These are ideas I want to try in our yard. I took the pictures last year on Buffalo's Garden Walk. While I am all into the whole blue and yellow garden thing (just search on the Majorelle Morocco -- thank you Vix...), I also have a thing for flat black. The mat shown here is that typical "by the foot" rubber stuff you find in home and garden stores. The owner told me she dropped flat glass floral disks on her way out of the house one day. After a few landed in the holes, she knew it was a great idea to fill it up all of the way.
This planter combination is my idea of flat black perfection for planting. There is something classy about matte black. One project I am dying to try, is to spray paint a couple of cheap pink plastic flamingos I picked up at the dollar store last year. I've wanted to do that since last summer, but have not had the time. I'm doing it this year for sure!
This checks two boxes for me... the flat/matte black box as well as the architectural element box. I love artful dilapidation. Of course, having lived in a huge old brick house, that's my thing too. Putting it all together is the bomb for me.
We have an old black iron gate which was removed when we gave our house a face lift, which I had saved for our garden. However, I have offered it to our new neighbors. They are nice people and bought a badly done flip. I had offered the gate to the flipper to put on the house, but he said he had another property to use it on, so I retracted the offer. I think he was going to sell it.
Turns out my new neighbor works in a fabricating shop. Not only does he deserve this beautiful old gate, the gate deserves him. He will be able to strip all of the paint off and refinish it. A friend can help him size it if necessary, however, I think that since all of our houses fit uniformly on their small lots, not much retrofitting will be needed.
Yes, I love ruin and dilapidation, but also think quality restoration is a good thing too. The old gate is a wonderful piece that few people I know could afford to have custom made today (which it was at the time). I really like the idea that it is going to get a new lease on life. I can't wait to see its new beautiful black finish once it's done.
It's good to be Back in Black!
Nice of you to offer the gate to your new neighbor. I have a bunch of things that need spray painting flat black, yet another project on my list. Our business hasn't really slowed except new inquiries for another month or two at least so they will have to wait for now.
ReplyDeleteThey don't know it, and I won't confess, but I have the fireplace grate and screen from when the house was in foreclosure. The gate is much bigger, but I know it's a good swap because it feels like the right thing to do!
DeleteI love the old. Not only are they sometimes free or cheap, but there are often flourishes that would be too expensive or not even available today. I dragged a table from a junk pile--metal and plastic top. It about killed me to drag it where Tommy could pick it up and put it in the trunk. Once I caught my breath the next day, I started looking at it. It is not a modern light table, and the plastic top is actually glass! Now, the painted table is so rusty and rough that I cannot even sit at it a bit without getting cut by the rusty metal. Then, for $1 I purchased another that is more decorative, smaller and less rusty. I am going to put one in the back and one at the front of the house. Now, to find chairs. Those will be new. I love the pictures. I had old things painted black at my house. HAD, now stolen.
ReplyDeleteStolen? Bummer and I am sorry. When you get a collection and someone else takes it from you, it hurts a lot. I am a garbage picker, especially now that I have the big station wagon. I'm slightly hampered by the large riding mower in our garage, but we're storing it for the neighbor that stores our Benz over the winter. Once that's out, I'll become a spray-painting fool again!
DeleteThat's freaky! Guess what I did yesterday? I spray painted (or rather, Jon did) a rusting birdcage matt black!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love that doormat idea, I'm going to have to copy that at Stonecroft.
How kind of you to offer your neighbour that lovely gate, I wish I lived next door to you.
Those flamingos would look cool sprayed black. We use spray paint from the car spares shop, it's much cheap than the stuff specifically for decorating. xxx
Very freaky is that I actually spent yesterday spray and brush painting my kitchen island black. And I would love to have you and Jon as my neighbors!
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