Disguising the Pool Pump

For some time now I have been trying to think of a way to disguise the pool pump all while leaving a pathway so we can still get through to the pumps and the area along the side of the house.

A couple of months ago we were at IKEA (you know, follow the yellow brick road!) with Mr. & Mrs. B.  We were just "looking" while they had a specific list of what they were there for.  In the Outdoor Section I saw the brown ÄPPLARÖ  bench with the wall panel and I knew that I had found what I wanted for that area.  I had to do some talking to convince Mr. K because he just wasn't seeing the vision.  After all, he was seeing slats that were spaced apart and you could see right through it.  In my vision I had already placed the fabric behind it.  So I shared my thoughts with him and he went along with my idea.

I apologize for not having photos of Mr. K putting it together and of us attaching the fabric to the back side of the panel.  I thought I had photos but I must have forgotten to take them.  

We decided to line up the panel with the trim piece of the shed so it would be symmetric and easy on the eyes.  Doing this still allowed enough room for us to pass through to the area behind the panel.  Mr. K used wood screws to install the panel.

Mr. K used a landscaping pole and some 1/2" pipe straps to reinforce the panel on the other side so the wind (hopefully) will not force the panel to come off of the shed.

The fabric we used is an outdoor fabric I had made pillows and curtains for the shed out of two years ago.  We stapled it to the panel.  I colored the staples with a furniture marker so they would not stand out so much.

We are so happy with the finished look.  We are going to use the small storage for the grandkids goggles, pool toys, etc.  The hooks will help us keep our towels in a central location rather than scattered everywhere.

Debbie