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Health and Beauty

Paint a set of stools

Pretty pastel paints give a set of plain kitchen stools a contemporary revamp

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More patterns

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What you will need

• Wooden stools
• Sandpaper
• Ruler or tape measure and pencil
• Masking tape
• Paintbrush or small roller
• Water-based eggshell paints

1. If the wood is varnished, rub down gently with a piece of sandpaper. Sand two thirds of the way down the legs only, as the bottom thirds will be left unpainted.

2. Using a tape measure or ruler, measure the height of the legs, divide that number by three and mark the point on each leg that is one third up from the bottom.

3. Wrap a strip of masking tape around each leg at the pencil mark, ensuring the top edge of the tape always meets your mark. Keep the masking tape straight so it lines up at the same point when the two ends overlap. Press down the tape securely.

4. Using a paintbrush or a small roller, apply a coat of one of the paints to a stool. Paint down the legs, stopping just after the top edge of the masking tape.

5. Leave to dry as instructed on the tin and then apply another coat.

6. Once dry, peel back the masking tape gently to reveal a crisp painted line.

7. To protect the seat from scratches, you could cover it with a clear varnish such as Yacht Varnish, £13.30 for 750ml, International Paints.

8. Repeat steps four to seven with different paints for all your stools. Team them with a white tablecloth and plain, bright crockery for a colour-block effect.

Frosta stools, £7.99 each, Ikea. Painted in Lulworth Blue dead flat, £21 for 750ml, Farrow and Ball; Leather and Cupboard Green intelligent eggshell, both £19 a litre, Little Greene. Haveli Chevron rug, £695 for 270cm x 180cm, The Rug Company. Similar tablecloth, Volga linen. Summer brights bowls, £5 each; Playnation carafe, £14; all John Lewis. Pink vase from a selection at Bloomingville

Words and styling: Alaina Binks. Photo: Mark Scott