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Awesome Ikea Hack of the Week: How to ombre stuff to make it look cool

It’s incredible how many things in your house could look like a million bucks if you spend just a few bucks to paint them and make them look cool. And nothing makes random objects such as vases, shelves, nightstands, picture frames and chair legs look cooler than ombre paint.

Ombre is that look you get when the colour of an object transitions from light to dark. So today’s Ikea hack isn’t really an Ikea hack, but a how-to on how to ombre stuff in your house, whether it’s Ikea or not.

  1. The parts. You’ll need

  • Cordless paint sprayer, rent one like this from Home Depot – $30.00
  • light paint
  • dark paint
  • water
  • a huge sheet
  • some cardboard to practice on
  • mask

  1. Do it.

    No matter what you’re painting, start by practicing on a piece of cardboard.You’re going to paint the light colour first, then the dark. Then, mix the dark colour with some water to dilute it, and spray some over the light so it looks ombre.

    Now do this with your furniture or random household items. Be sure to wear the mask to avoid inhaling paint fumes, and use the sheet to avoid spraying absolutely everything in your house/garage/workshop/yard.

    Experiment with different colours, like white and deep blue, gold and teal, pink and cream or concrete grey and charcoal.

     

Erin Cardone: Born on the Prairies, Erin Cardone grew up knowing there was more to life than canola fields and AAA Alberta Angus. So she escaped, living in Europe and Australia, white-knuckling it through plates of calf brains and raw horse meat, and learning languages she can't remember anymore. After a stint as a jaded, skeptical journalist, she changed tack and began writing rather awesome blogs and showing businesses that advertising is dead, so long live social media, with her businesses Legendary Social Media. She now splits her time between various Canadian cities, Costa Rica and wherever else the wind blows.