My tiny, but now color cohesive, finished patio

Here is my latest finished project: my patio, just a little slice of outside for us and the kids - as evidenced by the sandbox in the right hand corner (really quite a life saver for me as it can occupy them for a while : ) ).

While I was trying to make the chandelier work, or place it on Craigslist, as it only fits outside, I also wanted to create colour cohesion throughout my small space, following the interior to allow the eye to travel outdoors. To achieve this, paint was needed! Items that were black had to lighten, so I painted the Ikea Noresund table grey. I used Tremclad grey primer. My thought was if grey wasn't it, then I could go with white on top. But, it turns out, I like the dull grey.

My inspiration for a grey table came from one of Judith Wilson's fantastic books, The Natural Home:

Particularly this metal table from Wilson's book:

Et voila, here is my table, along with breakfast and coffee. The dish is Ikea, and the cup is from my new favourite line of Sophie Conran Portmerion pottery. I love the texture the pottery. It feels like its just thrown off the wheel.




The plant stand after 15 years is beginning to rust and needed a face lift. Here it is before. But I did not use metal paint - especailly spray paint - that was an unenjoyable toxic experience. So, I just mixed some blue and white latex for a chipped, beachy feel. I won't mind if it chips some more. Who knows, maybe next summer I'll paint it another colour? At any rate, I think I've achieved some colour flow, and that crazy chandelier works a bit better than before.