Use A Martha Stewart Paint Hack To Make A Built-In Shelf Unit Pop

Built-in shelves and alcoves can be one of the most desirable elements in a home, not only allowing space for storage and display, but also adding architectural interest to what would otherwise be blank walls. When painted the same shade as the surrounding walls, these shelves can often blend in and become almost invisible. However, a trick shown off by design expert Martha Stewart may have you rethinking how to paint these shelves with a little bit more pop and dimension. By adding a paint treatment in a similar shade to the surrounding walls or materials, you can give your shelves an elevated look that emphasizes the built-ins and forms a beautiful contrast that allows the shelves and their contents to shine.

Stewart adopts a two-tone look, painting the back of the shelves a lighter shade than the trim with the paint color that she also used for the faux wood wainscoting below. The paint is watered down with some glaze so that it goes on slightly thinner, and with a little bit of sheen. She then creates a woven strié paint treatment look on the back wall with a tool designed to give paint a linen-like effect. She covers the wall in paint and then uses the tool both vertically and horizontally to create a crosshatch pattern that resembles the rich woven fabric.

Martha Stewart's process not only adds deeper, darker coloring behind the shelves, but also a rich sense of texture that adds to the room's overall aesthetic and pulls its own weight alongside the faux-bois treatment she uses on the wainscoting below. The greater darkness at the back of the shelves makes them seem deeper, allowing the space to feel larger overall. Darker paint can also help items on the shelves stand out more, breaking up the continuity and creating a richly layered space.

There are many ways to get a similar look in your home. For paint color, choose a different weight of darkness or lightness of the shade you are already using for a subtle contrast. Or try a shade in the same color family for a little more variation. You could bring in a bright pop of color in a neutral room or a complementary color drawn from elsewhere in the space. For texture, you can mimic Stewart's stunning linen look with the Fenteer Cloth Pattern Paint Brush from Amazon. There are also other ways of creating texture on that back wall, including a ragging painting method, using a stenciled roller, or adding a textured medium directly to your paint. If you want more pattern, consider using a peel and stick wallpaper to add interest to the back of shelves. For a fun combination method, add paint over a wallpaper to add stunning texture to your home.