AN OUTDOOR ROOM WEEK #5

WEEK # 5 OF THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE

 

Hey Everyone,

 

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day and the long weekend when a lot of people where able travel.

LAX had more than 78,000 passengers passing though Transportation Security Administration, on Friday alone. So good to hear this!  I know we can’t let our guard down in regard to COVID but going back to some of the old normal feels so good.

On that note, I would like to mention something I have noticed really quick before I tell you what happened in the OUTDOOR ROOM PROJECT this past week. It was still a crazy busy week and the week ahead seems to be going that way too.

Have you been out to eat at restaurants lately? I have noticed shorter menus, poor quality ingredients used for some dishes. Prices are higher and the food is just not the same. I can only imagine the reasons. The chef changed because the other chef lost his job when COVID began, as did many other people especially Restaurant industry workers. The old fresh ingredients of higher quality are now too pricey for the restaurant to keep, and keep food cost down. Hours are shorter, most restaurants near me close around 8 to 8:30pm here in SoCal. Some close at 9pm but few and far between.

Have noticed that the quality of food at restaurants has declined?

Are restaurants in your area closing earlier?

Anyway, this is concerning because am sure some restaurants will lose clientele, and this may cause many to close permanently.

 

Anyhow, back to THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE OUTDOOR PATIO ROOM.

This week we made a little more progress on the outdoor patio makeover. The Old island finally got many coats of black stain on the butcherblock, the legs and frame. We are waiting for the stain to completely dry and set before we apply a satin clear coat of polyurethane.

Remember, this piece lives outside, although under the covered patio- it will still be exposed to wear from the sun, some moisture, and of course it will be used as our go to surface when grilling.

 

THIS IS THE BEFORE OF THE ISLAND AFTER 8 YEARS OF USE DURING THE MANY GRILLING NIGHTS.

YOU ARE IN FOR A TREAT!

 

A note in respect to using stain. I found that the stain needs to be constantly stirred with a paint stick. Or perhaps shaken while the can is still closed. The actual pigment of the stain tends to settle at the bottom of the can. Not realizing this before, caused me to apply an entire coat to the top of the island that had no pigment. (insert mad face).   That caused exposing some of the wood again and leaving some light areas. I could not understand why? It was almost like wiping the stain off.

Well, there goes another 30 to 45 minutes of time wasted and additional work. I stirred the stain, then once the top was dried and applied another coat and touched up areas that needed it. Remember to stir and shake the stain often.  I feel like I knew this before but it has been years since I have stained anything myself. 

The drawer heads got the great tropical peel and stick wallpaper, and they look great. Now we have decided to add pulls to these drawers too. The drawer pulls are beautiful black, slick modern handles in a beautiful brushed black finish… and I am in love. By now you all must know how I love black and black accents are never too far from any of my concepts, unless of course the client hates it. But I find black gives other colors, whites, wood tones, and other textures that pop that is so sharp and clean looking to the eye. It is almost like drawing inside sharp lines allowing the black to frame the image. Black definitely has a place in most designs/decorating/styling projects, black is sophisticated and in my opinion a perfect option. 

 

PEEL & STICK WALLPAPER IN A BEAUTIFUL TROPICAL PATTERN WITH A SOFT PINK BACKGROUND

 

Going back to that sleek, sexy piece of hardware I am using on this project and many before.  @Schaubhardware has always sponsored my projects for the @oneroomchallenge. Their hardware is exquisite and solid. Grabbing and holding one of their pieces feels like there is substance to each piece. Lately, @schaubhardware has released a few new collections that are stunning and fresh looking. The newly released collections show new ways to add hardware stepping out the standard knob or pull,  I am so excited about these new pieces, that I intend to use in upcoming projects.

https://www.oneroomchallenge.com/blog/orcspring2021wk5

 

ADDING NEW HARDWARE CAN DO WONDERS FOR ANY PIECE, DOOR OR CABINET.

 

Speaking of hardware, I believe that hardware is the jewelry we add to a piece of furniture, a door, an appliance, to cabinets… it is amazing what a fresh coat of paint and new hardware can do for any of the above. If you want to read more about hardware, check out my blogpost https://www.seainteriordesign.com/hardware/.

 

 

Only three more weeks left and we better “girdle our loins” (line from great movie, who can guess?) and accomplish a lot in the next two weeks, this will give us a week to shoot it and and wrap it up with a stunning reveal.

Check out the whole ONE ROOM CHALLENGE progress week by week here: 

Week 1 – Week 2 – Week 3 – Week 4 – Week 5 (you are HERE!) 

Now the next for our ONE ROOM CHALLENGE Outdoor Patio Makeover: 

• Complete the Island, put it back in its place, but we are changing the orientation. We may add big heavy duty casters for easier movement.
• Spray paint some of the outdoor décor that has been worn by the sun.
• Get the seat cushions for the new patio/terrace chairs re-made. The ones included are about 1 ½” of super soft foam and totally useless. I hope the fabric for those gets here soon so I can send them to the workroom and get them on time to photograph the OUTDOOR ROOM.
• A few of the plant pots are so heavy and tend to tilt slightly due to uneven ground. So, we need to adjust those, so everything looks good.
• Tempted to add a couple of pink Flamingos around the plants. What do you think? too cheesy?
• We must replace some of the Ficus tree lights.
• Re-clean/power wash concrete or decide if we are going to paint it or not.
• I want to add a dart board and chalk peel and stick paper to the laundry room doors. This outdoor room is meant to be a fun space where we can hang out and entertain. Adding a dart board and chalk paper for the scores is going to add to the fun and disguise the ugly old doors.

(But not all the steps).

 

Ta Ta! and see you back here next week. Only 3 weeks left and loads to do.