My Favorite Painted Furniture Projects

19 of my favorite painted furniture projects!

Hey all! Today is all about painted furniture. I have done a lot of painted furniture and home accessories projects throughout the years, and I wanted to have a spot where I put links to everything for easy reference.

So today I am getting together an article with all of my projects! Many of these projects were originally completed in partnership with the DecoArt paint company, but many were also projects I completed on my own. I’ll link to the tutorials for each one if you want more info. Enjoy!

1. Yellow Retro Nightstand

First up is a cute little retro nightstand I thrifted! It was in bad shape and covered mostly in veneer. I decided that I could probably sand down the veneer and paint this back to its original glory.

I used DecoArt Americana Decor Satin Enamels paint in Honey Gold for this one and passed it on to a coworker. Imagine my surprise when we bought our current house from that same coworker years later, and the nightstand was still in her son’s room! See my Yellow Painted Nightstand Makeover tutorial for more.

2. Painted Dipped-Leg Nesting Tables

These nesting tables were in OK shape when I found them. Generally I only like to paint furniture that is cheap or probably wouldn’t benefit from refinishing. And these were on the cusp or paint vs. refinish when I found them.

But I think the paint job turned out nice on these! I did an alternating dipped leg effect as well. Check out the tutorial $10 Tables Makeover With Americana Decor Metallics to see the colors and progress pics.

3. Hairpin leg desk

This hairpin leg desk was a quick project that I did for a specific DecoArt assignment. I had to use a color from a specific paint line, and I thought this would be a good choice for a muted brown.

The top was a hollow laminate, and I eventually took off the legs and used them for something else. You can check out more about this project on DecoArt’s website. (And I painted the little green plant tray, too!)

4. Painted Ikea cat condo project

This is one of my earliest DIYs and is still one of my favorites! We later traded this in for our Our DIY Tree Branch Cat Tree, but the Ikea cat condo project would be a great choice if you don’t want to spent as much time making something for your babies.

This project was as simple as gluing the tables together, painting them, and adding some extra swag for the kitties like faux fur and sisal-wrapped scratching posts. Check out my Homemade Cat Condo Using Ikea Tables tutorial for more.

5. Painted storage trunk coffee table

I originally painted this storage trunk coffee table when we lived in an apartment and needed the extra storage space. After we moved, we ended up giving it to my brother and his girlfriend to use.

They are still using it today! I love seeing it when we visit their house—and it only has minor scratching on the paint job after all these years. See the Trunk Makeover With Americana Decor Satin Enamels tutorial for more.

6. Dipped leg painted plant stand

And around the same time that I did the painted trunk, I also painted an Ikea plant stand. I think they actually still sell this plant stand even though this project was many years ago.

In addition to giving the legs a simple “dipped” effect with bronze paint, I painted a bunch of Ikea clay plant pots in white and bronze to coordinate with it. See the article about this project on DecoArt’s website, and then read about How to Paint Terracotta Pots!

8. Huge painted plant pot

This was a pretty quick and fun project that I still have in my living room! I found this HUGE clay pot at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet (my fav source for big cheap pots). But it wasn’t the right color.

So I painted it pure white! This has held up wonderfully over the years. I have it pictured outside here because I actually used an exterior paint for it—but I’ve kept it indoors. For more on this one, visit DecoArt’s website.

8. Metallic silver & white dresser

This piece was an excellent candidate for painting. The dresser was pretty beat up, but I thought it could look nice with a paint pick me up in fun colors.

I passed this one on to someone on Facebook for her little girl’s room—the perfect use for something like this! I used DecoArt’s Satin Enamels in White. The drawers are DecoArt’s Extreme Sheen in Tin. See the project on their website for more details.

9. Little pink & white side table

Around the same time I also painted this cute little side table, which also went to a little girl’s room! I thought the pink would be a bit overpowering as the main color, so I used it for a dipped leg effect.

The main color I used was Satin Enamels in Pure White, and the pink accent is the Extreme Sheen paint in the Pink Tourmaline shade. See more about this project on DecoArt’s website.

10. Painted plant pot

This heavy ceramic plant pot was originally painted a bluish color. I thought I could give it a nice pick-me-up by painting it in an off-white and adding a bronze color around the pot’s lip.

I used this pot for years for my big rubber plant—until it needed a bigger pot! Then I gave this painted pot away on my local plant group. See the original Painted Ceramic Pot Makeover tutorial for more on this project.

11. Painted laminate ladder shelving

For this project, I didn’t paint the shelves. They came with a white laminate finish, and they stayed white laminate. Instead, I used a couple of accent colors and painter’s tape to paint in geometric designs.

I did an alternating color pattern for the triangles using a bronze color and a navy blue. See my tutorial on How to Paint Laminate Wood Shelves for more on this project.

12. Pink ombre dresser

And another project that ended up going to a little girl…this painted pink ombre dresser. I did an ombre effect by slowly adding in white paint to the pink as I went up the drawers.

Using an ombre effect is a really fun way to add color and personality to a piece. You can check out the tutorial for this piece on DecoArt’s website for more.

13. Painted tiered plant stand made of crates

I used paint and six unfinished wood crates to create a cute tiered plant stand for this project. I didn’t attach them to one another—just set them up in a tiered look so I could easily use the crates for something else if I wanted to.

However, you could easily glue or screw them together so they’d stay put. Visit DecoArt’s website for more on this project.

14. Geometric painted Ikea Rast

Next up…an Ikea Rast! You can’t have an article about painted furniture projects without a Rast…and you have to do something at some point with an Ikea Rast if you’re a DIY blogger! I painted it in an off-white and added a geometric triangle design on the sides.

I later added a stained wooden top for this piece, too. For more on this project, check out my tutorial about Making Over an Ikea Rast.

15. DIY cat scratching post

This was a fun project that involved a little building. I made the cat scratching post using a square piece of plywood and a wooden dowel. I painted a cute design on the base—the plywood square.

Then I wrapped the post in rope. For more on this project, check out my tutorial for How to Make a Cat Scratching Post!

16. Turquoise ombre dresser

When I saw this piece at a local shop for dirt cheap, I thought it would also be a good candidate for an ombre paint job. It turned out great, and it was fun to paint in a color I don’t usually use. See the tutorial for this piece on DecoArt’s website!

17. Storage crate for a baby’s room

This one was a quick and easy project that I did alongside the tiered crate plant stand. I painted this unfinished wooden create off-white and then added a geometric design on the sides using painter’s tape. Visit DecoArt’s website for more on this one!

18. Contemporary painted side table

For this side table, I wanted to use dark and muted colors. It was going in Mike’s space, and he isn’t a fan of much color. I used the DecoArt paints Chalky Finish in Carbon and Chalky Finish in Artifact. For more on this one, check out the project page on DecoArt’s website.

19. Black painted nightstands

And another project that we are still using are these nightstands I painted black in 2016. I’ll probably retire these to the guest space when we finally get our act together and set one up. But for now, they are still going strong!

For more on this project, including the full tutorial, check out my tutorial Nightstands Makeover With Americana Decor Satin Enamels.

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