How to Create an Ombré Effect with your Furniture

Do you have a piece of furniture that needs a new lease of life but you’re unsure what to do with it? Why not consider creating an ombré effect with your paint work. This faded technique has been all the rage throughout fashion and beauty – and now it’s firmly got a foot in the door of interior design too. With minimal effort you can create a stunning centrepiece for your home.

Once you’ve picked out the perfect piece of furniture it’s time to prep it ready for painting. Depending on the type of wood and finish, you may need to start with sanding down the wood to get a good even base. If you have untreated wood, you’re good to just start with your wood dye. When you’ve finished sanding, just make sure you clear away any dirt or dust so your base is completely clear.

Colour me happy

The great thing about the ombré effect is you do not have to make do with just one colour. To make ombré work, you choose a colour palette for your piece and pick a few colours from it. You’ll then blend each colour into the next and (hopefully) end up with a flawless finish. Pastel shades work great for ombré, so check out our range of wood dyes here.

To make sure you’ve got an even amount of colour for each block start by measuring the height of the furniture. If you’re using four variations in colour, simply divide the height into four and place a mark at each section using chalk so you know where to paint up to.

Start by using the darkest colour of the palette at the base of your furniture – for example Beach Hut Blue from our pastel range of wood dyes. Next mix some of your next colour (we think Beach Hut Green would look great) with a bit of your first. This will help with blending. Apply this colour in your second section, leaving a small gap between the colours. You’ll then need to get a fresh, clean paintbrush and use it to feather the two colours together gently whilst still wet. This will also ensure your colours are blended together. You should then be able to use your second colour choice on its own for the third section. Finally, mix some of your third colour with your second for the last section. We think Soft Sensual White would be great to make your Beach Hut Green paler for the top of the furniture.

Care and protect

After all your hard work mixing and blending colours, you’ll want to ensure you protect your furniture from any wear and tear. Depending on the use of the furniture, you can choose from our range of wax polishes or varnishes.