5 Creative Ways to Use Tester Pots

Winter is the perfect time to hibernate indoors and get a little crafty – especially when you’re curled up in front of your favourite film or box set.

If you fancy giving your home a refresh, these low-effort projects are a failsafe way to update your space on the cheap – all using leftover amounts of paint.

Ready? Gather your leftover paint and take on one of these fun decorating projects...

1. Smart skirtings

Add a ribbon of bright colour to a room by turning your skirting boards, window frames or door frames into a design feature. A daring flash of colour along your skirting boards can be a valuable accessory to balancing a dark room or if you’re feeling plucky, bring in a vibrant, bright hue that won’t overwhelm a more neutral colour scheme.

Darker skirting boards will give your space a more modern, contemporary feel, while lighter colours will help make small rooms appear larger.

Difficulty: Easy-peasy

Time: A day

You will need:

• 250ml leftover paint
• 2-inch brush
• Sandpaper
• Masking tape

2. Dip & Flip

The dipped effect isn’t going anywhere. This big DIY trend is an easy way to give tired-looking furniture a fresh new look only using one small tester pot worth of paint. It’s so simple that the technique can be done in several ways, such as dipping the lower level of the chair or dipping just the top for different ways to create an accent. Paint a selection of chairs all in one shade or mix and match a few pretty pastels or whatever colours you have left over for an eclectic feel.

Difficulty: Simple

Time: Half a day

You will need:

• 250ml leftover paint in Dulux Easycare Satinwood
• Sandpaper
• Masking tape

3. Colourful Shelving

Brighten up neutral walls with a clever splash of colour such as Buttercup Fool 1. This colour blocked shelf technique is great for giving spaces individuality and wow-factor – try it in shared kids bedrooms to give little one their own zones.

You could also pick a few playful shades and group a set of these colour blocked mini-shelves together as a clever way to maximise wall space too.

Difficulty: Easy-peasy

Time: Half a day

You will need:

• Paint brush
• Pencil
• Pencil sharpener
• Sanding block
• Drill
• Screws
• Spirit level
• Tester pots in your chosen colours

4. Shadow play

This playful shadow effect doubles the impact of a simple display with a clever trick of the eye, so if you’re looking to showcase your prized finds, give this project a whirl.

It’s pretty simple to recreate. Shine a strong light onto your arrangement, then trace around the shadow on the wall behind. Fill in the shapes with the same colour as your objects, et voilà!

Difficulty: A little challenging

Time: A few hours

You will need:

• 250ml leftover paint in Ivory white or a colour to match your objects
• Small brush
• Strong light for shadow
• Pencil

5. Spot on!

One easy way to add a playful focal point and give open-plan living spaces a distinct purpose is with the clever use of polka-dots. A fun confetti-effect can gently lead the eye across the wall to define a dining or living area.

The best bit is that it’s a super simple update to do – just draw around plates with chalk and fill in with a brush.

Difficulty: Not too difficult

Time: 1 Day

You will need:

• 50ml tester pots of each colour (we’ve gone for Primrose Yellow, Spring Sky, Mulberry Silk and Dapple Grey

• Pencil

• Plate
• Chalk
• Small brush
• Dust sheet