Easy Paint Projects to Update Your Home Decor

You don't need me to tell you how much paint can transform your home. Paint is one of the most inexpensive ways to give your space an update, but it's not just limited to your four walls, my friends. Nope, you can use paint to update your home decor and create a space that is full of personality and style all without spending a whole lot of money while doing it. Now that is my kind of update! 

Easy Paint Projects to Update Your Home Decor

Update Furniture with Paint

I know this is nothing new and earth-shattering, but you know you can update furniture with paint. There are still some staunch holdouts in the don't paint furniture camp, but friends if you don't love a furniture piece the color that it is, why don't you put a coat of paint on it? Paint can be removed so even those family heirlooms can be restored back to their natural finish but in the meantime, I give you full permission to paint a furniture piece you don't necessarily love. 

Furniture is expensive, so if you have something you can use, by all means, don't waste more money replacing it. Just give it a little update with some paint. 

Here are some tips for painting furniture

You can also purchase furniture at a deep discount and give it a coat of paint to fit the style of your home.  We actually found a media center from Restoration Hardware for 80% off. It was a high-quality piece, but it just didn't match our home, so I painted it. It was worth the time I put into it and I love how it fits in our space now. 

Tips to know when buying as-is furniture at a discount

Update Cloth Surfaces with Paint

Large area rugs are expensive, so when I found a plain rug for $10 at Big Lots, I decided I could try to give it the look I was going for by painting it. I used that rug for years in my office and I loved that painted rug. Would it surprise you if I told you I used regular paint I had in my garage to paint that rug? No special paints were required and it held up great despite a lot of use in our home.

Find more information about how you can stencil and paint a rug {and how well it holds up!}

I was also searching for a cheap bench to put at the end of my teenage daughter's bed in her glam silver and white bedroom makeover. I couldn't find anything cheaper than $100 at Home Goods, so when I saw this pastel floral bench from the 90's for just a few bucks at a garage sale, I thought I'd give it a try to see if I could paint it.  Spoiler alert, I could. And it's still held up and in her room several years later.

DIY painted fabric bench

Update Frames and Large Art with Paint

This is like my secret weapon when it comes to being able to afford large art pieces or frames. You could spend hundreds of dollars on frames or large art, but you can also find it for a few bucks at garage sales or thrift stores and it doesn't take much to update it to make it something you love for your home. Like this large framed wood sign I personalized with some vinyl. Other than a little paint {and the vinyl of course}, this sign got quite the update from the red pear I picked up at Goodwill outlet. 

How to Make a Large Frame Sign for under $10 

This wild horse painting got a new life as a large chalkboard

How to Create a Large Chalkboard Sign

And these easy framed wood signs were an easy update from a frame I found at a garage sale.

 

Update Home Decor {and tchotchkes}

I kind of want to stop calling these home decor and start calling these what they are...tchotchkes. What's a tchotchke you ask? It's basically any home item that takes up space but doesn't really have a use other than to just look pretty. My husband hates these which generally makes me love them more. A little paint can update these home decor items that otherwise would be outdated or not match your home, and suddenly tie everything together. I used a coat of paint to update these large pieces of wooden home decor {I'm calling them a fireplace finial since they flank my fireplace}.

Use paint to update fireplace finials

As you can see, paint can update just about anything in your home. It's not just limited to walls. What have you painted in your home {other than your walls} that has made a difference?
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