How to Make a Delightful Chair Planter Garden (Easy DIY)

Do you want to add beauty to your surroundings and save an old, unwanted, or unused wooden chair from ending up in a landfill? If yes, then this is a project for you!

Find an Old Chair

To create a chair planter you obviously need to start with a chair. You can find chairs for free or next to nothing in a variety of places.

If you don’t have broken chairs tucked away in your own attic, basement, or side yard, check with family or friends to see if they have any. You’ll be doing them a favor! You’re saving them the trouble of disposing of the old furniture.

Other options include Nextdoor, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace (check the free items first). You also can pick up chairs at a thrift store, flea market, yard sale, or garage sale.

Replace Chair Seat with a Natural Fiber Liner



First remove the seat from an old chair. Wooden chairs work better than metal chairs for this particular design. If desired, give your chair a fresh coat of paint.

This project uses a fiber hanging basket liner (also called a coco, coconut, or natural fiber liner). Liners come in various sizes.The liner should fit in the opening where the seat of the chair used to be. For example, my liner was 16″.

Attach Liner to Chair Frame

Staple the natural fiber liner to the inside of the chair frame using plenty of staples. An electric stapler works well.

Make Sure Liner Is Secure

Here’s how the liner looked after it was securely stapled it to the chair frame.

Add Soil

Fill the liner basket with soil. I used succulent soil because I was planting succulents in my chair garden.

Add Supporting Chains

Support the underside of the liner with 3 strands of light-duty chains. I used a 10-ft decorative chain made for hanging plants and pots. I divided the 10-ft chain into three separate smaller chains.

Secure the Chains to the Frame

Wrap chains around the edges of the chair frame. Secure it by hooking the end of the chain to another chain link. Run the chain under the liner and hook it on the other side of the frame. Repeat the process with the other two chains.

For my chair planter, I ran two chains from corner to corner creating an “X” under the base of the basket. Then I added the third chain down under the middle of the basket for additional support.

Using Two Tools is Helpful

Splitting and closing the chain links is easier with two pairs of pliers. Use one to grip the link securely and the other to open/close the link.

Add Plants

Now it’s time to bring your garden to life. Select a variety of plants for your garden (different colors, variety of shapes, contrasting heights, etc.). For example, add taller plants towards the back of the chair. In the front, add plants that will cascade down over the front edge of the chair as they grow.

Find a Special Place for your New Garden Chair

Place your beautiful planter on your front porch, your patio or somewhere in your garden. You can even move it around if you determine your plants prefer more or less shade or you just want to change up your space.

Note: water will drain out the bottom of the fiber liner when you water the planter, so make sure you place it in an area that can get wet.