My names Sarah Murphy and I paint furniture (and almost anything else too) over on Instagram @colourfulsaz

With all of us spending so much time at home these days I thought it would be a good time to show you some small projects you could try at home.

Most people have small pieces of furniture at home, whether it’s a tray, a stool, a coat hook, a wooden box or even an embarrassing plaque with the words “live laugh love” on it. Whatever it might be, there’s always something that’s been lying around and creating an eyesore in your house. Why not jazz up with whatever paint you have at home?

I’m going to show you some easy painting techniques to revamp and repurpose some of the items you already have at home. Ideally, I like to prime each piece before painting. But at times like these it’s good to use up whatever you’ve got at home, so don’t be afraid to dig out those dusty old emulsion tester pots you’ve been tripping over in the garage since Italia 90. It’s time to let go. Don’t worry, you can always redo it if it doesn’t last! Or finish it with a durable varnish so all your hard work doesn’t go to waste! Whatever your friends or family may think, just remember that I believe in you.

Wallpaper or collage

If you have any old magazines or wallpaper samples lying around then this is as good a place as any to start. Paint your piece using a Two Fussy Blokes roller. Allow to dry, then apply glue to the area you wish to wallpaper. Cut the wallpaper to size and stick it to the glued section. To seal, simply apply another layer of glue on top. And just like that, you’ve given a new lease of life to something that was otherwise destined for your neighbour’s skip. Pat yourself on the back. You’re an artist now.

Here’s an example of a tray I wallpapered. I used spray paint first for the black and then applied my paper so it was super quick!

Ombre

This is an effect that’s super easy and I feel like people are unnecessarily afraid of it! Face your demons. The major trick is to blend the colour while wet. Pick the colours you want to use and apply them using a Two Fussy Blokes roller to the areas you want. With the below locker, I rolled the pink on the bottom half and the orange on the top half. Using a paintbrush, I blended the colours together. Working quickly before the paint dries. I usually put one of the colours on the paintbrush in order to ensure it blends seamlessly.

Once you’ve mastered the two colour ombre effect you can do it with as many colours as you like! I did it on this tray by taping off the areas I wanted to remain white and painting on stripes and blending each colour as I went along.

How to Paint a Geometric Design on Furniture

This is the technique closest to my heart. And one you can achieve with some masking tape and saintly patience. If you don’t have any masking tape but possess a steady hand, you could always try free-handing those shapes. But be warned, you may cry if your hand slips.

Geometric design can be incredibly effective whilst allowing you to use a lot of colours. The photos below are some of my favourite geometric/ striped designs. You don’t need to be as precise as I’ve been here. You can use your tape to create random shapes too! It’s whatever works for you and a design that can be attempted at all levels. If you’ve got a hankering to create some zany stripes just paint the piece all one colour before applying your stripes and wowing your cool friends. Then pat yourself on the back again. You’re cool too now. You can also use a little piece of tape as a spacer to create uniform stripes.

Well, I hope those Geometric Design techniques were useful! if you try them out remember to tag @twofussyblokes and @colourfulsaz. Let me know what projects yout have planned below!