The desire to update a space and add new decorations can easily be squelched by fearing the task of having to go out and buy brand new pieces in order to do it. If making a big investment in small decorative items is out of your budget range now, you do not have to let that stop you from having something that YOU MAKE NEW.
We all have little trinkets and decorative pieces that have a) been removed from display but we still have, or b) we still have on display but wish we didn’t. But there is a trick to taking mixed-matched pieces and turning them into unified, collective displays: spray paint. I do not mean the old, stereotypical teenage spray paint in neon colors that gets youth in trouble. I’m talking about quality spray paint in a modern mat or acrylic-look glossy finish that you see dramatically changing furniture and outdoor chairs in TV commercials today.
Take a look around and see what you have laying out on bookshelves, coffee and end tables, and buffets and hutches. Open up kitchen cabinets and dig out old bud vases and small serving bowls that are not being used or seen. Pull down boxes from the top of the closets and see if you have any little, dated statues, pottery, glassware, or curios that you would allow to be made-over. Or expand your search to include similar items in local garage sales or flea markets that you buy at a total steal of a price. Gather your collection of mixed items and prepare to make them look like a complete collection that was meant to be a set.
You will need a quality base coat spray paint to prepare each surface for the decorative spray paint. Then choose your one color of spray paint in the mat or glossy finish you desire. Shades to consider are classic white, black, chocolate brown, or something from the yellow, gray, or aqua color shades. Thoroughly clean your pieces of glass, ceramics, or other mediums. Stake sheets of recycled newspaper in the yard so you reduce the amount of paint that drifts freely onto the grass. Spray each piece with the base coat and allow that to dry according to the product’s instructions. When applicable, carefully finish off each piece with one or two coats of your main spray paint color.
In the end, you have a variety of dated pieces that you have completely made over to look like a fresh, modern collection. Display your grouping on a mantle, coffee table, or entertainment center shelf. Your pieces have the potential to look like they were ordered right out of a current home décor catalog. And you can keep the secret to your “latest finds” to yourself.
DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star May 15th.
