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For Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum, the designers and co-founders that make up The Brownstone Boys, spring doesn’t just mean stocking up on gardening supplies and uncovering the grill. It’s a time to reconnect with their neighbors. “We live in Brooklyn, so I get excited about the community component, the stoop culture,” says Slocum. They’ve been known to dress their steps up with loads of planters and spark conversation by painting their door a bold hue (right now, it’s Inchyra Blue by Farrow & Ball).
Another thing that happens when you have a sliver of outdoor space in a big city is that you start to think of your backyard as an extension of your home. “We like to create conversation areas and separate spaces that have different purposes (dining, cooking, living), we use those concepts outside as well,” shares Bordelon. Ahead, we asked the design duo to share their favorite outdoor update ideas for the season.
The Paint Colors We Love to See Outdoors
Slocum: Inchyra Blue by Farrow & Ball is a really beautiful shade of blue, but India Yellow also really makes me happy. We recently did it in a vestibule and I wish more of that yellow was outside. We also used Lulworth Blue to paint an outdoor trellis divider.
The Balcony-Approved Sofa on Our Radar
Bordelon: Sometimes you don’t need a cluster of furniture. Just pick one or two pieces. Then add a little coffee table, maybe a chair facing it, so you get that feeling of a conversation area.
The Fresh Source of Shade
Slocum: Don’t skip the outdoor umbrellas. They’re definitely necessary for sun protection but they can also be such a statement. Sarah Sherman Samuel has one in her [Lulu and Georgia] collection that I’m obsessed with.
The Place Where We Pick Up Weatherproof Rugs
Slocum: I really love a local company called NuStory. They have some affordable, high-quality, woven rugs that are sturdy for all seasons.
They Key to Keeping Garden Clutter Contained
Bordelon: We built a little potting station and painted it all black, put a little hinge on the top, and it’s where we keep all our bags of soil, little hand shovels, and pots. Our theory when we’re designing a house is to make sure that everything has a place, and the same goes for the outdoors, too.
The Firepit We’d Want to Gather Around
Slocum: We’re really inspired by the Southwestern outdoor living with the chimineas at Terrain. That’s what we’re eyeing for ourselves this year.
The Hero Piece of Any Yard
Bordelon: One of our favorite pieces in our backyard is actually a vintage bench rocker that we found while looking at a woman’s house. She wanted to get rid of it, so we drove it home in our car, scraped it down (it was all rusty), painted it, and got a cushion upholstered for it.
Slocum: There’s so much you can do with secondhand furniture for outdoor spaces, even down to finding really beautiful pots. Creating something that makes you happy is what’s most important.