Paint Freshens Up the Courtyard Bench

I have loved owning our Lutyen bench  (similar one here) in the courtyard.  It is comfortable to sit on and is nice to look at.  Those are both win-wins when we’re talking about a bench.  The bench is made of teak which is supposed to age naturally in the elements.  Well, ours aged just as expected, but I just am not crazy about that weathered look.  I decided to paint it black so it will fit in with the rest of the black furniture we have out there.  You might remember that the courtyard section of the Ralph Lauren restaurant in Paris has always been my inspiration for our own courtyard. Ralph’s benches are sealed with a natural finish.  I love that look, but the black will be better in our space.  I debated about black paint versus black stain, but after talking to the man at Home Depot, I decided to use black paint to freshen up the courtyard bench.

 

 

I took these photos one morning right after I hosed down the courtyard brick and furniture.  Water is still beading on the bench, and I love how it glistens.

 

Painting the bench was an easy process but somewhat time consuming.  I scrubbed the bench really well to remove any mold, dust, bird droppings, etc.  After washing it, I let it air dry for a few days so it would be ready for the paint.  Then I painted on two coats of semi-gloss outdoor paint, and that is all there was to it.

 

 

 

This is what the bench looked like before.

 

 I just love being in the courtyard.  It gets the afternoon sun so the best time of the day to be in it is before noon.

 

 It takes less than half an hour each morning to water the flower pots, pull any weeds, sweep up fallen leaves, snip some herbs for cooking later in the day, and hosing it down.

 

 

My 90-year-old mother struggles to keep up her massive flower gardens on her two acres in the country, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

 

I told her this morning that our courtyard offers me all of the gardening stimulation I need.

 

 

I have a place for evergreen shrubs, a few trees, flowering annuals, and an herb garden.

 

 

There’s a place for eating our meals.

 

 

And the nicest thing about it is time to go away, I don’t have to spend a lot of time getting the outdoors ready for us to be away.  It is pretty much self-sufficient.

 

 

I am so happy with the black bench and the way our courtyard is looking this year.  Everything is lush because of all of the rain we have had, and the birds stop by for a drink and then leave.  It is just a special little place.

 

Take care.