Sunday 4 June 2017

Garden Chair Makeover with Sporty Colors + Retro Bunting



Summer and outdoor space to decorate, what a great opportunity to play with colors you would not usually mix in your indoor decor. The minute I saw my red retro table on thrift shop I was in love. Color was bright and glossy like a hot summer day. Ever since it has been accompanied by two basic plain white chairs. This spring the chairs looked like they have been one winter too many in the cold and rain. Paint was dripping and metal parts were rusty. Poor old chairs yelled color. I chose intense colors that would match for the table. 

As I wrote on my last post about mosaic pots, my balcony theme of the year is colorful camping. This very broad theme allows me to use as many colors as I want to and put together a fun collection of kitschy items. Chairs and table form a nice 60s / 70s inspired entity that connects stylishness with unprejudiced approach towards color combinations. When I got the chairs finished Sean Connery 007 in Goldfinger came to my mind. You know that scene when he comes to the pool wearing light blue playsuit? These chairs would fit to that scene perfectly. To make the chairs work as a pair and to highlight the sporty colors I swapped two boards with each other. This way the chairs got personalized and more interesting look.



To the chair makeover you will need:

Two old chairs
Spray paint in three colors
Tool to scratch off the old dripping paint
Sanding paper (+machine)
Safety glasses, mask and gloves


Step 1. Scratch off the dripping paint. Chairs that I was working with were mostly worn out from the sitting part. Back pieces were in good shape so I didn't force the paint off.


Step 2. Sand the wooden parts. I let the paint that was stack to be and just sanded it a little bit.


Step 3. Screw off the wooden parts.


Step 4. Spray paint the metal parts with white. For wooden parts use blue spray paint for one chair and yellow to the other. Let dry properly.

Step 5. Swap similar, but different colored, wooden boards to get a fun stripe to the back. Attach the wooden parts.



I also made a fun retro bunting from old 50s-70s pennants. I found the pennants from a thrift shop and wondered if they would cope outdoor in different weathers. Well, I bought transparent plastic fabric (3€/meter) and sew the pennants inside the bunting flags. If you don´t want to use pennants you can use fabric scraps or choose a plastic fabric that is not transparent.



To the retro bunting you will need:

Pennants or fabric triangles
Transparent plastic fabric
Sewing yarn
String


Step 1. Fold one side of the fabric so that the pennants fit in. Draw 1 cm sewing allowance around the pennant. Leave a 1,5 cm space to the fold for the string.


Step 2. Sew around following the pennant's lines.


Step 3. Thread the string to the fold. Put tape around the string to make the threading easier. Make rest of the flags similarly. 




Yesterday I was bold enough to buy few flowers. Weather forecasts promise real summer at the end of the next week! The minute the thermometer hits +20 C I am outside with sunglasses and cold lemonade. After all, summer consist of little drops of sun to cherish and large piles of cold and rain to deny when it happens.



Now it is just to wait for the summer weathers! Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Sannu

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