How to Let Your Happy Place Inspire Your Living Room Decor

I selected a photo from a sleepy, cozy Sunday spent in the Presidio in San Francisco. It’s my go-to place when I need a quick detox and some fresh air. Letting these colors inspire my living room seemed like the perfect way to incorporate these peaceful vibes into my own home.

Seriously, this app is genius. Thanks to Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap® system, we now have thousands of paint color options at our fingertips. For my living room, I used SW 6902 Decisive Yellow, SW 9031 Primavera and SW 6220 Interesting Aqua.

All we needed was the right photo, the ColorSnap® Visualizer and two quick projects to take our space from run-of-the-mill to Pinterest-worthy. Now onto the DIYs!

Color Blocked Wall Art

To get comfortable using Sherwin-Williams Emerald® Paint and playing with color pairing, we started with a simple wall art project that packs a colorful punch: color blocked wall art. This quick project acted as a practice round for our bigger project — painting a bookshelf.

Materials + Tools:
— Sherwin-Williams Emerald® Paint (we used Decisive Yellow, Primavera and Interesting Aqua in Semi-Gloss)

— 5×7 canvas boards

— 5×7 frames

— 1 inch bristle brush

— painter’s tape

— drop cloth

Instructions:
1. Line up all of your canvas boards edge to edge, then lay painter’s tape in a straight line. Make sure there’s some tape overlap on the edges of each board so that you get sharp lines all the way across.

2. Paint the bottom strip of boards one color. Feel free to paint over the painter’s tape a bit — it won’t bleed through! Then paint the top strip of boards another color, leaving the middle strip unpainted. Let dry.

3. Once the paint has completely dried, remove the painter’s tape. Then tape off the painted side of the canvas and paint the remaining color onto the unpainted part of the board. Let dry.

4. Remove the tape, then frame it!

5. Hang the frames in two lines. You’re done!

Line up all of your canvas boards edge to edge. Then lay painter’s tape in a straight line, making sure there’s some tape overlap on the edges of each board so that you have sharp lines all the way across.

Paint the bottom strip of boards one color. Feel free to paint over the painter’s tape a bit too — it won’t bleed through! Then paint the top strip of boards another color, leaving the middle strip unpainted. Let dry.

Once the paint has completely dried, remove the painter’s tape. Use another piece of tape to tape off the painted side of the canvas.

Then paint the remaining color onto the unpainted part of the board. Let dry.

Once the paint has completely dried, peel off the painter’s tape.

Frame it!

Hang the frames in two lines in your room. You’re done!

Ta-da! Easy peasy.

Painted Bookshelf

A bit of bright color can add a lot of depth to a room. Take a bookcase, for instance — painting the back panel will make the objects on each shelf pop and look a bit more purposefully placed. Which means your bookshelf just got that much more #shelfieworthy :) Let’s get to it!

Materials + Tools:
— bookshelf

— Sherwin-Williams Emerald® Paint (we used Decisive Yellow)

— paint roller

— paint roller cover, ⅜ inch or ¼ inch nap

— paint tray

— paint tray liner

— drop cloth

— paint stirrer

— hammer

Instructions:
1. First, remove the shelves and back panel from your bookshelf using the back of a hammer. If this isn’t an option, then mask off the parts of the bookshelf you’ll be painting with painter’s tape.

2. Stir your paint before you begin.

3. Pour some paint into the paint tray liner, then coat your paint roller until it is evenly covered in paint.

4. Paint the back panel of your bookshelf with long, even strokes. Once you’ve completely covered it, let dry. Depending on the wood finish, you may need one more coat.

5. Once the back panel is completely dry, hammer it back onto the bookshelf and re-insert the shelves. That’s it!

First, remove the shelves and back panel from your bookshelf using the back of a hammer. If this isn’t an option, then mask off the parts of the bookshelf you’ll be painting with painter’s tape.

Stir your paint before you begin.

Pour some paint into the paint tray liner, then coat your paint roller until it is evenly covered in paint.

Paint the back panel of your bookshelf with long, even strokes. Once you’ve completely covered it, let dry. Depending on the wood finish, you may need one more coat.

Once the back panel is completely dry, hammer it back onto the bookshelf and re-insert the shelves.

There ya go!

See? Incorporating color in smart ways can elevate your home decor in a big way and personalize the space. Now every time we’re in this room, we think of our favorite tranquil coastal city :)

Have you tried the Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap® Visualizer app? What do you think? Share with us on Twitter at @BritandCo!

This post is a collaboration with Sherwin-Williams.

Author: Maddie Bachelder
Production + Styling: Maddie Bachelder
Photography: Chris Andre