Last week, Craig shared with you his quick ‘n’ dirty rehash of the paver patio that was out by the fish pond. To make the space usable for al fresco dining and general outdoor enjoyment, we set up an old glass bistro table and a couple of wooden folding chairs. It worked!
We both felt like the small table and chairs were a perfect fit for our temporary patio (eventually, we’d like to do a large paver patio surrounding the whole pond). It’s always nice when something that you already have on hand works! I’m cheap frugal, and love not having to spend cash to make a space functional. But after living with the space for a few days, we started to get the itch.
The itch for color.
Thanks to all the natural-toned flora and fauna, the brown creek gravel and the brown pavers, the dark-toned furniture was looking a bit too neutral for our vibrant tastes. We really wanted to add a pop of color to make the space a little less natural.
Enter this terra cotta tinted spray paint called “Hacienda” from our friends at Valspar.
This orangey-red was the child of compromise. I wanted to paint the brown chairs red. Craig wanted orange. And since the cornerstone of every good marriage is a willingness to compromise, we found this perfectly-middle-ground red-orange. After a hefty wipe down of the chairs and three coats of Hacienda, we certainly had that “pop” we were looking for.
Painting those suckers was a little more time intensive (and paint intensive) than I thought. I didn’t prime them, and because of that, the spray paint barely even made a dint for the first coat. Next time I’m going to paint a dark piece of furniture, I’ll buy some spray primer before digging into the color. But after some touch-ups, I was really happy with the chairs.
It’s a bit hard to tell from the photos what the true color is, so the best way I can describe it is tomato soup. It’s mostly red, but with a touch of orange and yellow. Once the whole area is complete, we have plans to use shades of blue as accents and can’t wait to see the hot chairs balance with the cool blue accents.
There are so many things I love about this color. I freaking love that the chairs match the goldfish. Is that weird? Probably, but I don’t care. It makes me happy. I also love that the color is far enough off from the brick color that it doesn’t look like we were trying to match it (which was a concern if we went with true red). I’m also digging that the color is bright, without being neon or obnoxious. Basically, this is the start of a beautiful love affair. Me + Valspar Hacienda = TRU LUV 4 EVR.
*Love* the colour! (And two things for the record: First, I didn’t even notice the blue tub in the back until the picture with the Hacienda chairs. The contrast made that colour pop out for me. AWESOME! Second? I love that the chairs match the fish. I think that’s fun.)
Hahaha, that blue tub isn’t a permanent fixture. It was just there to sit some potted plants in water during the drought. But yes! It gives a good example of what blue accents will look like with the orange.
Before I read your goldfish comment the first thing that popped into my head was “those chairs really set off the goldfish”. Ha!
Ha! I’m so glad I’m not alone.
*LOVE* that the chairs match the fishy!
I SO love that the chairs match the fish! That is so cool!
I am preparing a new classroom, so the last thing I transformed with spray paint was 20 thrift store picture frames. I took out the glass and backing and sprayed them all gold. I plan to have one bulletin board with black, faux velvet and the gold frames as my art museum wall. I can just pin the kids work inside the frame, and, voi la – fancy, special artwork!
I LOVE the color of those chairs! Awesome!