We mentioned a while back that we were going to do a fill-in-the-blank project, and this time we finally painted the bedroom finials to match Ed the Bed. In the photo they looked a bit too white compared with the bedposts, so we decided to tweak them to blend in seamlessly.
Matching paint to an existing piece of furniture isn’t complicated, and the same approach works whether you’re adding legs to a painted dresser or refreshing a trim piece. Start by collecting a range of paint swatches in the color family you need. For white items, include the most popular white paint colors as well as several options with different brightness levels and undertones. The goal is to find the swatch that nearly “disappears” when held up to the item you’re matching.
We didn’t stick to one brand; instead we grabbed a wide variety of white swatches so we could compare undertones and value. Back at home, we held each swatch up against one of Ed’s posts until one blended the best. Our match was Parchment White by Glidden.
Next we bought a small test pot in a satin finish—just enough to complete the finials. To make painting easier and avoid smudges, I reused a piece of cardboard packaging from a mirror we’d gotten from Target. Large cardboard pieces are handy for painting small items: I pushed each finial through the raised part of the packaging so they stood upright. That allowed me to paint all sides without having to touch or rotate them, and it kept the finish smooth and even. I also watched some TV while I worked—The Apprentice, if you’re curious.
The finished finials now blend with Ed’s posts and look like they belong together. One caveat: some manufacturers, like IKEA, have variations in how white their finishes appear, so a specific paint such as Parchment White may not match every white product from the same brand. The simple solution is to bring swatches home, compare them in the room lighting, and then buy a small test pot of the swatch that looks most like a match. It’s inexpensive and saves you from buying the wrong shade.
Small paint projects are quick wins and often lead to more little updates around the house—once you start, it’s hard not to keep finding more things to tweak. But this one was an easy fix with a satisfying result: the finials now match Ed the Bed and the bedroom feels more cohesive.