These are some favourite garden art chairs I photographed on garden tours. Most of them are simple ideas, but, as you’ll see, by adding a distinct colour of paint or turning the chair into a planter, they become wonderful focal points in the garden.
There are lots more garden idea galleries here.
Garden Art Chair Gallery
It’s a simple idea, but a good one. Old wooden and metal kitchen chairs are super handy in the garden. Paint them to stand out and use them to hold flower planters or other garden art.
I gathered these ideas at home garden tours—my favourite way to find inspiration for my own garden.
1 Succulent Chair Planter
I love this chair. If you look closely, you can see the planter was created with chicken wire and some coir lining. Succulents are ideal because they don’t need a lot of depth to grow.
Related: Gallery of Garden Art Easels
Related: Gallery of Garden Shed Ideas
2 Old Blue Kitchen Chair
3 Broken Chair Legs? Put it on a Fence!
4 Face Plant(er)!
5 Red Chair with Watering Can
6 Rustic Branch Chair
7 Turquoise Kitchen Chair in Garden
8 White Chairs with Purple & Pink Flowers
Garden Art
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9 Rustic Bench with Creeping Jenny
10 Traditional Chunky White Metal
I don’t know if I’d call these garden art, but they’re small and uncomfortable so designating them as art is the only option left!
These were a staple in gardens for years and then seemed to disappear. For years I thought they were hideous but now I get a little nostaglic when I see them.
11 Lime Green Wooden High Chair
12 Wood Chair With Cutout For Flower Pot
This idea is very popular right now: cut out the seat of an old chair to hold the rim of a flower pot.
13 Wooden Yellow Chair
This milky yellow colour is a favourite of mine. I love how it contrasts with purple and red flowers.
Related: What to do with broken bird baths
14 Rustic Twig Bench
Not exactly a chair, but this wood bench adds a rustic, cottage look to the garden.
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15 Red Adirondack Chairs
I know some people love these chairs (“They’re so comfortable!”) but when I see them all I can think of is how hard it is to get in or out of them. That said, I love how you can use them to add bold colour to the garden like the red ones shown here.
16 Red Metal Vanity Chair
These old-fashioned metal chairs are not exactly comfortable but again, with the right paint colour, they make good garden art.
16 Made in the Shade
17 Blue Schoolhouse Chair
Related: 10 DIY Succulent Projects
This photo is actually from my old garden, taken approximately 15 years ago. I’d never seen a chair in a garden at that time but I didn’t have room for it in the house (and didn’t want to get rid of it) so it somehow found its way to the garden and stayed there. (I liked it there.)
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛
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- Back & Knee-Friendly Garden Ideas | So you can continue gardening
judith says
August 1, 2017 at 9:48 amI love these, Melissa, especially the yellow one. I’ve had several garden chairs and they lasted a few years here in Tennessee. And I agree with you on the Adirondacks! I like them but they aren’t fun to get in and out of.
Barbara. Underwood says
July 21, 2017 at 7:22 pmI love the chairs. I do not know where you live. I live in SW Florida. I am afraid that the chairs will fall apart, due to the heat and great humidity.
Melissa J. Will says
July 21, 2017 at 7:47 pmHi Barbara,
I’m in Canada. We get good weather extremes here too: hot and humid summers and cold, damp winters. Garden art like this will not last forever but it can endure for a good number of years, especially if the chair was otherwise going in the trash. 🙂
Barbara Berlack says
April 14, 2017 at 7:04 pmYou can hang your grandmother’s chair on a fence and put a plant on it!
Barbara Berlack says
April 14, 2017 at 7:02 pmI love your new design on your website, Empress of Dirt! It really looks like YOU!
Melissa J. Will says
April 14, 2017 at 7:29 pmThanks, Barbara!
Sharon Easley says
May 31, 2016 at 1:59 pmI have a old wooden chair that has lost its legs. I really don’t want to throw it away. It’s the last of my Great grandmother’s set. I would like to put in the garden. Any ideas?
Melissa J. Will says
May 31, 2016 at 11:18 pmHi Sharon,
Could you hang it from a tree (like a swing)? Could look sweet with a nice big flower container on it.
Judy Gaaskjolen says
September 18, 2016 at 7:53 amWhy don’t you set it on top of a tree stump.!
Donna S. Martin says
August 8, 2014 at 1:11 pmI have used an old chair that was painted several colors that now is chipped. I used flowers that matched the colors (yellow, orange, and white!!!) The chair was beyond repair so now is a beautiful part of the garden.
Ruth Wolery says
August 8, 2014 at 9:33 amI love old chairs especially bistro chairs for garden art painted in bright colors with flower pots and maybe metal objects stuck in on long stems
Melissa J. Will says
August 8, 2014 at 11:54 amThanks, Ruth! So many possibilities with old chairs (that are probably not really comfortable to sit on)!
Adam Cortell says
July 3, 2014 at 11:19 amI love your garden art chairs. I particularly like the chairs with holes cut out for potted plants. What a great way to repurpose a rickety chair!
Melissa J. Will says
July 5, 2014 at 12:08 amThanks, Adam. Old chairs definitely get an extended life in the garden.