One of my favorite ways to decorate my yard with garden art is by using old chairs. They’re versatile and shockingly beautiful when paired with some flowers.
Where to Find Old Chairs
Most of the time old chairs are free and found on the side of the road. If you have no luck with that, your next best bets are rummage sales, barn sales, or visiting a picking haven like Hippie Tom’s Serendipity Farm if you are local to Southeastern Wisconsin.
I do not recommend going to an antique market or a boutique store because these chairs will be out in the elements and you will see the wear of it on them as time goes on. The cheapest is best, in this case! Not only that but there’s nothing better for the environment than saving and repurposing items that are about to be thrown into a landfill.
Refinishing Old Chairs
If you plan to refinish the chair rather than keep its original stain, I recommend either sanding down the chair or using a stripping product.
I like to use Folk Art Chalk Paint for my projects. For this particular project, I did a base coat of the color Patina and then dry brushed Grotto and Sheepskin color paint over the top for some more dimension.
Since these chairs had wicker seats and I wanted to put in a planter, I simply cut out the wicker and inserted a pot that fit. I made sure I sealed the chair with spar-urethane to protect it from the elements and prevent the yellowing of the paint.
We planted Moss Row because it added some nice color and would grow over the edge of the pot to create a beautiful cascading effect.