Blue Paint and Antique Finds Brought Color to Our Wooded Garden

Our wooded yard takes constant work, but we enjoy sitting by the fire and making s’mores there. I brought more color into the garden and front of the house with painted chairs, antique finds, and pieces my husband made or gave me.

Blue chairs and a handmade bench

My husband built the bench a few years before these photos. I painted chairs blue and repeated that color around the yard. The outdoor colors reflect the ones I use inside the house.

I also painted oak chairs black and distressed their finish. My garden bench makeover shows another outdoor color change.

A wreath and gifts added more color

I made a whimsical wreath after seeing a similar idea on another blog. I no longer had the source name when I wrote the original post. My husband also chose a colorful birthday gift that fit the garden.

The Japanese maple and planted arbors

The Japanese maple had been a twig-sized tree when we planted it three years before these photos. One arbor, a birthday gift from my husband, held a yellow jasmine vine. Another arbor stood behind the blue chairs near the outdoor fireplace, where yellow flowers were visible from the kitchen window.

Antique-store finds and details by the fire

I found a set of three garden figures at an antique store for $5, then found a mushroom to go with them. An unusual bottle opener and copper torches added more character around the fire area.

The bench in these later photos had once been red. When that faded, I painted it black. The garden changed a piece at a time as we used what we had and found things we liked.

A discarded piece became another place for plants in my spray-painted garden display. Inside, our family room uses the same mix of color and antique finds.