11 Creative Paint Projects That'll Spice Up Any Space

Want to brighten up your space with color? You can use paint on more than just the walls. Pick a shade and let the fun begin. HGTV Magazine has all the creative paint ideas you never thought of.

Beauty Queen, Behr

“Gotta love a pop of color, though I didn’t want a kitchen table that was too bright,” says Charlotte Smith of the blog At Charlotte’s House. “Painting just the legs pink, to match the rug, was a nice compromise. They may be traditional, but they don’t look like it!”

From left to right:

• Beloved Pink, Behr
• Shy Smile, Behr
• Ballet Rose, Behr
• Coral Fountain, Behr
• Lamplit, Behr
• Corn Stalk, Behr
• Frittata, Behr
• Frosted Sage, Behr
• Azalea Leaf, Behr
• Willow Hedge, Behr
• Misty Isle, Behr
• Ocean Boulevard, Behr
• Watery, Behr

“Since I’ve painted rainbows all over my house, I figured, Why not on our refrigerator?” says blogger Ashley Wilson of At Home With Ashley. “I used a bunch of colors from leftover projects — and created a few more shades by mixing some together and adding white. I marked stripes with painter’s tape, primed, and then painted. I couldn’t resist spray-painting the handle gold to coordinate with the cabinets’ brass pulls.”

From left to right:

• Henrietta, Annie Sloan
• Emile, Annie Sloan
• Old White, Annie Sloan

“The rows of drawers in this metal filing cabinet really bring out the gradient effect," says Charlotte Smith of the blog At Charlotte’s House. "Choosing chalky paint meant I didn’t need to prime first! I picked two lavenders and mixed them with white in cups, experimenting to create five distinct shades. This works with any color, and you can use a paint deck for inspiration.”

Blue Blood, PPG

“This arch would have felt dated if left alone. Accenting it with a cool blue made it modern and highlighted the dining room,” HGTV designer Leanne Ford says. “Equally amazing: it only took an hour to do!”

Cheerful, Benjamin Moore

“In a white kitchen, the cabinets and trim usually match — we used that same idea here, choosing a bold color for big impact,” designer Andrew Howard says. “Sunshine yellow turned this laundry room into a happy place.”

From left to right:

• Svenska blue, Annie Sloan
• Barcelona Orange, Annie Sloan
• Antoinette, Annie Sloan
• Graphite, Annie Sloan
• Louis Blue, Annie Sloan
• Arles, Annie Sloan
• Aubusson Blue, Annie Sloan

“This is a fun way to use up leftover paint. You can preplan the design, but I made mine up as I went along," says Jelena Pticek of Poppyseed Creative Living. "Starting in the top right corner, I taped off a triangle, did two coats and pulled up the tape while the paint was still wet, for clean edges. I left a corner of the wood dresser untouched for a peekaboo effect. Patience is key! I waited till each section was completely dry before taping off the next one. This project took a weekend, mostly spent waiting for paint to dry.”

Pineapple Mousse, Valspar

“Instead of blowing a bundle on new cabinets for this client’s kitchen, I brought the sunshine with paint," says Amanda Louise Campbell of Amanda Louise Interiors. "Prep is everything when you redo stained cabinets — if you don’t sand till they’re supersmooth and then prime them, the paint could chip. A satin finish is easy to wipe down and also hides imperfections that glossy ones tend to highlight.”

Verdigreen, Sherwin-Williams

“Besides being really cool, a faux headboard is also really affordable,” says blogger Brittni Mehlhoff of Paper & Stitch. “I made this one using tape, a quart of paint and a roller. You can get super-crisp lines by pulling off the tape at a 45-degree angle — that’s the secret to getting this to look like a million bucks.”

She Loves Pink, Behr

“Painting my dingy red brick fireplace perky pink took only about an hour-and-a-half, and the payoff was instant," says Jenika Kurtz Cuadra of J. Kurtz Design. "First I cleaned the brick with a damp cloth. Then I applied two layers of satin-finish paint in a dabbing motion — to get all the nooks and crannies — with a 2-inch nylon brush, waiting 15 minutes between coats. For the third, I just brushed on the paint.”

Perfect Storm, Valspar

“I love geometric wallpaper, but I find a stencil way easier," says Summer Wick of Cascade Vintage & Co. blog. "I bought one with 12 triangles from Olive Leaf Stencils on Etsy, then measured the wall so I could start in the middle — that way the pattern would be even on both sides. I secured the stencil with painter’s tape and did one coat of dark teal with a roller, keeping the pressure light so paint didn’t seep under the stencil’s edges.”

Direct Green, Sherwin-Williams