A fixer-upper comes with so many home improvement projects that it’s easy to get overwhelmed, even if you’re a pro. The result? Outdoor areas that get put on the back burner in favor of higher impact interior spaces. That’s exactly what happened to Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon of The Brownstone Boys in their own Brooklyn home. But thankfully, a few clever home paint ideas got them excited about sprucing up their forgotten spaces—and with beautiful results!

“We tackled our home renovation for two years but skipped over the backyard space because we were exhausted from the interior renovation,” says Jordan. “Our deck space was an area that needed some attention. It was a bare deck that needed privacy from our next door neighbor’s space. Our challenge was that everything we were researching blocked the natural light, plus our great pieces of outdoor furniture needed new life.”

Inspiration came in the form of a simple garden trellis. Not only would this allow the natural light to stream through, but it also gave them a place to hang pots of fresh herbs and provided the privacy they wanted. From there it was all about upgrading existing patio furniture that needed a little love and figuring out what home paint ideas would look right with the space.

“Just because you have furniture for a certain period of time it doesn’t mean you have to get rid of it,” says Barry. “We love these outdoor benches! We knew they just needed some work. The benefit to the outdoor paint is that it’s actually protecting the wood. We love that the paint brightened up the bench but we also love that it’s now protecting them.”

For the paint colors, it was all about our summer collection—they ended up choosing Cloud Watching and Before Sunrise in our exterior formula for these home paint projects.

“We looked at a few swatches. This summer collection is so gorgeous and it really was a difficult decision as we loved all the colors. Cloud Watching was a no-brainer for us. We knew that was our favorite and the name has a lot of meaning since we basically hang on the deck to stare at the clouds. From there we really loved how Before Sunrise paired with the blue,” says Jordan.

After sanding and patching the benches, Barry and Jordan applied two coats of paint in Before Sunrise. It offered a whole new look for the cost of a can of paint. For the trellis divider, they used a paint sprayer to apply one coat of paint since they wanted the wood to subtly show through. After the paint dried, they used electrical cable and ties to secure the pieces of lattice together and then to the base of their steel deck. The addition of little pots of herbs, secured with more electrical ties, and a little potted vine, adds a beautiful natural element to the structure.

“Our patio is so much brighter and happier! We love that we have this little nook within our backyard paradise,” says Barry. “Before this project we disregarded this area. Now it’s one of our favorite places to unwind from the day or drink our morning coffee!”