To many of us, our gardens and homes are a place for us to escape and let our creative juices flow. One creative way to spruce up your home and garden is to use DIY furniture – a process that involves taking old furniture and transforming it into something fresh and new!
If you’re interested in repurposing your garden furniture to re-energise the look of your home and garden, or to give as a gift – then keep reading to learn more.
Use an old dresser to hold plants
If you have an old dresser, don’t just throw it away to make more space in your home. Place it on your porch and adorn all manner of greenery from it. Because most dressers have multiple drawers, you can use them as garden planter ideas.
This is a lovely statement piece that’s sure to attract attention from neighbours and visitors alike! Just seal any cracks with a bit of silicone to weatherproof it!
Convert a baby crib into a patio swing
Eventually, your kids are going to outgrow their crib and then what use do you have for it then? Your baby crib can be transformed into a patio swing of course! You can easily saw off the legs and the front half of the crib (so that it resembles a couch) and then suspend it by ropes or chains on your front porch. Decorate and paint it any way you want. Now you have a fully functional patio swing! This is the perfect idea for getting use out of children’s playthings after they’re past their best.
Transform a headboard& into an outdoor bench
If you want to get really creative, consider transforming an old headboard into an outdoor bench. The concept is simple and quick to pull off. The headboard will provide the back support for the couch. If you also have a footboard, it can be used for armrests on either side. Sturdy dimensional lumber is used for the seat. Add a sufficiently wide cushion (or several cushions), and you’ll have an outdoor bench ready for use!
Build a small greenhouse with old windows
Looking to build a truly unique and stylish home for your plants? If you have some old windows you can attach them together to form a greenhouse. You can then place plants inside to soak up the rays of the sun. If done right this can be a chic and stylish addition to your garden.
Upcycle two old doors into a beautiful archway
This design is a simple one. Keep two doors upright by attaching 2×4’s at their base. Run 3 or 4 wood rafters along the tops of each door, so they form a one of a kind archway. To further beautify this design you can hang flowers from the outer edges. This is a great piece to impress friends!
Transform an old chair into a raised flower bed
If you want to keep your flowers off the ground consider taking an old chair and creating a raised flower bed by removing the cushion and the upper portion of the seat. Many chairs have a hollow core where you would typically sit. Now you can fill this space with soil and flowers. This is a truly unique design for any garden.
Create a suspended shelf with a few old headboards
Suspended shelves can make an excellent addition to your garden (attached to the fence) or somewhere in your home. Simply take some old headboards and saw them down to the appropriate size and nail them to your wall or fence. If the top is smooth, you can decorate with pictures, plants, and other things. The more creative you are the better! These make great practical additions to home-office conversions too.
Upcycle two broken chairs into a bench
Do you have a couple of broken chairs lying around? That’s okay! As long as the back legs are sturdy, you can bridge the two chairs together into a bench. If you want to lengthen the width of your makeshift bench than bridge the chairs with an extended piece of lumber. Once everything has been nailed together and sanded down, you can paint it and put down cushions for comfort. That’s all there is to it!
Upcycle a sewing machine table into a bar cart
Feeling thirsty? Why not add to your very own garden bar? If you have an old sewing machine cabinet, you can convert it into a bar cart. Simply cut a hole through the top and place a bar sink or two through the opening. Now you can fill it with ice and drinks to enjoy throughout the summer months. If the cabinet has wheels, you can wheel it around with you – making you the perfect host if you have family and friends over. This is a great little conversion idea for a man-cave or she-shed!
Transform an old kitchen cabinet into a potting station
The point of a potting station is to organise the various tools and essentials you need for your garden such as potting mix, handheld gardening tools, seeds, pots, and other things. If you have an old kitchen cabinet that no longer has use in the house then move it out to the garden and use it as a potting station. It’ll be handy to have cabinets to store all of your gardening essentials.
Create a bird bath with an old sink
Just because you no longer have a use for an old sink doesn’t mean you just have to throw it away. Place your sink out in your garden where birds are often sighted. Now you can close the drain and fill it with a tiny pool of water. Don’t be surprised if you find several birds flitting about in the water the next time you come out to work in your garden.
Construct a small shed from old doors and windows
If you happen to have old doors and windows hanging around your home, you can use them to create a small garden shed. This type of structure is perfect for a potting shed or storing your garden tools. The beauty of this design is that you can enter the shed from multiple directions. All you truly need to make this work is a base and a roof!
Transforming your home and garden with upcycled furniture
We hope you got a few creative and low-budget garden ideas from our guide. Always remember – just because you have old furniture doesn’t mean you have to throw it away. Think of ways of repurposing the old into new magnificent works of art!
Featured Image credit: Pave69 / Wikimedia Commons
