Alfresco Area

[Phyllis]

We have just finished building a large Alfresco area onto the back of the house. It has a metal frame with rendered brick walls and cedar lined pitched ceiling. All the walls are still in the gray render and the metal frame is a similar colour. I want to paint the walls and the frame but I am not sure what colours. It is all so gray at the moment that I want to add some colour to the area. I thought of a feature wall but no wall would be suitable to do that on.
I have a aluminum and mesh table setting at the moment but I would like to get an outdoor lounge for the area as well.
I am going to hire a landscaper to do the remaining of the garden as I really don't know what to do here. I will also ask the landscaper to add some pots and greenery in the Alfresco area.
Can you suggest a suitable colour for the walls and the metal frame, and ways to add some colour and life to the area?

[Lanne]

I would probably go a tertiary shade of grey/brown and navy trim.
Gray enough to be cool looking (tone) but brown enough to be earthy..
the navy wouldnt be DARK but have some depth.. it is fresher than it sounds and lets the garden shine. It also works well with modern outdoor lounges etc.
White makes a great accessory colour to this scheme in small doses.

I would add colour and variation through accessory pieces, like outdoor dining, candles, napkins, tablecloths and cushions on the lounge.

Alternatively stick with a muted palette but add red as the trim/accent colour. it is sure to add impact and allow any green to really shine.

[Susie]

Hi, sounds like you have a blank canvas to play around with, id move away from the grays myself, white is so vibrant for an alfresco area, and lets you add all colours to blend into the garden and plant area.

The beautiful green tropicals look stunning against a white backdrop and it always looks fresh and crisp and inviting.

We are hopefully starting our outdoor/undercover alresco by the pool ina couple of weeks and I shall be looking at wall colours etc, but white will be my first choice with sand floor tiles.

Hoping this helps, and you will soon have a great picture in your mind of what you would like. :):)

[Julie-Ann]

Hi Phyllis
I was just wondering what style your house is on the inside and outside? Also what colour is your roof and the paving? And what colour have you painted the rooms inside that connect to your new alfresco area? And have I read it correctly that you are happy to paint the metal frame as well as the walls?
Sorry for the interrogation but it helps to get a better idea of what to suggest:)

[jaz_ben]

This is actually a hard one, from not actually seeing your home an out door area, I dont know about painting the walls, Is the walls brick or wood ? is the alfresco paved or decked. For the poles I would probably go a light colour.

Im just starting to build and I have got the main roof come down over the alfresco, Im intending to deck, the poles are jarrah stained then from hip down is a brick piler with red brick an cream border, Im going to put down lights in and is still tossing up to put a outdoor fan in aswell.
I hope mine turns out nice as what I have pictured in my head its going to look like, some days I think maybe I should of went with the cream poles.

Oh the descesions. Goodluck ;)

[Phyllis]

I should have told everyone this stuff on my first post. My apologies for that.
The house is brick and the brick is rendered. It is a new modern house with orange clay tiled roof. The Alfresco is connected to the family and meals area with bifold doors. Those rooms are neutral and modern style. The inside walls are painted a stone,beige colour. I think we would get the metal frame painted as well as it is quiet a dark colour gray. The paving is cream limestone. I hope this covers everything. I know I want it to be an area that has colour and life but I just don't know what colours to use and how to make it special. I have been looking at outdoor furniture and it is very neutral in colour and a bit boring. Thanks for the help:)

[Milena]

Hi Phyllis,

I can get a better picture of your house now. I like neutral colours and the stone beige colour walls inside your house sound nice. Based on your information I assume you like neutral colours too. I would suggest a Dulux colour called Spiced Nutmeg for your rendered walls. It's a hard colour to describe but I think it would work nicely. Here is the link to this colour http://www.dulux.com.au/colour/colour-gallery/hues-gallery/neutrals I thing that colour will flow nicely with your stone beige wall colour inside your house, it will also go with the cedar ceilings and a cream limestone pavings.

I don't know the colours of your guttering and downpipes but I would consider painting the metal frame the same colours as long as it matches the cedar ceiling and the spiced nutmeg walls. If you add some terracotta pots and green leafy plants I think it should all blend nicely together. You can also consider installing a wall water feature in your alfresco area too.

[Milena]

Sorry I didn't realise in my previous post I had a link to the colour so when you get to the page look where it says 1 of 15 and click on the right arrow and Spiced Nutmeg is on the second page.

[Julie-Ann]

Hi Phyllis
I like the colour Spice Nutmeg that Milena has suggested-very contemporary.
Another colour I have used outside is Dulux Desert Floor 200% - it looks like wet limestone, an earthy cream colour.
Or an alternative that I did recently is to use the colour on the walls of the rooms that join on to your Alfresco. So for example, my Meals area is the room that joins on to the outside with stacking doors. This room (and the rooms adjoining it) are painted Dulux Hogs Bristile1/2 strength with white on the trim. So I would paint my Alfresco walls the Hogs Bristile colour and the posts and gutters etc white. The white makes the Hogs Bristile look more stone coloured and makes a nice contrast. But the concept is to carry the colours from inside to the outside. You can also use the same colours that you have used in your inside furnishings outside.
An interesting touch is to add a rug for some colour - Ikea have a rug called Hampen in red that can be used outside. Otherwise cushions add a lot of colour. Or a bright tablecloth - Susie from I Just Love that Fabric (http://www.ijustlovethatfabric.com.au/) has some bright & colourful tablecloths that you might like.
I also like Milena's idea of a water feature. That would be a nice touch:)

[Lanne]

Just a thought.. but check out anything Brendan Moar you can find online. He does some lifestyle and gardening shows on Foxtel.. but doesnt seem to make it to free to air. He does awesome designs using lots of colours and styles and it is so much better than the everyday.YOu might find something inspiring.

[Phyllis]

We had a look at the paint colours you suggested and have decided to go with the Spiced Nutmeg. We liked the idea of having the same colour inside and outside but our inside is Whisper White. We decided we didn't want it that white outside because we liked the idea of more colour, so we chose Spiced Nutmeg. We have also found a small Balinese style water fountain that should look good. I think we will add some bright cushions as well but I will start with the painting first. Thanks for the help.:)