Outdoor seating makeover
Runway: Equinox two-seater from Barlow Tyrie
Reality: second-hand sofa with good bones.
I’ve been looking for seating for our back patio for what feels like forever. I had a very specific idea of the clean, modern look I wanted, but it was a classic case of champagne taste on a beer budget (the Equinox sofa, at top, retails for over $2000). So when I saw this old metal-framed sofa and matching lounge chair at a second-hand shop, I jumped.
I figured we could strip the pieces down to their metal frames, paint them, and refit the frames with cedar slats (the original cushions were wood-backed).
Cheaper and quicker than powder coating, RustOleum matte pewter spray paint easily covered the frames – and looks great! Cedar slats, stained with Sikkens Cetol-1 in Natural, provided a stable base that can be left outside year round, and look half decent even without the cushions.
Finally, we had cushions made (out of Sunbrella Charcoal Tweed #6007), added some throw pillows, and voila!
The lack of furniture was my final stumbling block to acheiving patio greatness. Now that it’s complete, a great many gin and tonics will be consumed there (at least until the rains start).
Check back later this week to see before and after shots of the entire patio!
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They look like a million bucks!
Comment by Jim/ArtofGardening — September 15, 2008 @ 1:00 pm
Stunning. I’ll buy them off you . . .
Comment by Martina — September 15, 2008 @ 1:21 pm
OK, that is freakin’ gorgeous. But how do you remember to bring in the cushions before the rain comes?
Comment by Karen — September 15, 2008 @ 2:34 pm
Jim – thanks! :) Fortunately, they didn’t cost us an arm and a leg, unlike the set that inspired them!
Martina – thank you. I wish SOMEONE sold something like this for under a grand. (It won’t be me, though – sorry!)
Karen – The sofa cushions can be left out – they’re made of the same foam used for boats, and Sunbrella is outdoor fabric. You can literally brush the water off. That said, we’ll probably put them in our storage locker over the winter. The lime green throw pillows are brought in every night.
Comment by Andrea Bellamy — September 15, 2008 @ 3:57 pm
Nice job!
Comment by Emma — September 15, 2008 @ 4:05 pm
oooh it looks fantastic! when did you find the time to do that?
Comment by degan — September 15, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
Thanks Em!
Degan – well, we bought the original sofa and lounger back in June! So we’ve done it over a period of a few months. And if I’m completely honest, I did very little of the manual labour. I spotted the used set, ordered the fabric online, and bought the throw pillows. Ben did the sanding and spraying and cutting and stuff. Just one more reason why we’re good together!
Comment by Andrea Bellamy — September 15, 2008 @ 5:37 pm
I am coveting your new patio furniture. Looks amazing! Wish I had them… and a nice gin & tonic too!
Comment by blomma finds — September 16, 2008 @ 8:53 am
They look aces. I love the colour. You’ve done a fabulous job.
Comment by paola — September 16, 2008 @ 10:19 am
oh, i love it! wait… i need details about how you put those cedar slats together. i’m doing the same thing to an antique bed right now and was wondering exactly how to tackle the platform!
Comment by tifanie — September 16, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
Wow! G&T’s at your place… she said anxiously awaiting the evite ; )
Comment by Tammy — September 16, 2008 @ 2:13 pm
Wow! You could go into the furniture refurbishment business! These are gorgeous (but not as lovely as your patio!).
Comment by Willi — September 16, 2008 @ 2:18 pm
In my humble opinion, these are better looking than the spendy version. Do you know about curbly.com? It is a cool site devoted to DIY projects, etc. This project would be a great addition.
Comment by ricki — September 17, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
Design*Sponge also shows off reader makeovers every Wednesday. You should definitely send this in!
Comment by Willi — September 18, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
Blomma – thanks! Come join me for a drink or two :)
Paola – thanks, hon. The colour was tough – I thought it might look too black, when what I wanted was charcoal gray. But I’m happy with how it turned out.
Tifanie – If you take a look at the photo of the frame, you’ll notice it has a small lip all the way around. We cut the slats to fit so that they’d sit on the lip, spaced them out evenly, then screwed them into pre-drilled holes. Let me know if you want more detailed instructions!
Tammy – Saturday afternoon?
Willi – Aww, thanks! Too much work to do full time though!
Ricki and Willi – I will definitely submit this. Thanks for prompting me.
Comment by Andrea Bellamy — September 18, 2008 @ 8:14 pm
This is great — exactly what I was thinking of in my mind’s eye. One clarification: did you build the sunbrella cushions or buy them? If you built them, what kind of foam did you use? Great work!
Comment by Kyle — September 23, 2008 @ 10:54 am
Kyle – we bought the fabric and then had the cushions made. I’m not sure of the exact type of foam used but I know it’s the same kind used in cushions for boats and yachts. (The lady who made them for us works in that industry.) Hope this helps!
Comment by Andrea Bellamy — September 23, 2008 @ 6:36 pm
Wow, that looks really great. You’ve inspired me!
Comment by Jean — September 25, 2008 @ 10:20 am
Saw this on Design Sponge and came by for a closer look and to find out more about the spray pain (LOVE that color)– this is such a fab re-hab! I do actually like yours better than the spendy version you based them on!!!!
Can I ask how much you spent on the cushions – materials and labor?
Comment by Stacy — November 14, 2008 @ 4:28 am
Stacy – the fabric was $100 CDN (we splurged on the good stuff). The foam and labour for the cushions was $280 CDN. The original (used) furniture set was $80. So not really a cheap project, but certainly better than the “spendier” version!
Comment by Andrea Bellamy — November 14, 2008 @ 9:42 am
Great job! Can you give us more details on the cedar slats process? I think thats the only part that really daunts me
Comment by Kim — November 24, 2008 @ 6:50 am
This is really beautiful. I love the look even without the pillows. I think the cedar wood was a great choice! Very inspiring!
Comment by mosey — April 3, 2009 @ 4:41 pm