I was recently at my pal Carmen’s place, and I loved what she and her fiancé, Lance, had done with their vents in the basement. They painted their air vent covers using the same red accent color they used to compliment the rest of the room decor. Red was used in small doses scattered over the room. The walls are a medium gray, and I was so impressed with how they painted the vent covers red, drawing out what usually we want hidden.

I left inspired. I have always hated the stark white vent on my bold blue wall.

With the ceiling being copper now, having a white vent is inexcusable. But since it’s so bold, what would another accent color do? The doors and my dresser are bright green, but I don’t need more of it, and not in a small dose. It would not accomplish the same thing that Carmen achieved. What I needed to do was minimize it. Indeed, hide it.

Without the cover it was even worse. Ack! I decided to paint everything blue—even the inside, so no white could be seen from any angle. If and when—wait no, let’s just jump to “when”—when I change the color of this room, I will have to paint the inside of the vent again. Guess what, though? It’s not that hard.

Since I wanted it to match the wall color, I couldn’t use spray paint. I prepped with spray primer, for better adherence. On a glossy surface like a vent it’s a must if you are going to use regular wall paint. I used a 4” roller and got in the grooves as best I could. Then I came back with a paint brush and got the deeper grooves that the roller couldn’t reach.

Since it’s at eye level for no one, paintbrush and roller marks aren’t a big deal. I still did a thorough job covering and tried to keep it neat. Since it’s a zero-traffic object, well out of reach and won’t have to be removed again until the room is repainted, I probably wouldn’t have had to prime it for the best adherence, but if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.

SO much better. I’m going to keep in mind Carmen’s red vents, and maybe I’ll have an opportunity to use the same unusual color tactic. One thing I’ve learned; just because I love something in home décor does not mean I can use it and pull it off. My space does not at this point have the necessary neutral room and need for a pop of color.