Eclectic Living RoomEclectic Living Room, San Francisco

Get creative. You could take the room color scheme a step further and paint a piece of furniture to echo your new painting. It works particularly well if the painting is small and modest, like the one propped on this sideboard. The unusual paintwork on the furniture has created a modern, eye-catching piece that contrasts with the antique canvas. To paint a similar sideboard, work from the top down and start by painting the pale blue sky area. Let this dry, then apply the lilac. Continue working down, one color at a time, until complete.

Not content to use just one paint color, DIY expert Shannon Kaye designed and painted a stylized landscape onto the front of this vintage dresser.

this! except not painted like that!

Here's an example of using a piece of furniture as a canvas.