Update Furniture with Colour Contrasts
If you have a room in your home that feels lacking in detail or comes across as bland and has no personality, try this clever decorating trick to introduce colour contrasts with paint.
24/07/2021
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There is an easy decorating solution to bringing a splash of colour into a bland room which also adds impact and turns a plain feature into an eye-catching focal point. This design trick is also an easy way to bring personality into a room and let your decorative accents take centre stage.
What is so nice about this design trick is that it is easy to do in a day or two and costs little other than a tin of paint and painting accessories and supplies. Even if you don't consider yourself handy with a paintbrush, you can't go wrong with this.
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Whether you have a large freestanding or built-in bookcase or bookshelf, or you have a large cupboard that you use to display your favourite collectables, painting the back in a bold or bright colour, or a colour that complements the existing room decor, is an easy way to attract attention and make the piece stand out.
Even a feature of wall-mounted shelves can have the wall behind the shelves painted in a contrasting colour to bring attention to the wall. When you walk into a room and see a bold colour or pattern that stands out, it immediately grabs your attention and that's why this type of feature can be used to draw the eye away from any features you don't want to highlight.
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How to paint a wall behind shelves
Painting the wall behind wall-mounted shelves is easy if you do this before mounting the shelves. But if the shelves are already in place and cannot be removed, all you need is a roll of wide painter's tape to mask off the top and bottom of the mounted shelves and around the edges of the wall. This will ensure you don't get paint everywhere.
You're not going to be able to get a large paint roller in the spaces between the shelves, but a small foam paint roller will do the job just as well and prevent brushstrokes from spoiling the paint finish.
1. Apply paint around all the taped edges with a quality paintbrush. Don't waste your money on cheap paintbrushes as these can shed bristles while you are working.
GOOD TO KNOW: A good tip is to wet the bristles of the paintbrush before dipping it into the paint can or paint tray and this will reduce paint absorption into the bristles and allow for easier cleaning when you are done.
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When choosing a colour to paint the wall you have two options:
- Use a colour that already features in the room decor, perhaps in a piece of artwork, a rug, accent pieces, or it can be a darker hue of the paint colour used on the rest of the walls.
- If the room lacks colour, you can use this as an opportunity to bring colour into the room.
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How to paint a wall behind a bookcase
If you are not painting behind a built-in unit then chances are you may be able to remove the backing from the bookcase or bookshelf. Most have a thin backing that is stapled or nailed in place around the back edge. This can easily be removed, and it will make it far easier to paint.
If you are painting a built-in unit, use wide painter's tape to mask off the shelves, top and bottom, and around wall edges. As with painting wall-mounted shelves, first apply paint around the edges with a quality paintbrush, using a foam paint roller to go over the wet paint for a smooth finish.
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Apply wallpaper to back of bookcase or bookshelf
Another option to highlight decorative or storage shelves in a bookcase, bookshelf or built-in unit is to use wallpaper. While wallpaper can be a tad expensive, you are only going to need one roll and you can splurge on a patterned washable wallpaper that brings something new into the room.
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Feel free to experiment with colourful wallpaper or patterned wallpaper that is bold and graphic and instantly wakes up the senses and transforms a bland room. To balance out the effect, have other items in the room that have a similarly bold pattern or colour.
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You can have fun with wallpaper designs and even go so far as to bring some playfulness into a room. If you don't fancy the idea of using wallpaper, think about paint effects and techniques that will give you the look that you want.
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