoves are set into the wall around a fireplace, punchy orange tones will make the room feel cosier. If you don’t have alcoves, you can apply this principle to shelving units and bookcases instead. 02

SENSATIONAL STENCILS

Stippling brushes at the ready! Stencils are back from the Nineties to brighten up dull walls. These straightforward templates are a super-flexible alternative to wallpaper, you can use them to add a little (or a lot!) of playful pattern. Make it your own by choosing your favourite colours and play with placement in different areas of the room. One of the joys of stencilling is the slightly imperfect final result. It plays into the folksy, handmade trend of the last few years and you’ll enjoy knowing you did it all yourself.

If you indulged in this trend the last time around, you’re probably already a dab-hand but, if you’re starting out on your stencil journey there are a few tips you need to remember. Spray the back of the stencil with a low-tack spray adhesive before you begin, this will help to stop the stencil from moving while you work. Always use a small amount of paint at a time, it’s a good idea to start with a brush or sponge that is almost dry to build up a barrier around the edge of the stencil before filling in the middle. Apply the paint at a right angle to the wall, dabbing it in small sections until you get the desired effect.

Use high-end tester pots to elevate your scheme

Walls in Napoleonic Blue wall paint, £41.95 per 2.5L, Flowers in English Yellow, Emperor’s Silk, Pure and Amsterdam Green chalk paint, £23.95 per 1L; Meadow Flowers stencil, £17.95, all Annie Sloan

Expert advice

BLOCK PARTY

Emma Bestley, Creative Partner of YesColours reveals how to makeover your room using less paint. Rather than taking on the task of painting an entire room, look for areas to be creative. Consider where you can inject colour and personality without too much fuss. One option is colour blocking – a clever way to zone a space. Or, you could consider adding a little extra flair with a painted arch, horizontal strip or organic shape in your favourite colour. Another brilliant quick task to enhance a room would be to paint a frame or block of colour onto your wall around your framed art, or a mirror.

Overall, the most important thing is to let your imagination run wild. Your walls are a blank canvas, ready and waiting for you to reinvent your space. After all, you can always paint it back if you change your mind!

Wood paint in Bishop Blue, Dulcote Stone and Peregrine Blue, £20 per 750ml, Thorndown Matt emulsion in Friendly Pink, Fresh Yellow, Fresh Aqua, from £21 per 1L, YesColours

FLEXIBLE FEATURES

Revamping large pieces of furniture can make a big difference to how your room feels, sometimes even more so than painting on your walls. It’s an easy way to add colour to rented homes and a fun project to take out into the garden on dry days. Upgrading your drawers with stripes makes use of small amounts of paint in different hues, so it’s ideal if you have a lot of tester pots hanging around. For a refined effect, pick a palette of three colours and repeat these across the piece. If you want to create something more playful, why not try a rainbow or blend similar hues together for an ombré look? Remember to check the formula of the paint you’re using to see what kind of finishing it might need to help the new colours stand up to every-day use.

COLOUR THAT POPS

Shine a spotlight on woodwork by dressing it up in a daring new shade. A fresh coat of colour will bring the delicate details of traditional style carpentry into focus. If your mouldings are more streamlined, the change in tone will add sharp, graphic interest to your room. Pump up the volume by adding a pop of contrasting colour to your existing scheme. Using shades that sit on the opposite sides of the colour wheel is a quick stylist’s trick to create dynamic looks. Pink and green is an Instagram favourite, and a great example of this hack. You can also try a duo of lilac and lemon for energising living areas, as well as a zesty orange and blue combo as shown to full effect in this hallway and dining room.

A strip of colour creates definition between rooms

Door in interior wood and metal paint in Bedford Square, from £34.50 per 1L; walls in marble matt emulsion in Coral Orange from £55.50 per 2.5L; stairs in interior wood and metal paint in Proper Blue, from £34.50 per 1L; rear walls in Gentleman’s Pink paint from £55.50 per 2.5L, all Mylands