Bookend makeover: from boring bronze to crisp white

Last year, I held a quick poll on Facebook and asked whether or not I should paint my bronze equine bookends, white. Most of you said “NO”. Well, that was then and this is now. I ended up painting them knowing they would be much more versatile with a fresh coat of white paint (sorry to disappoint you poll-takers)! What a difference! The bookends now work with so many décor options. They fit in with any color combination without clashing. If you have something dated at home, consider painting it. It’s such an easy and inexpensive way to give an old object a new look. So, think twice before donating or tossing it in the in bin – you just might fall in love with it all over again.

OK, take a look and you be the judge.

Here are the bookends (one of them) before the makeover. 

Here’s how they look in white. Don’t they look stylish against the blush wall? This color is Gilman Rose, to be exact.

They certainly look chic against the blue wall too, don’t they? By the way, this pretty blue is called “Mermaid’s tale.” It looks just as nice and serene as it sounds, doesn’t it?

The biggest challenge I had when the bookends were bronze is that they clashed with other accessories and various backgrounds. For that reason, I stopped using them in our posts altogether, which was a shame since I really like decorating with books. Now that they are white, they have become one of my go-to filler accessories.

The moral of this article: if you don’t like something, paint it white. OK, I’m just kidding – maybe… I love white, and this is certainly a budget-friendly way to give new life to something old.

Directions – the paint makeover

Painting was quite easy and was done within 30 minutes:

• No prep work at all – No sanding. No priming. I know!
• Prop up the horses on a cardboard box – to make it easier to paint evenly all around.
• Let dry – use a floor fan to speed up the process if needed.
• Give a second coat, let dry and you’re done!

That’s the kind of DIY I love – low effort and high impact. Lol!

What do you think of my horses now? Do you like the bookends better in bronze or white? Don’t be afraid to hurt my feelings. Comment in the box below. 

Thanks for dropping by,

Liette Tousignant
Co-Founder of Under The Roof Decoratin