Well, after reading every last one of the 750+ suggestions you guys left on this post (no doubt about it – there are definitely a million ways we could have gone with these guys!) and putting lots of thought into pretty much every possibility under the sun, we ended up going with our very first instinct. A chipper turquoise-y-teal tone.
So here’s the rundown of how we transformed these basic $32 stools from an online supply store.
The funny thing is that there were probably the most votes for blue from you guys too (closely followed by yellow). Although there were definitely suggestions for a ton of other options (four different colors, tones like orange/coral/purple/pink, upholstered cushions, seats painted a different color, dipped legs, an ombre effect, etc). But even before sharing our stool musings we found ourselves gravitating towards turquoise or teal. Especially since we already have green chairs that we painted and reupholstered for the office…
… and a yellow highchair for Clara that gets used in the dining room/living room (it’s not counter height, so it works better at normal tables than the kitchen peninsula, where we typically use a booster seat attached to one of our stools).
We decided not to make any final decisions until our rug arrived, and then to just follow our gut and pick a darn color already go with whatever we liked best. The truth is that a ton of other colors definitely could have worked (white cabinets & counters + gray tile + brown floors = a pretty neutral backdrop for any splash of color), so it really just came down to personal preference. I think we always would have done the “what if” thing if we hadn’t just followed our nose heart.
We love how the color relates to the dark teal built-ins in the dining room without being too matchy-matchy, and even ties into the small pops of color on the open shelves. Although I’m sort of tempted to completely white-ify the stuff on the shelves and the counters (fewer pops of yellow and blue) so the stools can really be the star – just because a lot of the kitchen photos that I’ve pinned as inspiration with colored stools don’t usually have a lot of bold pops of color all over the rest of the room (although some have a few). So I’ll keep you posted as the accessories continue to evolve in here!
In the meantime, it’s an especially great upgrade when staring at the other side of the room from the stove. Without any penny tile to the ceiling or colorful shelf accessories, this side used to look sort of bland. We love how the new stool color makes it look alive, but not too clown-car-crazy. It just feels like us.
The kitchen officially fits into the rest of our house, which has other bold pops of color going on in every room that we’ve tackled – like our teal guest room with a bright yellow rug, our gray living room with a bright green rug, our pink nursery with bold floral curtains, our stenciled office with green chairs and multicolored art, our gray-blue bedroom with a teal and charcoal rug, and our gray dining room with green curtains and dark turquoise built-ins.
And ultimately it was freeing to realize that the worst that could happen if we didn’t like our choice was that we’d repaint. Although I’ll admit that I’m very thankful that we like them this way (this wasn’t exactly a ten minute project). Haha. And luckily the veneer-ish brown seat took the new coat of paint really well, so the whole chair looks even and feels nice and durable. We opted to paint the brown part of the seat the same color just to keep things graphic and simple (we feared they might get too busy-looking with a brown seat and a blue painted frame).
One of our favorite views of them is this one, which used to look sort of flat with the stools in their gray-with-brown-seats state…
… but now looks cheerful and less monochromatic to color lovers like us (thanks to those hot little turquoise gams).
Even the view into the dining room makes a lot more sense in person (now that the stools tie into the subtle pops of turquoise in the ikat curtains). It used to be dull with eight brown dining chairs in the background and four gray stools with brown seats in the foreground, so it’s nice to have broken things up a bit more with some color to set the stools apart. And someday we’ll figure those dining room chairs out once and for all. Haha.
But I doth jabber on. Here’s how I got ‘er done.
1) I roughed them all up with 300 grit sandpaper. Just to give them a little tooth so they’d be more durable for the long-haul.
2) I used a liquid deglosser to remove all that sanding dust and further ready them for primer and paint (I like how it looks like I’m thumbless in both this photo and the one above it). We use a no-VOC deglosser called Crown’s Next that we got from Home Depot a while back for a few bucks.
3) I sat them out in the yard on an old tarp and some cardboard (so their legs wouldn’t sink into the grass so they could be sprayed evenly).
4) I misted them with very thin coats of spray primer until they had a nice even coverage (we generally love spraying metal since it takes paint really well – especially if it’s sanded, deglossed, primed, and painted in thin and even coats). You can check out some general spray painting tips of ours here.
5) I misted them with very thin coats of spray paint until they had nice even coverage. We went with Tropical Oasis by Valspar in a gloss finish (we liked that it had a fair amount of gray in it, while some other teal options looked a little too bright for us without any muted undertones to tie them into things like our gray wall of tile and our new scalloped rug). We applied around five super thin and even coats, beginning on the next coat pretty much as soon as the first one was done (light misty applications like that hold really well and don’t drip or peel like thicker ones tend to do).
6) I left them outside in the sun for 24 hours (after checking to be sure there was no rain in the forecast) so they could off-gas and cure up. Next they got brought into the sealed-off sunroom for another two full days, just so they could continue to cure up and let out any fumey smells before they were allowed into the house. Then finally (those few days felt like years of waiting) we got to bring them back into the kitchen and see how they looked. They should hold up for a nice long time (painted metal, when done correctly, can look great for decades). We’ll definitely keep you posted on how these guys do over time.
And now for a budget breakdown:
- 3 cans of primer + 3 cans of spray paint = $29
- 300 grit sandpaper and liquid deglosser = $0 (already owned, but they might run you $6 if you have to buy ’em)
- TOTAL: $29 (which meant each of my $32 stools got a $7 upgrade)
I totally think people would spend way more than $39 a pop for these chipper little stools at a furniture store. So, yay. As for a time breakdown…
- Sanding and deglossing them all = 1 hour
- Priming them all = 1.5 hours
- Painting them all = 1.5 hours
- TOTAL: Four hours (obviously with time in between steps since I primed during one Clara-nap and painted during another).
Speaking of the bean, Clara actually stopped to pet one and say “blue stool! so pretty! like a princess!” right after we brought them in. No idea why she equates blue stools with princesses, but we’ll take it. I gotta say that the kitchen finally feels semi-complete. Huzzah! And I might be imagining things, but proofing 352 pages of book layouts (not exaggerating) on our upgraded stools was a little less of a grind for some reason.
Maybe they have magical happy powers?
What have you guys been upgrading with paint or primer these days? Have you ever used a liquid deglosser? We used to be so scared of it since they seemed like it’d be fumey and burn your fingers off, but we love the stuff we use (and it has yet to remove my fingerprints – although it might have taken off my thumb for a few pics).
Mandy says
OMG perfect color!! As much as I loved your old house, this house just totally makes it for me with all the colors you have going on. Keep it up Petersiks!!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Mandy!
xo,
s
Christi Hitch says
Just Curious….why you advertise FLOR all the time but didn’t consider it for your rug?
YoungHouseLove says
We used Flor tiles in our first house’s basement and loved them there, so we’re actually planning to use some in our basement redo if we can! We love our sponsors for the support that they give our site, but we don’t show favoritism by buying things only from them because that would be weird and “slanted” of us. We love to keep it real and just buy whatever we’d buy even if we didn’t have a blog! Hope that makes sense.
xo
s
Laurel J. says
Those stools look awesome! I just used the exact same color on a little table redo this past weekend:
http://pinterest.com/pin/49891508342359130/
YoungHouseLove says
No way! I love it!
xo,
s
Heather W says
Me too Laurel! I just did a redo on a little table using this same color too Wow… Makes me feel good to know that great minds think alike… I am YHL approved!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it you guys!
xo,
s
Jenn R. says
Looks good! I think it was a great choice, it adds just the right pop!
Sandy A says
Love this color—and liked you painted the seats too. As usual, everything looks wonderful in your home!! Great post on painting and curing too–Waiting is the hardest part…
Candice says
I just want to say that the teal was a great choice! It looks absolutely amazing! I think the pops of colour on the shelf look great with them and I love how they coordinate with the bookshelves. Great job! Cannot wait til your book comes out! :)
Robin says
I didn’t like the grey color at all. When I saw that you had bought them I said, “well, they’ll spray paint them soon enough” and now you have and they are beautiful!
Casey @ wafflingdesign says
Love it! I just painted my shoe dresser to make my front hall more cheerier!!
http://wafflingdesign.blogspot.ca/2012/06/good-girls-finish-rast-part-iii.html
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo,
s
Becky says
YAY!!!!!! I can’t TELL you how much the original metal bothered me and I ADORE your kitchen! Props to you for living with them for so long. And since teal is hands down my favorite color. I am personally pleased as punch with your selection. Perfection. Now the space feels resolved. Ahhhhh.
sinika says
Love how they turned out! I need to use more spray paint in my life :)
Colleen in MA says
Turquoise was my pick … feel like I won the lottery LOL Enjoying the recaps of your thought processes with the stools and also the rugs. A good reminder of the value of living with stuff for a while before diving in with a decorating choice. And I appreciate the work that goes into those kind of posts. As someone who has to train others at my job, I know it’s not easy to have to stop and think about writing about what you were thinking … o.O
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Colleen!
xo,
s
Holly says
I LOVE the stools turquoise!!! They coordinate perfectly in the space & adjacent rooms! The kitchen looks great. I was quietly rooting for turquoise, I love it. :)
Erin C. says
AWESOME. They look so good!
Fiona says
Love those stools! Great job
I’m really loving all the bright cheery colors you guys are using!
Courtney says
I was so excited to see the title of this post! (might have taken part in the -paint your stools!- commenting frenzy) They look great, and they definitely inspire me to try this out on my own dining table chairs.
Also, I pre-ordered the YHL book, and I can’t wait to get it this fall!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Courtney!
xo,
s
Autumn says
LOVE! I love color, but for some reason I am having a terribly hard time adding color to my new home! Wish you could come give me some suggestions! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, my suggestion is just go for it. Take a risk and see what you think! You can always repaint things! Maybe start slow with colorful curtains, rugs, and pillows (which can be returned if you don’t like them) and then move on to painting furniture?
xo,
s
joni tyrrell says
love.
Andrés & Candice says
I love how in this photo: http://images.younghouselove.com.s3.amazonaws.com/2012/06/kitchen-stools-straight-on.jpg
you can see the yellow high chair, the gorgeous stools, and the green office chairs.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha- it’s true!
xo,
s
Alanna says
the stools look great! LOVE the color! i used the same tropical oasis color last fall to update an antique chalkboard easel for my daughter (http://alanna-wendt-to-tennessee.blogspot.com/2011/08/childrens-chalkboard-easel.html). it’s just such a bright and fun color… can’t help but smile when you see it!
YoungHouseLove says
So cute! Love the book pages too!
xo,
s
April says
Sooo LOVE!!!!!
Kelsey says
What kind of booster seat do you have for Clara to use on the stools? We just bought the same stools for our new kitchen… thanks for the inspiration! And we’re expecting our first baby. So, I’d love to know what to get. Love the color!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s just a cheap-o Fisher Price with a white back and a red tray. Not cute, but it has great snaps to keep it nice and secure. We have used it since we got these stools without any issues!
xo
s
Eileen says
I think Clara is onto something! I see Cinderella in the last pic with the “blue dress”/stools and “yellow hair”/flowers.
Someone sounds like they’re trying to hint they want to go to Disney World!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahaha, hilarious!
xo,
s
Eileen says
oh, and I love the stool color, it’s perfect!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Eileen!
xo,
s
Jill Stigs says
They look great! I can just hear Clara telling kids on the playground………and every time I wake up, something is cooler and different in my house!! LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s pretty much what she has come to expect. I think sometimes she walks around to play “spot the differences while I slept.”
xo,
s
Heather says
Ahhh! I spray painted my dining room chairs the same exact color two months ago!
I was so nervous because it seemed so bold, but I love the way it turned out.
Is it totally lame that I feel cool for choosing the same color as you? Haha!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, not lame at all! I love it!
xo,
s
Teresa @ wherelovemeetslife says
You guys knocked this one out of the park! Great color… and it is perfect for the room. And the nice thing is if you decide you want to change it up at some point you can!!
Whitney says
Looks great!
I was initially team paint-the-circular-part-of-the-seat-a-different-color (we had a very long team name; hard to chant) but you guys were right! All over color looks best. Especially THAT color!
YoungHouseLove says
Bwahahahaha, I’m dying at “we had a very long team name; hard to chant” – hahahahahaha.
xo,
s
meganleiann says
Love it! They add so much DEPTH!
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
That blue is perfect Sherry! We used liquid deglosser on our cabinets and I’ll admit I too was a bit worried about it burning the skin off our fingers.
Meredith says
Love them!!
I just can’t get past the fact that spray painting quickly creates so many metal cans in landfills… otherwise I’m sure there would be tons of spray painted objects all over my house, too!
YoungHouseLove says
We take our cans to the recycling area here in our city! They take the spray cans (and it’s not usually recommended to throw them away since the paint is bad for the environment if it leeches into landfills/water sources, etc)!
xo,
s
Meredith says
Well, I stand corrected.
According to http://earth911.com/, it appears there are several recycling centers for aerosol cans. I thought a container that held any paint could gunk up recycling machinery, but they must be able to handle it.
Now I have no excuse not to get my spray paint on. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, it’s pretty nice to just save up a bunch of cans and run them over at once!
xo,
s
Meredith says
oops, your reply to my reply just showed up on my page. you are fast! :)
this is insanely exciting to me. what to paint, what to paint…
Meredith says
argh, your reply to my *comment* is what i meant to say.
Maureen says
Wow! Those look really great. A nice glossy, smooth finish. You guys are the business with spray paint. You’re inspiring me to bust out some spray paint. Last time I got too drippy. Gotta follow your tips this time!!
Erin says
i’m in love! well done!
Lauren says
I totally love these! I was thinking about them all yesterday! Like, oh man I can’t wait until J & S show what the stools look like! Hello Spray Paint… I love you. You’re so magical!
Christina S. says
Love the color! Although I was a little sad the FB post showed the chair and ended the surprise I was anticipating.
In addition to your talent w/ dollhouses, I think you guys need your own line of YHL spray paint, you can call it “Thin and Even Coats” haha, I always know when there is some spray painting action that term will be used :) June superlative award: Most Used Saying: painted in thin and even coats.. since starting YHL this term has been used X amount of times.. I’d love to know!
YoungHouseLove says
Bwahahah, we do need a Thin & Even line of spray paint and a High & Wide line of curtain rods. Hahaha.
xo,
s
tae says
total home run! they look so great! i wish i had your spray painting prowess.
i actually had the opposite reaction about the shelves — i think you should add more large pops of color to vertically balance the lovely bright stools.
you guys are the best! can’t wait to order the book!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s another fun idea! I could go all Jonathan Adler on them and pack them with color!
xo,
s
annabelvita says
I totally agree! LIke this pin http://pinterest.com/pin/104005072615058459/ – I also would love to see more dark chunky would on the shelves to tie in the cork floor.
Love the stools!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that kitchen!
xo,
s
Kelly says
I was hoping you’d go somewhere in the blue family. They look awesome! I can’t even tell you guys how much your blog has inspired me.. I’ve done my kitchen cabinets, painted a wingback chair, and just the past weekend painted my front door a deep teal.. all thanks to your step-by-step instructions :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Kelly! That’s so sweet!
xo,
s
Karen says
Looks great! :) Love the turquoise!
What kind of lens(es) do you use? I just bought a Nikon D5100 and am trying to decide what lenses to buy. I know that you guys have a Nikon as well, and I love your photos.
YoungHouseLove says
We just use the stock lens on our Nikon D3000 and sometimes use a 50 mm lens for detail shots. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
emilymarion says
LOVE. LOVE. LOVE THEM.
janetl says
I really like them! I feel like they pull in the blue from the pool picture.
janie says
I’m so pleased you guys have taken the advice on sanding and deglossing and priming before spray painting. I know it’s a ton more work, but really, the results in terms of durability really make up for it.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’ve been sanding and deglossing and priming major things forever! We need these chairs to take a beating! Smaller items like a decorative chicken might not get that much prep work from us, but for major furniture items we go the extra mile! Haha.
xo,
s
Kate says
Love, love, love them! Congratulations on making the color decision and following through – always the hardest part! Your kitchen is so bright and cheery. It’s hard to remember the cave it started out as. I really appreciate your design eye – you know when something is too much and when it needs a little more. Good job!
Amy says
LOVE!! Great choice! Maybe light grey/silver for the dining room chairs?
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s another fun possibility!
xo,
s
Debra D says
Love these! I really like how it coordinates with the dining room curtains and the color on the back of the bookshelves!! Very, very nice!
ruthy says
excellent choice of color! it really makes the whole space pop!!?
Laura says
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! No doubt you just made the House of Turquoise blogger swoon. ha ha. Those chairs look fantastic. Enjoy! I had actually thought an orange would be fun, but turquoise pulls it all together.
Amy in PA says
LOVE!!!!
Lori says
I’m so happy with went with this color! It looks great and fun! I think you should still keep some blue accessories on the open shelves – they really tie everything together.
Do you recommend using liquid deglosser before painting for other types of projects besides metal – for example a wooden front door?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we deglossed our front door before we painted it!
xo,
s
Robin @ our semi organic life says
I’ve heard of people going to auto body shops to get large metal pieces like this painted. I wonder how much ‘better’ that is compared to your thorough technique.
YoungHouseLove says
I really think it’s a toss up since I hope these guys last a few decades and automotive paint should have the same staying power.
xo,
s
Sherri says
LUUUUUUUURRRRRRRVVVVVEEEEE!! This room is getting happier and happier! Kudos to you for sticking to your guns and waiting to make a decision on the stools. Your patience is inspiring. :)
Another great thing about your kitchen is that if you want a change later down the road, you could easily switch out a few accessories on your awesome open shelves and spray a new color on those stools and it would feel like a totally different room.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so true! Maybe every ten years I’ll give them a new color!
xo,
s
Gina says
You picked the perfect color! The stools look fantastic (pretty like a princess)! I love the pop of color looking across the room. Great job.
Katie says
So fun! I voted for yellow, but the blue just works! What a happy kitchen :)