A colourful way to enliven a grey home office

Whether it is a corner of your living area or a dedicated room in your home, we spend a lot of our time in an office. Yet, we tend to overlook our makeshift offices, leaving them to be the most neglected areas in our house, devoid of character and personality. Wherever you knuckle down to tackle your to-do list, the key to making work more enjoyable and importantly, productive, is curating a workspace that you are in love with. No matter the size, if you can carve out a section in your home for a workstation, colour blocking can help separate designated zones and contribute to that elusive work-life balance. If painting the walls is out of the question, you can still utilise this method by adding pops of colour through desk accessories or even refreshing old furniture. Playing with colour, soft furnishings, and décor is a great way to add personalisation to your study. 

For this project, we painted the shelving unit with environmentally-friendly Helmi 10 furniture paint. The water-based acrylic Helmi 10 Paint is a tested replacement for traditional solvent furniture paint and boasts a low VOC-emission level. Made in Finland, the high-quality paint has also been certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, the EU Ecolabel and holds the M1 Emission Classification, making Helmi Furniture Paint a sustainable and safe choice for the home. 

Begin by taking time to understand whether you want your furniture piece to be a standout or a subtle element that feels part of its surroundings, as this will inform the colour direction for your project. Picking up cool tones of grey with a light blue tinge, K498 Haven from our Feel the Colour collection was chosen to refresh the home office walls. Using colour to add contrast can give your room a unique spin that feels personal to you and a sophisticated finish that is often achieved by an accomplished interior designer. For a warm burst of colour to contrast with the blue-grey backdrop, we tinted the sophisticated matt finish of the Helmi 10 paint the vibrant M316 Tomato, adding a striking feature element to the home office décor. The interior's flat surface was enriched with spicy orange tones to beautifully emphasise the blue-grey wall paint while adding layers of depth and dimension to the workspace. Even the small spotlight was given a refresh to tie in neatly with the shelving unit. 

Have fun with your new furniture addition – play with colour, texture and finish. With no set way to carry out this project, you can completely customise an old storage system into an addition to your home that can feel personal to your style and your interior design. 

Recreate this look

1. FIRST STEPS 

Begin by wiping the surface of the wall clean. If the surface requires a deeper clean, use Tikkurila Maalipesu cleaning agent to remove unwanted dirt and leave to dry. Lay down dust sheets to protect the floorspace and cover mouldings and sockets with masking tape. 

2. PRETREATMENT 

If the wall surface needs levelling or the previous paint is a darker colour, apply a coat of Optiva Primer. Choose Optiva Primer in the shade close to your new topcoat. 

3. PAINTING 

Stir the full-matt Optiva Matt 5 interior paint and apply 2 coats using a paint roller with an extension pole. Finish the surface with long upward strokes using a roller. Optiva Matt 5 can be recoated within a minimum of 4 hours of painting or may take longer depending on a low temperature or in conditions of increased humidity. Once completed, gently remove the masking tape before the paint has time to dry. 

Clean your tools with water and soap, or use Tikkurila Pensselipesu tool cleaner for more in-depth results. Make sure to follow the instructions on the label. 

Painting the furniture 

1. CLEAN AND SAND 

Begin by cleaning the furniture's surface using Tikkurila Maalipesu cleaning agent – read instructions thoroughly before use. After drying time, sand the previous paint surface until matt and remove the sanding dust with a dust brush or a dust-binding cloth. 

2. PRETREATMENT 

Once dry, apply a single coat of Otex Akva Primer, which has been pre-tinted to the match the topcoat's shade. 

3. PAINTING 

Finish with 2 coats of the matt Helmi 10 furniture paint, pre-mixed with your chosen colour, with a spray gun, a furniture paint roller, or a brush. Helmi 10 furniture paint can be recoated after 16 hours. If a different finish is required, opt for the glossy Helmi 80 or semi-matt Helmi 30.