Chair Planter Project

Renovations have been in full swing here at the pre-farm.  I've been taking pictures as I go along, so I can show you some updates.  Sometimes I remember to take 'before' pictures, other times I get half way through it and then remember.  That's sort of what happened with the chair planter project.  This chair has been sitting in my garage for about two years, probably longer, waiting for a project.  I'm great for snagging awesome pieces of furniture for a future project.  I'm also great at not exactly getting them done.  I can't help it, I LOVE a great piece of old furniture.  They just scream POTENTIAL!  I actually recently sold a lot of pieces, so I could de-clutter the garage.  I'm sure when we getting settled I'll build up my inventory again in no time. I think I can hear hubby groaning from here....

So, the chair planter.

I wanted it to POP, so I picked out a fun, cheery colour for the project.  I have a small side table in a similar colour in the house and I often get complimented on its out-of-place quaintness and how it is just... happy.  The exact colour I chose for this chair planter is Thai Teal by CIL.

This is where I  REALLY wish I had a before picture. It was a dark stained wood, with caning in the seat, that was in need of repair.  The first step was to get rid of the caning, which my son B did for me.. and he did a great job :)  Secondly, it needed to be sanded to rough up the wood, so the paint would hold on better.  This was a messy job, let me tell you!

After the sanding, came a wipe down and then it was on to my favourite part- the painting!  This chair had a lot of small detail, so it look a lot of dabbing to get in all the little creases.  I also had a visit from a honey bee... which was great!  Luckily, he didn't land on the wet paint.  He just hung out for awhile and then continued on his journey.  I sure hope to have some bees when we get settled!  More on that later... I could take up an entire post with my bee thoughts. Buzz Buzz!

I ended up doing three coats on the chair, to get it completely covered.  I was so happy with the outcome!

 Now, a chair planter isnt a chair planter without some plants, so off to the local garden centre I went!  I`m a regular there, so when I wandered the isles for about half an hour they didn`t call the police- BONUS! :)  I ended up bring home some Sweet potato vine and a Vinca varigated vine for cascading over the front, some Euphorbia Glitz, some petunia, a Black Eyed Susan Vine for crawling over the back of the chair and Angelonia because its taller and will stand up behind the others.  The pot is simply one I had in the shed from a past year, which just happened to be the perfect size for sitting in the hole (where the caning had once been).  If you are doing a project like this, make sure to pick a pot with a small lip that is just bigger than the hole, so it sits down in the hole, but holds itself up.

Even though this wasn`t on my list of required projects to finish before listing the house, I still thought it was important.  As I said to B when he asked why I was buying MORE flowers instead of working on the house: you want to create a welcoming, happy feeling when you are selling.  Not only can I take this chair with me to our new house, but its going to make people feel happy when the walk into this one!