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).
Paula M. says
Wow! Looks great!
I have to say, I thought even the original color looked good – I thought it went with the penny tile and the appliances, etc. — but this is a vast improvement.
LOVE the way the blue ties in with the built-ins in the next room and with some of the dishware in the kitchen, and of course, blue goes well with gray (penny tile, appliances, etc.)
Great choice! .. and an adorable response by Clara.
(thank god it wasn’t the yellow or the assortment of colors; those ideas were freaking me out, LOL)
brandi says
Beautiful! Such a great color! You guys have such a lovely home!
Meghan D says
They look great! Just wanted to say that I am a huge fan. I found your website a couple months ago and I went back to the very first post and I read every single one… just finished! You guys are so inspiring, keep up the great work :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Meghan! That’s so sweet!
xo,
s
Kati H says
Sherry,
The stools look great. I just did a little Reader’s Digest of your last few posts (Stools, Rugs, Superlatives, Deck…) and I am certain you are going to be enjoying that Deck on Independence Day.
Can you tell me how you 1. Get motivated and 2. Manage time? I want to do all sorts of things and procrastination or lack of cahones keeps me from achieving what clearly is possible- look at everything you guys do in a month!
YoungHouseLove says
I think the thing to remember is that we’re two people (not just one) and this is our full time job (not just a hobby)! So we don’t just do it for fun, we do it to feed our family. Haha. But with that being said, it really is our idea of fun, so we got pretty lucky. But it does mean that we can’t take breaks. Or we wouldn’t have posts. Which would be bad! That probably explains why we take on giant projects over Christmas every year (haha). So in order to keep our momentum up we try to tackle something small between something big (so we’re not burning out on a lot of big things in a row) and we like to hop all over and do whatever sounds like the most fun (instead of sticking with one space and getting frustrated, we’ll switch gears if we feel the urge).
As for time management, we basically have a desk-job and a toddler all day, so one of us is on Clara-duty and one of us is writing posts, sizing pics, coordinating giveaways and sponsors, and answering comment questions. This means that the majority of our projects are done at night after she goes to bed at 7:30 (although sometimes I can squeeze things in during her nap time) so thank goodness we’re night owls! Haha. I wouldn’t say we’re great at time management, we just work nights and weekends and even on vacation to get ‘er done! But oddly enough, there’s nothing else we’d rather be doing!
xo,
s
KathyG says
I do think you guys are good at picking a particular project and then sticking to it. I know you bounce around, big little, one room another, but for the actual project itself, you pick one and finish it. I think that’s a good lesson too.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks KathyG! I think the truth is that none of our rooms are ever done, so if we stayed on the kitchen to the end (didn’t move outside in the spring or start planning the deck before doing things like finding a rug and spraying the stools) we might not have had the patience to wait for the right rug to come along and really think through the stool color, you know?
xo,
s
Brenda says
I love it!! You should definitely make little cushions to go on the stools to make them a little more comfy.
I’ve been wanting to paint my daughter’s dresser for a while, but no one seems to know what kind of paint would work so it’s been a delayed project. Eventually we’ll figure it out, hopefully!
Misty says
OMG! I love how these turned out! I think the blue was the best choice for sure! I think my project for the weekend will be tackling the ugly gold hardware on our banister running upstairs. I’m thinking that nice rubbed bronze you’ve used in the past! It will be my very first spray project!
Alli says
Love them. I voted yellow but I think I was wrong. I love them this color.
Melissa says
I am SOOO glad you picked that color! It was my favorite to begin with. Nice to see how it made the room come alive.
Heather Gearhart says
You guys have totally inspired me to be a bit more bold with color! I find myself reading your posts and then trying to figure out what I can make pop in my own house. I was going to make my dining chairs black, but am choosing to go with some sort of color now that I have seen the past few posts you have done. :)
The teal looks great and I can’t wait to see what you do next!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Heather! That’s so sweet. All the best of luck with those chairs!
xo,
s
Morgan says
Very nahce!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Morgan!
xo,
s
Erin says
Loving the new chair colour! I, too, was questioning these stools but with their new snappy upgrade, they look awesome!
What is the brown part made of (not metal?) and did the spray paint cover it well?
YoungHouseLove says
It was sort of like a veneer! It did cover well after I sanded, deglossed, and primed (did the same thing to the seat as the chair). Thank goodness!
xo,
s
Kristina says
WOW, the stools are great!! I don’t think you need to remove the pops of color on the shelves at all, they all tie in nicely with the blue!! That being said, I do think the pops of color on the counter by your swimming lady could stand to be moved. It’s almost too much to look at right there. I think the color on the shelves works a lot better because it’s further away. I know it will end up looking perfect no matter what you end up doing though!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, I totally agree! I can’t wait to play around with them.
xo,
s
Kristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating says
What a fantastic color! Looks terrific! On another note, I’m incredibly jealous of all that natural light you have flooding through your windows.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kristi! It really helped to limb up the magnolia out front! When that was down to the ground it blocked the whole front of the house and no light came in from that window in the dining room!
xo,
s
Kylie says
I really love these! Perfect turquoise too! I have a buffet and a sofa table in my home painted the same color by Valspar, and I love it! It is totally the perfect turquoise. Thank you for sharing these awesome photos, I love the stools!
Kylie says
These stools are awesome. Perfect turquoise too! I have a buffet and a sofa table in my home painted the same color by Valspar, and I love it! It is totally the perfect turquoise. Thank you for sharing these awesome photos, I love the stools!
Amanda says
I have a question: I live down in Norfolk, very close to the water, and it’s usually pretty breezy at my house. When I spray paint things I usually have very little control over where the paint winds up and it’s difficult to use your “a ton of super-thin, even coats” method. Any suggestions? Thanks – and the stools look fantastic!
YoungHouseLove says
I would see if there’s a place you can go with sort of a wind block (ex: the side or front of your house instead of the back if the wind is blowing in from the back to the front). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jessica says
Absolutely LOVE the new color. Digging the chairs big time. Before ehh not so much. Great job!
jenn says
I was ever so excited when the clock struck 2 to come back and read todays afternoon post. Then I remembered it’s Wednesday. You help me get through my loooong work days!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Jenn! We do have a new post up over on Young House Life if that helps. Haha.
xo,
s
Cathy says
They are perfect! Love the blue color. I recently bought a can of this and used it on a couple things. Love it!! I am thinking that Clara associates the blue as pretty and princess as pretty, therefore …
Wondering if you think these stools would hold up outside if painted with an exterior spray paint? I just got a huge spool (from electrical cable) which I plan to do over into an outside table. I think these stools would fit and look great around it. I think they would hold up well if painted with an exterior spray paint. Any thoughts?? The company you purchased from still sells them (although $5 higher per stool), but still a great deal in comparison.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny about the stool price hike! As for holding up outside, metal does really well outside when it’s spray painted so as long as you can spray into all the little cavities I think they’d do fine! You might have to re-spray them every few years if some of the seams get rusted or weathered, but metal chairs with outside spray paint usually do a lot better than indoor wood chairs with outdoor spray paint (moisture gets into the seams and the wood basically gives up the ghost and it’s a mess).
xo,
s
Cathy says
Thanks so much for your input! Love your blog and can’t wait for your book to be released. :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Cathy!
xo,
s
Sarah says
I LOVE the color of the stools!!!!!! They look perfect. I also think that the pops of color on the open shelves needs to stay. It would look kinda bland on the back wall without them (and you guys aren’t bland at all :)
Tirsa says
Looooove the color of the stools! (It’s just as I pictured it in my mind. I too feel like I won. ha, ha) Your home has such a happy, cheery atmosphere. I love it!
How many days did you let pass between priming and painting? (you said you did each during different naps.) Is this step crucial with how well the paint sticks and the longevity of the paint job in general?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, you have to pay attention to whatever the can says. Mine said follow with paint within the first hour or after 24 hours bit before 72 hours, so since I had to wait for another nap, I made sure it was around 25 hours later and then did the painting step. Just read the can and it should spell it out for ya! It’s definitely something you want to follow since primer is only “open” for a little while (usually around a week) so if you prime something and then don’t paint it for a month it’ll stick a lot less securely and probably won’t do as well in the long-term as if you paint within that sticky “open” time frame so it can really grab the paint.
xo,
s
courtney says
First, I LOVE the stools. That color was my first choice too!! Second, usually I read through all the comments before I post, but today feel lazy… so please excuse me if someone has already said this. Are you going to do anything with the cabnit around the fridge? With those pretty stools, it now looks like a huge blank space. How fun would a giant chalkboard be (like Chris loves Julia) or a giant piece of art? Just my 2 cents. But, I do love the way the kitchen has turned out!!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’d love to do something with that someday! It’s on the list!
xo,
s
Brooke S says
Love the color, when I saw the blue I thought it look familiar. TOTALLY just spray painted my kitchen cabinet handles that exact shade of blue! Great minds think alike ;-) I was a little apprehensive at first to take the bold step with painting the handles blue, but now that they are up I’m in love! (I have 70’s orange counter-tops, so its a nice complement…at least until I get new counter-tops)
YoungHouseLove says
I love that! I bet it looks awesome!
xo,
s
Janna says
Super pretty!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Janna!
xo,
s
cara says
How long is your breakfast bar? I’m wondering if I got smaller stools if I couldn’t fit 3 in instead of two.
YoungHouseLove says
I think it’s 5′ long.
xo,
s
cara says
Thanks, that is the exact length of mine. We just have two clunky large leather stools
Holly says
LOVE the stools!! Kind of funny, I was googling “turquoise barstools” last night for my own use – this was just the puch I needed, I’m picking up the paint tonight :)
Laura says
Your stools are lovely. :-) Would you consider posting “before the kitchen was touched” and “now” photos side-by-side?
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that would be fun! They’re on top of each other on our House Tour page, but I’ll have to do a side by side in a post soon!
xo,
s
Kelly says
I must say that I wasn’t so sure about the stools but I LOVE THEM now. The color rocks! My mother does that to me whenever I come up with a DIY idea (like buying furniture on Craiglist and painting it Duck Egg Blue) but because of that, I don’t question anyone’s vision! Great job!
Laura says
Very nice. I love how clean and uncluttered your house appears.
Jen @ Domesticated Nomad says
LOVE!!
Emily says
Love your choice – they look great! So, I decided to follow your example and use some photo-editing before I pulled the trigger on some new fancy pillows – nerdy, but so fun! I would love your input!
http://voyage-on.blogspot.com/2012/06/pulling-trigger.html
YoungHouseLove says
SO much fun! I think I like the second-to-last one the best! But they’re all awesome!
xo,
s
Misty says
I wish they were more greenish.
Jenna says
Fantabulous!!!! That color was my top pick from your first post, and I think they look so divine!!
Angela R. says
Love them! I just scored a chair just like the one you painted yellow for Clara! It was only $10! I painted it a fun blue as well! My son Drew LOVES it and it has been SO nice to get the bulky, ugly plastic high chair out :)
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds so cute!
xo,
s
Shannon says
Looks so great! I was rooting for blue and I think it looks awesome! :)
Michelle says
They. look. AWESOME!! Please leave the other pops of color..especially on the shelves. The shelves and the chairs can be co-stars of the kitchen!
Also, I think some orange would look great in there too :)
It is way too fun to live vicariously through you guys. I dream of decorating my house but for now I am working with what I got in a small apartment!
Rhune says
Can’t believe it only took 3 cans of spraypaint for all 4 stools! I used up one can for the frame (plastic) of a 20″ wall clock, and it looks like it still needs more. Can you digitally transfer your spraypaint magic to me? Pretty please? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- primer definitely helps with more coverage!
xo,
s
megan says
I love these! They turned out perfect!
Julia @ Hooked on Houses says
LOVE how these turned out! They actually make the kitchen look warmer to me, even though you don’t think of blue as a warm color usually. So pretty, and they really pop!
Georgia says
Good call on the chairs! I’ve been using a liquid deglosser lots lately. I’ve found it’s the best way to prep our already painted floors for repainting. I also always prime before I paint (some people think I’m mad, but I think it gives a better finish). As for spray paint, I love the stuff although I have to force myself to do tin coats as I am such an instant gratification kinda person…your spray paint work ( and patience) is inspirational.
Tiffany says
I love it!!! As for the kitchen accessory dilemma, I think leave the small amount of blue accessories you have (as it ties in the blue theme), but replace the yellow accessories with white ones. I think the yellow accessories are making it seem a little too busy. But that’s just my two cents. ;-) Oh, and a happy coincidence…I l-o-v-e how the chairs perfectly pick up the blue of the print on the kitchen wall.
So are you stamping “done” on this baby?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I wish we could stamp done! We still have some trimming out to do (the underside of the peninsula needs beadboard or wainscotting to really feel finished. Someday!
xo,
s
Hilary says
Those stools look absolutely adorable! I love your entire house (and blog) so much, I’m always going back and looking at your old projects to get ideas for my own house. I CAN’T WAIT for your book!!! Thanks for sharing all your ideas for me to steal! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Hilary! That’s so sweet!
xo,
s
Emily says
The perfect choice!
Where do you guys sit to eat on a day-to-day basis? Just curious!
YoungHouseLove says
We are truly all over the place. Most of the time we’re in stools at the counter, but sometimes to switch it up we’ll eat at the pedestal table by the back window in the living room (just pulling up Clara’s yellow highchair) or the dining room table. No idea why we rotate randomly, but we do!
xo,
s
Audrey says
Love them! My husband and I bought cheapo folding stools from Ikea and painted them that exact “tropical oasis.” Sad: they’re usually folded and hung in the laundry room, since we have a TINY kitchen. I do love that blue, though.
YoungHouseLove says
They sound so sweet!
xo,
s
Chrissie says
They look so cute. Very princessy!
Jaz says
Beautiful color! I love it!
And yes, we did just use deglosser to paint a couple of our old kitchen cabinets that, after a little resizing, will now be our new bath vanity. I kept referring to your excellent kitchen cabinet painting post & wanted to do everything just like YHL. It worked – they look great!
Thank you for your tutorials and inspiration!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, so glad! Congrats Jaz!
xo,
s
Brianna says
Oh Em Gee, they look so good! That kitchen has gone through a HUGE transformation.
Keri says
Funny timing! I planned to refinish/stain my dining table and six chairs, then after sanding for about 12 hours realized painting was the way to go if I want them done by the 4th of July. We have white cabinets and several turquoise pillows on our white couch, along with grey walls. So I’m going to do the table white and the chairs turquoise. I bought Benjamin Moore Tropical Turquoise and White Dove paint (I’m not a good spray painter) at lunch today, so hopefully my blue chairs look as good as yours!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome! I bet they’ll turn out to be gorgeous!
xo,
s
Tracy says
They are PERFECT! It just makes the room, and now they look so custom. Funny coincidence, I used that exact same spray paint to paint a ceramic animal this weekend. He was formerly an ugly crackle finish pastel, and now he’s a bright happy color. Check it out http://www.flickr.com/photos/34894435@N06/7161409269/
Also, completely random, but I saw a storage bench at Meier last week that was upholstered in the same fabric as your dining room curtains! The pattern is so distinctive, and I was like “oh, no way! That’s John and sherry’s curtains!”. Yeah, apparently I think we’re on a first name basis :)
YoungHouseLove says
Love the blue rhino!! And that’s so funny about the bench at Meier!
xo,
s
Carley says
Wow! I’ve been away from the internet for a few days wrapping up my school year, but these look amazing! I didn’t comment on the stool color option post, but blue would have been my front runner. I love blue. Times a million! Even though you had so many colors to choose from that would have looked nice also, I think this is such a winner! It ties in your accent pieces on your shelves plus the dining room colors. Love, love, love it!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Carley!
xo,
s