My Spray Paint (Still) Brings All the Boys (err, Men) to the Yard

I can't believe that it's been almost four years since I published one of my favorite blog posts: My Spray Paint Brings All the Boys to the Yard. Back then, I was living in that lovely attic apartment down the street from favorite bars and hangouts in my college town. That day, a couple guys were drawn to how "I be killin' it with that paint." One even said that my "antiquing got swag." Still one of my favorite compliments to this day.

Four years, a boyfriend, relocation, two apartments, and a house with said boyfriend later... There's one thing (okay two) that has remained a constant: my love of that boyfriend and my love of spray painting. And apparently, it still brings boys to the yard. Except, since we're not in a college town... they're not boys with snapbacks and tattoos who call me "lil mama." It's an older gentleman who raises his eyebrows at my choice of bold color, asks if I've been watching that silly HGTV show his wife loves so much (Flea Market Flip), and welcomes me to the neighborhood.

This past long weekend, G and I got our outdoor chores on. He pulled weeds and worked on our landscaping, while I undertook a project that had been on my mind for a while: my office desk.

Here's what my desk looked like when we moved in. I used two wood-look file cabinets as pedestals, and placed a long, narrow antique door over top of them. (I found the cabinets and door on Craigslist for cheap!) I really liked how it turned out because it's hard to find a long, narrow desk like I was wanting. I wasn't keen on the two-tone dark door and lighter oak cabinets, but I lived with it for a while to figure what I wanted instead.

Here's Cotton mulling over the dark wood door with me. 

Eventually, I swapped out the green curtains for plain ivory ones. (The green just looked better in the upstairs guest room.) And I also replaced the white and turquoise dining chair with a legit desk chair – in beautiful gray velvet no less.

While I liked that the door part of the desk matched the dark wood trim of the room, the file cabinets were really becoming an eyesore for me. I decided that the door and cabinets would need to be painted to match. But what color? I looked around my office and mused about what I wanted it to look like. Pieces that stood out were my Mucha artwork, my purple cabinet, my soft blanket I keep on the chair, and some other purple details. So it was decided...

I hit up the Ace Hardware in the next town and loaded up on purple paint swatches. I settled on the Ripe Mulberry because it most closely matched my existing purple cabinet. So I went back to Ace to have them mix the paint... when I stumbled upon something even better: spray paint in that exact color. And by Rustoleum! 

I'm a Rustoleum girl through and through. I've used a lot of different spray paints, and Rustoleum is hands down the best. When I recently spray painted our patio furniture (more on that to come), I tried out Rustoleum's Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2x... and was sold. It sprays so evenly. The nozzle doesn't drip or leak onto your hands or project. And it dries to a smooth, vibrant, even finish. (No, I'm not sponsored by Rustoleum. I wish! I just reeeeeally love their spray paints. So get at me, Rustoleum! ;))

So I bought Ace's entire stock of the Painter's Touch Ultra Color 2x in Aubergine.

The trick to spray painting is to do light coats, swinging your arm back and forth, and letting it dry in between. I gave the cabinets and door two coats each, letting it dry for about an hour in between. Then I let it dry outside for several hours to avoid any tackiness.

Just my luck, when we went out to bring it in... a bird had pooped on the door! Yuck! :( So I had to clean that up and touch up a small section. 

Pictured above is the desk all set up. It's so much easier on the eyes now that all parts match... it looks like a real desk instead of a door haphazardly stacked on top of file cabinets. ;)

Oh! And here it is now that I've reattached the gold hardware. I considered spray painting these copper. But that would have meant another 30+ minute drive to the hardware store, and I just wasn't feeling it. So I put the original gold ones back on. I'm glad I did! I love how the gold pops against the dark plum!

Stay tuned! My new rug arrived and I'll be sharing more office progress!