The 5 Best Places In Your Home To Try Out New Trendy Paint Colors
We all know that color can transform a space, and choosing from the 2022 and soon-to-be-announced 2023 colors of the year can be overwhelming. Knowing how to play with trending colors can be difficult if you don't have enough wall space or even too much. While you don't want to repaint your home every time a new color is trending, there are many areas where you can play with color, helping you to use a greater variety of shades in your home.
From furniture pieces to hidden surprises, you don't have to choose just one of the trending paint colors. In a conversation with Mansion Global, Benjamin Moore's director of strategic design intelligence Ellen O'Neill recommends just trying to be strategic with choosing colors. By experimenting with smaller areas and objects, you can find the color (or colors) of your dreams before painting the whole house and see how they look next to each other. This can also help you establish a color palette and scheme throughout the home.
1. Petite wood furniture
While we aren't saying to rush off and paint over your prized mahogany credenza, if you have some second-hand furniture or spot a wooden nightstand or chair that's worse for wear at the thrift store, know that you can breathe new life into it with a fresh coat of paint. Benjamin Moore notes that giving your current furniture a makeover with paint is also budget-friendly since you won't have to run to the furniture store to give your space a refresh. One of the benefits of painting a small piece of furniture is that you can move it around the house, pair it with different colors, and see how it catches the light at other times of the day.
Some pieces that will work well for this are nightstands, accent tables, outdoor furniture, wooden chairs, or vintage crates. With our guide to prepping furniture for refurbishment, you'll have a new, refreshed, and on-trend piece.
2. Inside your kitchen drawers
Painting the interior of your kitchen drawers is a genius way to add color to your kitchen and a whimsical surprise whenever you reach for your go-to spatula. KitchenSeer says that this simple design detail can transform the feel of your kitchen space. Another benefit of the interior drawer idea is that you can do several colors from trending palettes without throwing off the overall cohesion of your kitchen design. If you fall in love with this whimsical styling, you can apply it to the inside of your cabinets and other drawers around the house.
Another benefit is that your paint and primer can conceal odors, notes Sure Pro Painting. That means that if you've got any funky smells from spills, spices, or old coffee grounds, you can conceal them while adding a ton of visual appeal to your kitchen space and allowing you to experiment with lots of trendy paint colors.
3. Bookshelves
If you've been dragging the same Ikea bookshelf around since college or have a pair from your childhood bedroom set that requires a refresh, it's time to give them a revamp. Books are like works of art themselves, so choose a paint color that helps to showcase them. Orlando Magazine advises deciding what your color style is — whether you want subtle or punchy hues and then selecting a color scheme like two-tones or monochrome. You can even paint the backing in contrasting colors, allowing you to play with even more trendy colors.
Using dark hues like black, grey, and deep muted blues is an edgy and dramatic choice that will help book spines stand out, or you can use a creamy off-white for a more ethereal, airy space. Play with how you organize your books, ordering them by color or height for a truly stunning display. Whatever you choose, your bookshelf is the perfect place to play with all the trendiest colors.
4. Bathroom cabinets
Bathrooms are often neglected as design spaces, with many building companies opting for white or cheap veneer vanities. Using paint is one of Fletcher Design Consultants' top recommendations for giving your builder-grade bathroom an instant update. While you may immediately reach for a neutral like black, grey, or brown, consider choosing a poppy color like teal, tangerine, or peach. If you have a fun shower curtain with a design you love, choose one of the accent colors from it to create a cohesive bathroom.
Painting the cabinets is much easier than painting the room from the floor to the ceiling, and you typically won't even need a full gallon of paint to tackle this project, making it a cost-effective upgrade. To make the design even more luxurious, choose a nice metallic hardware for the drawer knobs and pulls — combined with a fresh, trendy paint color, your bathroom will feel anything but builder-grade.
5. Fireplaces
Have a fireplace that doesn't hold all the old-world charm you want it to? Give it a beautiful upgrade with your favorite trending paint color. Mantels are a fantastic display opportunity and a place to gather around, so you want to give them a little love. Whether it's covered in brick, out-of-date stone, regular plaster, or drywall, you can paint it. Just be sure to ask the paint consultant at your local hardware store for the appropriate primer, preparation materials, paint type, and tools. In particular, Sharper Impressions Painting advises that you be sure to get latex, heat-resistant paint because, after all, it will have a fire burning under it.
Even if you don't have a working fireplace, make the mantel the centerpiece of the room with a bit of paint. Want to add some extra style? Check out our guide to styling your mantel to make it a unique space.