My Home Office Glow-Up

If Forrest Gump can teach us that “life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”; then I suppose the same can also be said for using mistinted paint for a DIY transformation in your home. Until you open that can and start painting, you really don’t know what you’re going to get!

I recently received the news that I was now going to be permanently working from home. Suddenly, the temporary work space that I had hastily set up for myself last fall served as a stark reminder that I would need to spruce up my surroundings or find myself feeling a little on the sad side. I was also sick of having my background blurred in virtual meetings in an attempt to hide the growing pile of junk in my basement office.

I wanted a fun and vibrant space, but I also didn’t want to spend any money on this project.

While we’re told working from home is permanent, it’s hard to imagine that as a 5- or 10- year plan. So I knew that whatever I did might just be temporary – plus my approach to paint has always been to try it; you can always change it later!

To keep costs down, I decided to take a chance and purchase some mistinted paint from Lowes and Canadian Tire. What are mistints you ask? When a customer isn’t happy with how a paint color mixes up, stores will sell these “oops” paints at a deep discount.

Using mistints is also a great way to keep the project environmentally sustainable as these paints avoid getting sent directly to the eco stations.

But, it can be a bit risky, as you have to wonder how you will make a paint that someone hated enough to return to the store look decent.

Also, I had decided I was going to use several different colours in a geometric pattern. So not only did I need colours that complemented each other, but they also generally needed to be the same kind of paint finish.

If you plan to mix colours in a pattern, consult a colour theory wheel to give you an idea of colours will go together. And if you plan to use mistints, be patient. I think it took me a couple weeks and multiple store checks to find some colours that I thought might go together.

I also made sure to use leftover paint from previous house projects as I already knew and approved of the colour, and it’s a great way to reduce paint you need to get rid of in the future.

For your next DIY paint transformation, consider using leftover paint or mistinted paint to keep your project costs down and reduce your environmental footprint.