Old Chair Repurposed

Garden Chair Before

Garden Chair After

My husband, Jim and I love to shop in Antique and Resale stores. Sometimes I stumble on something that inspires me to think outside the box, or as in this case, outside the garden! I saw this forlorn, ancient barn-wood style chair sitting in front of an antique store in Lexington and just had to have it. I wasn't sure what I'd do with it when I bought it, but the chair seemed to call out to me, "take me home, please!" It was raining and the chair was wet.
Indeed, this sad little chair had seen better days and had experienced its fair share of rainstorms. For $5.00, it was a bargain, and because I ended up buying an old school desk, a small display cabinet and a vintage globe, the owner just gave me this chair, free!

Top Before

Top After

The top of the chair showed an outline of what had once been a really"A garden chair! That's it!" The next day I went to Home Depot and found a perfect square flower pot full of gorgeous pink geraniums and Viola! An instant, lovely garden chair! Nice geometrical design. "Ah," I thought. "I can paint within those lines to bring back the original design of the chair." So after I had re-stained the chair, I carefully masked the chair and chose a warm white enamel paint for the design. After I stood back, I realized it still needed something, so I added the diamond in the center of the back. It looked great, but now what? I had stained and stenciled the chair, but it didn't have a seat. The wood was in pretty rough shape and anyone who actively used this chair would surely get splinters or slivers. I realized that I'd need to do something else with this chair. Instantly it came to me.

This once neglected barn chair has a new purpose as it graces my backyard with a splash of color and flair. This is a great example of how an old piece of furniture gets a new identity! What do you have lying around the house that can be used in creative ways?