Friday, June 29, 2012

Project: dinner al fresco


You may have read my post on the disappointing outdoor umbrella from World Market. I returned that umbrella and they were very nice about the return without a receipt. I did a lot of looking for an orange (not rust) umbrella that had a crank mechanism.
No luck.
So I settled for blue, making my outdoor color scheme blue and white and orange. Ballard Designs had the best price on a 9 foot umbrella ($199) and it also had an auto tilt feature.


The pole and fabric part were separate and had to be put together. Not a difficult task but I procrastinated for nearly a week.


The quality is far superior to the previous umbrella. So far we are very pleased with this Ballard umbrella.

 It is generally windy where I live so this tie feature is helpful.


I did have one "heart attack" moment. My outdoor set is vintage and I really love the smaller scale but for a second I thought the umbrella pole was too big for the hole in the table. Luckily, it is simply snug.


I have slowly been repainting each piece. It is a bit rusty. My goal is to get the chairs finished this week. The dining table is done. The side tables and bench above will have to wait.

I realize that my deck will never be on the pages of a shelter mag but I am so glad that this year it will be useable thanks to the umbrella.
Now I am on the hunt for accessories that won't blow away or melt.
Any ideas?

 I don't totally hate World Market for the umbrella fiasco so I was thinking this Garden seat might work. Its on sale too.
Maybe cork placemats?


I have scoured Home goods and other stores to no avail.
I found this fab beast for $30 at Lowe's

I hope to have the whole thing zhushed and styled in a few more days but I am having a hard time finding the supposedly fashionable Tangerine Tango anywhere.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it amazing that the most popular color for this year, Tangerine Tango is nowhere to be found! Go figure.

Enjoy your weekend!

Unknown said...

Love it! Hey, you need one of WM's outdoor rugs under that bench? Love the metal garden seats, but do they get boiling hot to the touch in this blazing sun? I was in WM yesterday and right now they are loading to the brim with cool outdoor stuff.
Have a great weekend.
xo Nancy
Powellbrowerhome.com

Woodside Park said...

I love Nancy's idea about adding an outdoor rug! Umbrella looks great, Kerry. The blue looks fabulous with the orange....happy & summery. Have a great weekend....hope you all didn't lose power.
Loi

Reggie Darling said...

Very nice! I commiserate on your porch furniture painting project. We painted every bit of our iron furniture and urns a couple of years ago. It was a mammoth undertaking. I am dreading the repainting of it that is rapidly approaching. . . Reggie