A little paint can bring a big dose of excitement to a room — even when the paint is just on the furniture.

Take the zing of the Fernwood Chest in Martha Stewart’s Opal Point collection for Bernhardt. It’s small — think bedside table. And closed, it’s quiet but sophisticated with three white fronds stenciled against a pale gray called Intaglio. Open the doors, though, and the splash of Floral Tape Green paint introduces a dimension of fun.

More furniture manufacturers are including painted pieces in their collections, and consumers are responding favorably.

A line of headboards accented with soft colors done in milk paint at Vanguard has been a hit with consumers, says Tiffany Mullis-Brittain. The look, she notes, complements the collected look in today’s homes.

Trend tracker Michelle Lamb, editor of The Trend Curve newsletter, links the rise in popularity of painted furniture to consumers’ passion for color.

“The trend toward more total color has been building for several seasons,” she says. “Now that color has become not only acceptable but preferable at all price points, the door has been opened to bringing color to wood pieces.”

Producing the pieces also has become more affordable.

“Hand painting or stenciling — the kind of work that takes an artisan — was once quite expensive,” Lamb says. “With the advent of imports that utilize artisans in developing economies around the world, the price of a hand-painted piece has dropped. Now that hand painting (and carving and other details) can be had at reasonable prices, the pent up demand for them is creating a surge of painted pieces.”

By example, the Fernwood Chest delivers a bang for its price: $550.

Tags: Bernhardt, Color, Ford, Furniture, furniture manufacturer, furniture manufacturers, Green, green paint, little paint, Martha Stewart,