Transform your home with these ingenious painting projects
A fresh coat of paint is by far the easiest and cheapest way to breathe new life into a tired room. But you don’t have to pick just one color or even confine your creativity just to the walls. From soothing ombré to graphic murals and fabulous feature floors, we’ve rounded up the best paint techniques to transform your home. Click or scroll for more…
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Frame a door
Make a feature of a doorway by combining contrasting paint colors. Here, teal has been used on the doorframe to make a focal point of the door, which has been painted charcoal gray. For longevity, make sure you use a primer first and apply painter’s tape around the frame for a crisp finish.
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Hand-cut stencils
For something a little different, try highlighting a door using a bold shape and a soft pastel shade, such as this beautiful warm gray and soft pink combo. Pro decorator Megan Pflug used a hand-drawn paper stencil and painter’s tape to create this stunning Moroccan-inspired design, which she then topped with a glorious starburst mirror. The new feature makes the room feel taller, unifies some of the mismatched moldings and adds a regal feel to the bedroom. We love it!
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Horizontal stripes
Chunky horizontal stripes make a bold statement – the look works best when colors from one distinct palette are used, like the pastel shades here. At one edge of the wall, mark out where you want your stripes to be using a tape measure and a pencil. Then mark lines along the wall using chalk, a yardstick and a spirit level to check the lines are straight. Apply painter’s tape, such as FrogTape, above and below your chalk lines to paint your stripes evenly.
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Circular feature wall
Give the classic feature wall a creative twist with a circular motif. While this project doesn’t require much paint, the results are dramatic, especially when used in a bedroom to frame a bed. For a perfect circle, tie a piece of string to a pencil and the other end to a thumb tack – the length of the string will determine the outer diameter of your circle. Push the tack into the wall where you want the middle of your circle to be. Holding the string tight, draw a circle on your wall, then fill it in with your chosen paint shade.
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Painted floor
Painted original floorboards look particularly attractive. For a serene feel paint them a soft chalky cream or white. Or, if you’re feeling daring go for brighter colors. Megan Pflug created this unique and impressive painted statement floor for One Kings Lane. Megan describes the design as an oversized tumbling-block pattern that “can pack so much style and drama into any space”. We agree!
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Ombré wall
This beautiful paint effect is easier to create than it looks. Paint the whole wall in the lighter color first and let it dry fully, then apply the darker shade to the bottom part of the wall. On a board, mix the two colors and apply this mixed paint to the middle section of the wall. Blend and blur the colors together using a clean roller. This effect works with any colors, but pastel hues such as this lemon yellow create an instantly calming effect within a space.
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Glitter glaze
For full-on glamor, use a glitter glaze as a top coat over a matt emulsion. If the room doesn’t have a source of natural light, add a statement lamp to show off the sparkle. As the pieces of glitter are suspended in a clear varnish, it’s best to try your brush technique first on a piece of card, applying liberally in a criss-cross motion or using a foam roller for bigger areas – but remember to wipe off the excess first.
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Paint the ceiling
Don’t neglect your ceilings. Also known as the fifth wall, who says they always have to be brilliant white? Throw out the rulebook and go for a statement ceiling in a deep shade such as purple, navy or black to create a dramatic cocooning feel. If you’re not sure you can brave it, give it a go in your smallest space – your bathroom!
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Feature corner
If you don’t want to commit to a full feature wall, why not highlight a corner of a room with paint instead? Use a yardstick, spirit level and chalk to mark the area you’d like to highlight, section it off with painter’s tape and fill it in with your chosen color. Bold, bright colors will look great here – if you’re painting a smaller, overlooked area, it’s best to avoid shades that are too similar to your original wall hue, as they may not be seen clearly.
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Concrete-effect paint
For a stylish gray scheme, exposed concrete walls lend a space an ultra-contemporary industrial feel, but if this isn’t doable in your home, you can create realistic faux-concrete using paint. Paint the wall in a medium gray, using sweeping, arched brushstrokes. Smooth out the brushstrokes using a wet cloth, then scrunch up the cloth and lightly dab it along the paint to add texture. Add vertical strokes of white paint using a block brush, then use a different wet cloth to blend it into the gray base.
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Color blocking
Adding blocks of bold-colored paint is one of the easiest ways to give your walls a bit of personality. With a yardstick, spirit level, chalk and painter’s tape, simply section off the areas you want to paint and fill them in one by one, always making sure to paint just over the edge of the tape so that the section is completely filled. A clearly defined color palette is a must for this look – we love this retro mix of salmon pink, tangerine and sage green.
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Dalmatian spot wall
For a truly unique, glamorous feature wall behind a dressing table, try this simple technique. Starting with a white wall, cut out holes in varying sizes from pieces of A3 paper to create a dalmatian spot stencil. Fix the stencil to the wall with painter’s tape and fill the holes with black paint, repeating as many times as needed to fill the space.
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Highlight alcoves
Draw the eye to any interior alcoves and supporting beams by painting them a contrasting color, creating a shadowing effect. This works best in bright shades such as this zesty green against crisp white, or for a more subtle take, give it a whirl on a window recess. A fresh yellow will bring instant sunshine to a kitchen window. For perfect edges, mask the painting area with a good quality painter’s tape and remove once the paint’s dry.
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Woodland mural
Kids love having some creative input into their bedrooms and a wall mural offers the ideal opportunity to work on a project together. Start by painting the wall a deep shade, so that the mural pops. Once dry, add trees, plants, little woodland houses and cute animals, beginning with the basic outlines and then adding details. This design by Lucy Tiffney uses chalk paint and is stunning, but you can, of course, make yours simpler.
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Tile effect
If you’ve always wanted a tiled backsplash or border, but don’t have the supplies to hand, why not recreate a tiled effect using paint? Using a pencil and a ruler, draw out the ‘tiled’ area. Use tape to mask it off from the rest of your wall and apply paint in the color you want your ‘tiles’ to be. When this is dry, measure, mark and mask off your ‘grout’ lines and paint them in a contrasting color using a small brush.
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Suede effect
Create a soft, matt buff look to your walls with a specially formulated textured emulsion that will give your walls the same look as brushed suede. The uneven nature of the final effect is great for hiding imperfections and it’s easy to apply as you almost work the brush at random to create darker and lighter spots on the wall. If you favor neutral schemes, we think this is just perfect for a feature wall.
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Shimmering granite
If the thought of glitter is too much but you still want some shimmer, this granite-effect paint is just the job. Easy to apply with great coverage, it’s fantastic for creating sophisticated drama in a social space like a dining room or snug.
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Copper patina effect
A feature wall in a copper patina effect lends a rustic, aged look to a scheme – perfect for a vintage or industrial-style home. To create this stunning finish, you’ll need copper paint and patina-effect paint. Apply two coats of copper paint with a roller, then use the roller, a rag or a sponge to pat the wall, creating texture. Leave the paint to dry, then dab the patina paint over the top using a different sponge or brush.
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Two-tone wall
Horizontally split two-tone walls are a fuss-free way to add drama and depth to a room. First, choose your color combination. To create your dividing line, use a yardstick, a spirit level and some chalk. Apply a strip of painter’s tape just below your chalk line and paint the top color first. Remove the tape, apply another strip just above the chalk line and apply your bottom color.
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Monochrome drip
This striking feature wall design is incredibly simple to recreate. Paint the wall black, let it dry fully, then apply two coats of white paint to a rough section at the top of the wall. Next, load up some large syringes with the same white paint, squeeze it out onto the edge of the white section, and let the paint drip down.
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Diagonal stripes
For a twist on the classic striped wall, position the stripes diagonally rather than horizontally or vertically. Thin stripes like these are a subtle way of adding pattern to a wall, and are easy to create with your trusty yardstick, spirit level, pencil and painter’s tape. Try two similar colors like this deep blue and indigo combination, or white and gray for a more classic look.
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Faux headboard
Give your bedroom an update with a faux headboard by applying a painted design on the wall behind your bed. Sketch out your design on paper first, then measure off an area slightly larger than the head of your bed and map out your faux headboard with a ruler, pencil and painter’s tape before painting. For best results, choose a color that strongly contrasts with the shade of your wall.
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Liquid gold
A foolproof way to create an instantly striking accent wall is to paint it gold – try this in a bedroom, bathroom or dressing area for a luxurious, glamorous feel. When using a brush to apply metallic paint, it’s likely that the brushstrokes will be visible. This can add a nice extra layer of texture, but if you’d prefer a smoother finish, use spray paint instead.
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Geometric wall
Geometric shapes on walls look ultra-contemporary – in this children’s bedroom, they’re used to add a sense of fun and playfulness. Draw each shape using a yardstick and a pencil, then apply strips of painter’s tape above and below your lines to paint your shapes evenly. To create the little cross shapes shown here, you can simply cut stencils out of A4 paper, tape around them and fill with a contrasting paint shade.
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Watercolor border
A pretty border of watercolor paint looks amazing in a bedroom or bathroom, and works especially well in soothing pinks, blues or greens. To create this effect, roughly paint the bottom of your wall in your chosen color. Let it dry for about three minutes, then spritz a small section of the paint a couple of times with water, using a spray bottle. Working upwards, gently dab away the paint using a cloth until it fades into your original wall color. Repeat all along the border.
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Dashes
This look couldn’t be simpler to create. Take a small paintbrush and add small dashes to your wall, in a contrasting shade to your base color. You can make the dashes as thick or as thin as you like, and they look great painted either vertically or horizontally. This look works well in monochrome, but dashes in bright shades would also look fantastic against a white wall in a kids’ bedroom.
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Gallery wall strip
This is a really easy way to jazz up a hardworking entryway or staircase and is instantly eye-catching. Paint a thick horizontal stripe across the middle of the wall in a contrasting color, using your yardstick, spirit level, pencil and painter’s tape. You can then hang framed photographs and wall art at different heights along the paint strip.
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Hexagons
Hexagon paint stencils are available to buy online, and are really easy to use to create a feature wall. This design looks great above a bed, as shown here, or in a playroom for a fresh, fun feel. Try painting hexagons in different shades of the same color for a subtle look – for example, pale sky blue with deeper cerulean and navy. You could then add a couple of hexagons in a contrasting shade – the mustard yellow here makes this scheme really pop.
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Mountain mural
To really flex your creative muscles, you could design a wall mural. This mountainscape scene in a nursery, painted in calming shades of blue, white and gray, is a stunning example. It’s fairly easy to recreate, using a yardstick and pencil to mark out the simple triangular mountain shapes, painter’s tape to section off each area before painting, and just four paint colors to fill them in. Remember to keep a little back in each color to correct any mistakes!
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Big circles
Large circles look whimsical and striking in a kids’ bedroom or playroom. To draw the outline of the circle on the wall, tie a piece of string to a pencil and the other end to a thumb tack as for the circle feature wall. You’ll want these to be smaller, but vary the sizes for a striking look. Remember the length of the string will determine the outer diameter of your circle. Why not mix up the colors too?
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Exposed plaster effect
For a grown-up industrial feel, why not forgo paint altogether and let the natural beauty of your plastered walls speak for itself? If your wall has already been painted, you can create a faux-plaster look using two different shades of plaster pink paint – apply a lighter color first, then daub a darker hue over it using a cloth, gently smoothing out any thick areas with a spatula.
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Painter’s tape stencils
If you want to jazz up a small section of your wall with a pattern, a stencil with painter’s tape is a simple way to do it. A quick search online should help you find the right design for you – we love this geometric pattern, but you could choose anything from a floral motif to a baroque design.
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A different color on each wall
For the more daring decorator, painting each wall in a room in a different shade is an easy way to make a space look striking. Avoid too many bold, bright shades – you don’t want to give yourself a headache! Make sure that when you’re painting, you mark off the edges of the walls with painter’s tape so the paint colors don’t bleed into each other.
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Chalkboard wall
If you need somewhere to display notes, reminders or family messages – or just somewhere for the kids to scribble on – a chalkboard wall could be the perfect solution. Lots of brands offer chalkboard paint, which allows you to create a fun, interactive space to write and doodle with chalk, and is easy to wipe clean. Try a chalkboard wall in the kitchen, your home office space, or a child’s bedroom or playroom.
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Chevrons
For a bold statement on a section of wall, try a chevron pattern. First, mark out the pattern with a pencil and a ruler or yardstick. Working on one chevron at a time, apply painter’s tape to its edges and paint it, making sure to paint just over the edge of the tape so the shape is completely filled. Alternate contrasting colors with each chevron – black and white look great or try metallic chevrons against a crisp white background.
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Venetian plaster
Anyone who lived through the 90s might remember the penchant for Tuscan-inspired terracotta plastered walls. Cut to 2020 and this beautifully soft, textured finish is making a comeback. Also known as lime-plaster, you can create the same tonal highlights with some clever products that are much more budget-friendly. The end result is somewhere between marble and a hand-skimmed effect.
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