Highlight of my summer right here everybody! One super simple paint job and the backyard is now my kind of crazy. You can get a good idea of how blah this retaining wall used to look like in this post. And now, excusing the millions of fence spider webs, get a load of it!
*Update: See the whole backyard here and our patio here :)
The mish-mash fence situation back here leaves a lot to be desired. The tall fence belongs to our neighbors and sits a foot back on their property. The style isn’t what I would choose, but it beats having nothing by a long shot, as a driveway sits at eye level on the other side. Conveniently, it’s the same color as our fences and house so, in that sense, it fits right in. The actual property line is the retaining wall and wood lip. I would love to build our own fence one day on that line to match the other original fences on our property (or somehow extend the cinderblock up another 8 feet), but that day is not today. This is me trying to make the best of these unorthodox layers until then, in a kooky desert kind of way.
If you are wondering about painting raw cinderblock: I pressure washed first, then used a exterior primer, then one coat of exterior paint (as seen in the last post). Most exterior paints and primers are suitable for masonry these days, so no need to find anything special. For the colors, I used sample sizes of exterior paint and went to crazy town.
I know a cinderblock aesthetic isn’t for everybody, but let my wall be living proof that it could be a major missed opportunity to ignore it. Being the kind of girl who feels she deserves to be surrounded by vintage breezeblocks in insane patterns, this suits me so fine. If the unlikely day comes when I tire of this loudness, it’s a quick fix to tame it back down. You’ll hear ZERO regrets from me! -xoxo Jenny
SUBURBAN POP * 
Wow! Love it. Fits perfectly. So happy!
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Thanks so much guys! It is so much fun and such an improvement! Now if I could only find the motivation to get plants in the ground…
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Hi! I LOVE your yard. Thanks for sharing. I have a huge masonry wall and am sold on painting it taupe like yours. Would you mind posting the color you used? -Monica
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Thanks so much Monica! We used Behr paint color-matched our existing exterior, which I believe is Sherwin Williams Townhouse Tan. Happy to share the Behr custom mix if you want. It’s a tan that goes slightly peachy. Good luck on your paint job!
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Wow! Thanks for the fast response. I never leave comments on blogs but I adore your wall and the accent colors. I am a big fan of Mid Century, our favorite hotel is Cabana Bay at Universal Studios because it is all atomic 1950s. I’ve been wanting to do something similar and just haven’t pulled the trigger :) If it is not too much trouble that would be great to have the custom mix for Behr, that is the brand I was going to use. Please do not go to any lengths to do it though. Nice to hear from you. -Monica
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You are so sweet, thank you! That hotel sounds so cool. Next time in FL I will have to check it out! No trouble at all…I have a gallon close by :) The base is 4850 and then it lists CLRNT OZ 384th, EL 0 64, FL 0 112, TL 1 172. I have no idea what any of that means but hope that helps. Ours is exterior flat, by the way. Have a great day!
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Great! I’m heading to Home Depot tomorrow. You are so nice. Take care. -Monica
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In love with this! How did you choose which blocks to paint with color and which to leave taupe?
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Thanks! I just went for it and reworked the design until it felt right…which included repainting some of the blocks multiple times haha!
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Hi, would you mind sharing the colors you used for the painted blocks? I’m thinking of painting our kitchen tiled backsplash. Thank you!
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