If you want to update your color scheme and get the look of some of 2024’s most popular colors without painting your whole house, you’re in luck: There are plenty of projects that you can do to add some new color with just a gallon or even a quart of paint. If you’re looking for a simple DIY project to add some color to your home, here are a few ways to add 2024’s most popular colors.
Ever year, designers as well as color experts from major paint manufacturers choose a color of the year based on global trends. This year, the color palette seems to be nature-inspired, with a lot of blues, but also greens, darker black and brown tones, and some floral notes like yellow and peach.
Paint some trim
To add color to a room without needing much paint, consider painting your door frame or window frame. For smaller frames, you should only need a quart of paint, but if you have more trim in your room, a gallon should do it. Try adding some Renew Blue from Sherwin-Williams or some Cracked Pepper from Behr to your trim to make it pop and give your color scheme a refresh. When painting trim—especially trim that is likely to be touched, like window and door frames—it’s a good idea to use semi-gloss or gloss paint to avoid damage and make it easier to clean.
Paint a door
If you have doors that have seen better days, you can give them a facelift with a new coat of paint. Standard sized doors without much damage might be able to be painted with a quart of paint, but if you need to do multiple coats, or if you have an oversized door, you should get a gallon, just in case. Try painting a door with Blue Nova from Benjamin Moore or Dark Auburn from Sherwin-Williams. Remember that removing a door before you paint can often make it easier to mask and will make your project go faster.
Paint some hardware
If you have metal hardware that needs a refresh, you can try spray painting it with some Krylon Bluebird. Spray painting your drawer pulls, knobs, and handles for cabinets or furniture can give you a pop of color without spending much money—just remember to use your spray paint outdoors or in another well-ventilated area. If you have wooden drawer pulls or knobs, you can try adding some peach fuzz from Pantone’s color of the year as a brush-on.
Paint a piece of furniture
If you have a piece of furniture that needs a new coat of paint, you can incorporate a color of the year easily into your space. For most furniture, you can use a spray paint like Satin French Blue from Rust-Oleum. Just scuff up the surface a little bit with some fine grit sandpaper to make sure the paint sticks well. If you have wooden furniture that could use a boost, you can try using a sky-inspired blue like Upward from Sherwin-WIlliams to add a stripe or paint an edge. If you’re painting only a small piece, you can likely get away with just a quart of paint for this project.
Stencil on some color
With a relatively small amount of paint, you can add some detail to a floor, wall, ceiling, furniture, or really any surface big enough to hold a stencil. This project will work best on surfaces that are in relatively good shape already, and you might need to add a coat of sealer on top to make it durable for a tabletop or other high-touch areas. Use some Limitless, a buttery, floral yellow by Glidden, or any of the other colors we’ve listed and a stencil to add a colorful motif or pattern to your surface for an instant color pop that’s affordable and simple to do.
