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Updated: Apr 11, 2022 by Kris Jarrett

Painting Tips & Ideas from My Five Favorite Paint Projects

We’re talking paint today – one of my favorite design topics to chat about! I’m sharing five of my best “before” and “after” paint projects to give you some ideas for using paint to make transformations in your own home. (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})

Driven by Decor - One

It’s OK to Paint Wood, Really!

I thought it’d be fun to go waaay back in the Driven by Decor vault for this first one since it’s something not many of you have seen (any longtime readers out there who remember this space?)! Flash back to when we moved into our previous home that had a painted brick fireplace flanked by orangey wood built-in bookcases:

Makeover of painted brick fireplace and wood bookcases

I know there are a lot of wood purists out there who hate the idea of painting it but there was no question in this case – that orangey wood had to go! I whipped out my paintbrush and went to town painting the bookcases white and adding burlap to the back of them to keep it from looking too stark:

Add burlap to the back of a bookcase to add texture and interest!

I finished off the makeover by having stone veneer added to the front of the fireplace. Aaaahhhh… the power of a can of white paint! And stone! Definitely one of my favorite transformations:

Loving this stone veneer fireplace - the stacked stone is gorgeous!

You can read more about the process of adding stone veneer to our fireplace in {this post} and about adding burlap to the back of the bookcases in {this post}.

 

Driven by Decor - Two

Paint the Room White (All of It!) 

I’ve painted almost every room in our house since we moved in four years ago and it’s made a huge difference in each space but there’s one room where it was truly a night and day change – our family room. We inherited a red walled family room that just wasn’t at all my taste. Honestly, I kinda cringed every time I walked into the room and can’t believe I left it the way it was for three years before doing something about it:

Our family room TV wall before the makeover

The room has a lot of funky ankles and a partial dropped ceiling along one wall so I thought that the best way to keep it from looking all angular and chopped up was to paint everything white (Benjamin Moore Cloud White) – the trim, the walls, the ceiling, the bookcases… everything. Best decision I could have made – it’s now light and bright and a room that my whole family loves to hang out in:

Great idea for decorating around your TV - hang similar sized art pieces in a grid around it!

So if you have a space with weird ceiling angles (like an attic space or room above the garage) going all white might be your answer. Just be sure to warm it up with some wood tones and lots of textures (like the wood media console and basket). A few of my room sources are below (images are clickable) but you can find a complete source list for this space along with more images of our family room {here}. And you can check out my favorite white paint colors {here}.

Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop This Space:

 

Driven by Decor - Three

Give a Craigslist Find New Life!

I few years back I was finishing off the makeover of our master bedroom for the One Room Challenge and I was plugging right along until… the delivery of my new headboard got hung up in shipping. A master bedroom reveal isn’t much of a reveal without a headboard so I had to plan B it FAST. After hours of desperate online searching I turned to Craigslist and found this diamond in the rough:

Craigslist king headboard

I loved the lines of it, but definitely not the dated wood color or the fact that it was super short. My solution was to add about a foot of height to it:

Craigslist headboard transformed with paint and a little added height - such a good "after"!

and paint it up (I used Benjamin Moore Steel Wool). It ended up working beautifully in our room and was a fraction of the price of a new headboard to boot!

Welcoming bedroom in shades of gray with fur throw to cozy it up for winter!

So when you’re searching Craigslist for a bargain find, look at the design and lines of the piece more than the color because that’s an easy fix! A few of my room sources are below but you can see the full “before” and “after” transformation of our master bedroom plus a complete source list for the space {here}.

Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop This Space:

 

 

Driven by Decor - Four

Save Money by Stenciling Instead of Wallpapering

Such lovely ’80s wallpaper, right?! After stripping it off the wall, I wanted to add something a little more interesting than plain paint without having to re-wallpaper.

Our powder room before our makeover

I decided to try my hand at stenciling and after a little bit of practice (and a LOT of time), my bathroom had a whole new look! Of course, the change in mirror and lighting didn’t hurt either:

Powder room with stenciled walls - looks so much like wallpaper!

Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop This Space:

The paint colors that I used were Benjamin Moore Aura Bath & Spa (Matte) in Chelsea Gray for the basecoat and Platinum Gray (Benjamin Moore color but mixed in Behr Premium Plus Ultra in Satin) for the stenciling. For more details, you can see the full “before” and “after” bathroom transformation post with a complete source list (including my stenciling supplies) {here} and read my post about stenciling how-to tips {here}.

 

Driven by Decor - Five

Use Chalk Paint if You Hate the Prep!

Our guest room doesn’t have a closet and since we were expecting houseguests within a couple of weeks of moving in, we knew we’d need a freestanding clothes armoire pronto. A few days before our move I saw this TV cabinet sitting in my neighbor’s open garage and soon found out that they were getting rid of it. My neighbor gladly donated it to me so we lugged it over to my house and, later that week, put it on the moving truck:

TV armoire before transformation

Once we got it to Connecticut, I made a few modifications on the inside (removed the TV shelf, added a clothes rod, & screwed the bottom and top doors together), painted the exterior with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (one of my favorite paints since there’s no sanding or prep work needed), and added new rope pulls:

TV cabinet painted and turned into clothes armoire

So happy with how this piece turned out! I’d definitely recommend Annie Sloan Chalk Paint if you’re like me and don’t mind painting but hate the prep! You can read my tips for using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint {here}. And if you love paint projects, be sure to check out my post on three simple spray paint ideas {here}. You can also seemy five favorite paint colors {here}.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

KJ Signature

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Comments

  1. Cassie Bustamante says

    May 03, 2017 at 7:00 am

    i think that gray bed is my fave of yours! it was a style i wouldn’t normally choose, and you made me love it!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:09 am

      Thank you so much Cassie!!

      Reply
  2. Kristin Cadwallader says

    May 03, 2017 at 7:25 am

    OH, the power of white paint! I just love that family room makeover so much, Kris. Thanks again for having me join the fun this week as a guest 🙂 xo

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:21 am

      Thank you Kristin!! So fun to have you join us!

      Reply
  3. Jennifer Griffin says

    May 03, 2017 at 9:59 am

    I’m not sure I’ve seen that armoire makeover before, so pretty! These are all such great projects and examples of how much paint can change things!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:22 am

      Thanks Jennifer – I really dug for that one – it was from years ago! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kelley Nan says

    May 03, 2017 at 12:45 pm

    Have I ever seen that armoire?! That is STUNNING!! Wow.

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:23 am

      Thanks Kelley! It’s kinda hidden away in a corner of our guest room! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Garden, Home and Party says

    May 03, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    Wow, what great inspiration. I’ve always wanted to paint a few things but usually chickened out. How do you prevent paint streaks?
    Karen

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:25 am

      Hi Karen! I’ve had good luck with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint not showing streaks after several coats! For shiny finishes and flat surfaces if I’m using other paint, I usually use a small foam roller which works great for eliminating streaks!

      Reply
  6. Pam @ Simple Details says

    May 03, 2017 at 5:42 pm

    What a fun collection of projects, Kris! That family room transformation in your old home is amazing, and exactly why I LOVE paint!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:28 am

      Thank you so much Pam!

      Reply
  7. chantal says

    May 04, 2017 at 9:14 am

    Hello,
    I must say that we also turn to Annie Sloan’s paints and Benjamin Moore paints any time we have a project. We found out that other paints leave “bubbles” on the walls of our old house (built in 1910). I will definitely try the “steel wool” colour!
    And that armoire is beautiful!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:29 am

      I’ve had that same issue with other paints too Chantal! And thanks for your sweet words about my armoire!

      Reply
  8. Dianne says

    May 04, 2017 at 9:17 am

    Wow! What a calming change in your family room! It is a beautiful, relaxing space.
    Your armoire is also stunning, well actually, all your projects get a big thumbs up! Thanks for sharing your ideas with us!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:30 am

      Thank you so much Dianne!

      Reply
  9. Patti says

    May 04, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    Kris, I love your style, paint colors and especially your headboard! It’s an all time favorite along with the rest of your bedroom. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:31 am

      Thank you so much Patti!

      Reply
  10. Elizabeth says

    May 05, 2017 at 8:10 am

    I love the makeover on the fireplace. We have a brick fireplace, very dated looking.
    Originally thought of whitewashing it but adding the stone veneers looks so beautiful!! Just have to convince my husband .

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:32 am

      Thanks Elizabeth! Good luck with that! 🙂

      Reply
  11. cindy hattersley says

    May 05, 2017 at 11:37 am

    That fireplace transformation is amazing! That orangey wood is dreadful isn’t it. Our floors upstairs used to be that color….eeeeek! Love this series. I am amazed how you ladies come up with so many great ideas!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:35 am

      Yes!! That orangey wood is the worst! All of the floors of our old house had it too! Hope all is well with you Cindy!

      Reply
  12. [email protected] says

    May 08, 2017 at 3:15 pm

    Everyone of your projects brought new life to great pieces that just needed a little love….well the wallpaper maybe a lot of love like you said. Your projects are inspirational! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      May 15, 2017 at 10:37 am

      Thank you so much Gina!

      Reply
  13. Angela D says

    November 15, 2020 at 4:07 pm

    Hi! I really love all your painted furniture, there all beautiful! Ive tried it a few times and I always have problems after the paint dries. The surface remains sticky. How did you prevent this from happening?
    Thank you!

    Reply

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