Andrew Barnes Lifestyle: Pool house panache

Decorating the pool house

Was talking with my friend, Katina, in the office this week. She and her husband, Richard, are prepping their new pool house for summer. The walls are yellow, the cabinetry is Caribbean blue, and the floors in the bathroom are black and white. Sounds pretty…

http://www.color-wheel-artist.com/meanings-of-yellow.html

Blue paint swatches from Home Depot

She pondered: “Since the bathroom floors are black and white tiles, could we use zebra or black and white diamonds for cabinet inserts? Or, would that be too busy?”

Black and white tile from Floatproject.org

Oh, Lord… I have visions of…

I will NOT provide the design source because NO one should ever ever ever do this to an innocent piece of furniture. YUCK!

Maybe NOT the best way to go.... just sayin'!

But there are lots of other ways to add character and interest to the space without the addition of zebra cabinet inserts.

Let's start with the floors. They are considering grey..... maybe outdoor carpet or paint.

Grey outdoor carpet from Lowe's

Scored, acid-stained concrete

My personal choice would be to go with acid stained concrete. Keeping that carpet clean might be a total pain in the derrière.

But, outdoor rugs might be a fun way to add some personality to the room. And, the price point is going to be the same... carpet on the floor or a few area rugs.

Outdoor Zebra rugs from Target.

My only concern is that this might be "expected." What about something a tad more interesting?

"la Poeme" outdoor rugs from Ballard Designs

"Antique Letter" outdoor rug from Ballard Designs.... LOVE this idea!

"Izmir" outdoor rug from West Elm.

So, the easy next question to ask: What are we missing? We've got painted cabinets, walls, and some type of floor covering. We don't have anything that is wooden, metal, or glass. Remember, opposites attract. Time to steal some inspiration.

For the sake of argument, consider that those cedar shingles are yellow. Ok.... that IS our color palate.

http://www.thelennoxx.com/category/browse-by-room/exterior-browse-by-room/

We need a table and some chairs. Ideally, an old wooden table with metal chairs would fit the bill.... low maintenance, pool friendly, and inexpensive.

Love those yellow chairs... but that might be a little too much yellow in one room.

Photo from House Beautiful
http://www.acutedesigns.org/2010_08_01_archive.html

This idea is good... but the shabby chic look might not be exactly right for their pool house.

http://monacointeriors.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.html

Metal side chair from Arhaus. LOVE these. But, may need to look for an Ikea alternative that is a little cheaper. These are $250 each.

http://www.jmeblog.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

That's the ticket... wooden tables with metal chairs.

http://www.uberbrides.com/weddings-at-the-wildflower-center/decorating-wooden-tables-at-the-wedding/

We may some additional seating. How about an outdoor sofa? The armless variety would take up less space in a small room....

Armless outdoor sofa from West Elm.

Believe it or not... white is one of the best colors to use because the slip cover can be easily washed or bleached as needed. And, it will stand up to lots of crazy throw pillows like....