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A few days after our phone call to discuss her latest project in Austin, designer Taylor Clouse sent me an email sharing some extra tidbits about the house. “It was risky suggesting to paint the ceiling green,” she noted. Green? I don’t remember a green ceiling! I thought to myself. Confused, I sifted through the photos of her client’s new build, and sure enough there it was: the kitchen and living room ceilings swathed in Farrow & Ball’s Vert de Terre. “In person, you almost don’t notice,” Clouse wrote, “but it actually helps the space feel larger.” As someone who writes a lot about DIY and renovation, I pride myself on catching these details right away—this one surprised me in the best way possible. It was so subtle, so smart, and such a good reminder that paint isn’t just for walls. As I looked around our very white, very boxy, very builder-grade apartment, I turned to my boyfriend and said: “Maybe we should paint our bedroom ceiling this weekend.” And we might not stop there… —Lydia Geisel, home editor

While I love to see a room drenched in color as much as the next design editor, I’ve seen paint have the biggest impact on a space when it’s used in surprising places. Ceilings are just the start—I’m talking crawl spaces, basic wood tables, and kitchen countertops. Bonus: The smaller the project, the fewer cans you have to purchase and lug home.

Photography by Belle Morizio (above left), Photo Courtesy of @banyanbridges (above right)

Here are 10 ways to bring a stroke of genius to your space:

01. Designer Annie Cobb turned a small closet off her kitchen into a bar with a can of Sulking Room Pink. “I love little nooks and secret spots like that,” she told me after I asked how the idea came about.

02. Another unique spot Clouse introduced color in her client’s Austin home? The modern stair banister dipped in a moody aubergine called Brinjal (and this isn’t the only place I’ve seen the hue used lately).

03. On the hunt for a new desk lamp, I unearthed this Pookly shade with hand-painted arrows that are so tiny they almost look like stitching.

04. I’m mess-averse, so I also love the idea of wallpaper that only looks hand-painted.

05. Just when I thought DIYer Racheal Jackson couldn’t top this colorful shower, she one-upped herself by painting directly over shower tile—and avoided a gut reno.

06. Orange-toned wood floors are the bane of my existence as a renter. I love the idea of covering them up with a tonal checkered design, like the one in this L.A. dining room. Backdrop’s 36 Hours in Marrakesh and Brooklyn Cowboy would be my go-to pairing.

07. Shannon Tate-Giordano faked the look of floor tile in her powder room by using a stencil she created. I don’t trust myself with card stock and a razor blade, so I’d buy something off the shelf like this terrazzo-inspired cutout.

08. I became obsessed with funky trim after seeing how editor Owen Holmes painted a Greek key motif around this Brooklyn living room using Benjamin Moore’s Emerald Isle.

09. Our recent Home Front guest editor Delaney Lundquist (aka @tremont_home) and I share a similar obsession: painted bedroom storage. She can’t stop thinking about DIYing a giant armoire, and I really want to re-create stripes on an antique dresser à la Studio Atkinson.

10. How does one create perfect stripes on said piece of furniture? With lots of blue masking tape and this genius applicator, which I’d desperately need to achieve straight lines.

Meet the color of the moment: butter yellow. Everyone from Shea McGee to Sarah Sherman Samuel has told me they love the superpale shade, and I think a swatch like Behr’s Soft Buttercup or You Are My Sunshine from Benjamin Moore would bring some pep to a tired piece of vintage furniture. But if you’re not in the mood for a DIY, here are some products that already come in the trending hue.

Storage

Design blogger Melanie Lissack inspired me to refresh my IKEA Besta unit after I saw how she used the happy hue on a Metod cabinet. These options, however, won’t require you to pick up a paintbrush.

• Vintage Romweber Credenza, Rejuvenation, $2,449

• The Twinny Locker, Mustard Made, $599

• Componibili Bio Storage Unit for Kartell, Lumens $280

Seating

My plan to save majorly on my new dining room setup? Scour Facebook Marketplace for simple chairs and drench away—or perhaps I’ll let myself splurge on one of these.

• Chop Chair, Hem, $519

• Blu Dot Decade Chair, 2Modern, $150

• Martha Stewart Crafting Kids’ Stool Set, Target, $100

Tables

A color this playful makes total sense on these chunky, low surfaces.

• Baggboda Side Table, IKEA, $80

• Miter Side Table by Mock Studio, 1stDibs, $750

• Circula Large Coffee Table by Blu Dot, Wayfair, $985

Here’s a weird obsession of mine: doors. It’s ironic, because I live in a studio apartment that technically only has two of them (one to the bathroom, one at the entry), but if I had a house filled with doors, I’d highlight the ability to go from room to room with—what else!—paint.

• DIYer Alexis Cosinuke (@maddoxinthemiddle) topped off her daughter’s bedroom makeover with the sweetest mural that, naturally, includes her name at the center.

• By getting smart with blue tape, our team of editors cracked the code to an easy, whimsical frame.

• I can see the fronts of this cartoonish armoire at Hotel Peter & Paul translating to the exterior of an Italianate or Colonial home.

• When I started working at Domino seven years ago, I wrote about the adorable pink arch Geneva Vanderzeil painted on her exterior door and, honestly, I still think it’s cool.

• As your resident real-estate reporter, I’ll give all of you sellers a hot tip: Paint your front door black and it could increase your home’s value by $6,000.

Today’s Topic… What paint trends are you ready to leave behind in 2024? Limewash

Faking the look of other finishes like concrete and brick

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