First up, I’ve drawn Deb’s name at random to win my 15 minutes of fame giveaway. I know there are a few of you Deb’s out there, but I have been in contact with the Deb that won and she knows who she is (sorry other Deb’s!).
Continuing on with my theme of ‘projects for me’ … wait, that sounds so selfish, doesn’t it? Me, me, me. As a reminder, since my furniture isn’t selling so hot these days, I’m focusing my energy on finishing up items that I’ve wanted to refurbish for my own home instead of items to sell. Some of these things have been hanging out in my carriage house for years just waiting for their moment to shine.
I finally have time to get to them!
So, one of the things I’m working on is a refresh of my photo cottage a.k.a. summer house a.k.a. potting shed. Yep, it has been called all of those things over the years, most recently it was the photo cottage.
If you’ve been with me since way back, you’ll remember that I restyled this shed in my back yard into the ‘photo cottage’ in 2014. My plan was to create a space where I could stage all of my furniture photos.
As it turned out, it wasn’t really suited for that. The space wasn’t quite big enough, and at certain times of the day sunlight reflecting off the nearby red carriage house turns the lighting decidedly pink. So a few years back I gave up on the photo cottage and lately I have been mainly using it as storage.
That led to my decision to go ahead and turn it back into a potting shed. I’m working on a couple of pieces that will make their new home in the potting shed starting with an old wicker chair.
While considering what I wanted in the space, I knew I wanted some sort of chair in that corner shown above. The chair in that photo has since been moved into my Q branch and is actually the chair I’m sitting in as I’m typing this. I really like it in this space, so I needed a replacement for the potting shed. I started surfing Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for suitable chairs and didn’t find much in my price range (super cheap) that I liked. I did find an old, beat up wicker chair that was a possible candidate, but then I remembered! I already had an old, beat up wicker chair upstairs in the carriage house.
Does it sometimes seem like the upstairs of my carriage house is this magical space that I can continuously pull fabulous pieces out of? Sort of like pulling a rabbit out of a magician’s hat?
Anyway, I had this chair up there.
Way, way back I had Ken add casters to the legs on this chair and I used it as my desk chair before I gave the Q Branch a makeover and it still looked like this …
In case you’re curious, the added casters were a bit of a disaster. Drilling the holes in the legs required for the casters ended up compromising their integrity (never a good thing), and they didn’t hold up to a lot of rolling around.
So, I removed the casters, glued a broken leg, and then gave the chair a fresh paint job using Rustoleum spray paint in Leafy Green.
I typically use spray paint on wicker because it’s so much easier to get in all the grooves with spray.
Next I reupholstered the plywood seat by adding 4 layers of batting and some fill first, then covering that with an old scrap of vintage floral bark cloth that I had in my stash.
The scrap I had was just the right size for this seat, so it felt meant to be. I know I’m taking a step back to my old shabby chic days with this piece, but that’s OK. I’m putting it in my potting shed, I can choose whatever makes me happy for in there … and this does.
Now, I will admit, this chair is pretty beat up.
But I don’t care. It just gives it more character. It shows that this chair has lived a full life, and it’s continuing to serve a purpose even if it’s showing its age a little … sort of a metaphor for my own life.
Here’s one last photo that I’m sharing specifically for Honoré who asked to see a wider photo of the carriage house with my new guest bed sign/planter in front of it.
I’m not sure if that gives you the full effect you were looking for, but there it is.
So, the chair is done and next up I’m working on a potting bench sort of piece for the shed. I’ve got it painted but am waiting for some transfers that I ordered to finish it off. So stay tuned for that one!
q is for quandie 
That’s so beautiful! That’s the perfect shade of green and looks great with the bark cloth. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Thanks Dawn!
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Love this! It’s so charming and the color and fabric combo is perfect. Love seeing the bigger picture of your carriage house. You always say your house is small but it sure lives large with all these charming little buildings. Continuing to enjoy your retirement and all these projects!
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I love the way you put that Sheri, our house does live large! Or at least we try to get the most out of every bit of space we have 😉
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The quality of materials, the craftsmanship and the cost of older pieces will always tempt me to buy. Just because something isn’t perfect doesn’t mean its useful life is over. I have an old wicker rocker on my front porch that needs some fixing, but it was a fantastic piece that I feel so lucky to have found. Mine is white and white it will stay, but that is a cheery green for a potting shed.
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Your wicker chair sounds fantastic!
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I like the color. Green has gotten very popular. Trending I guess is the correct word. Very good choice for a potting shed.
P.S. I like worn out shabbyness.
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It has definitely been a good year for green!
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Oh, Miss Quandie, you made my day! 😁 I felt like you were kind of teasing me as I scrolled through the post. First, the blurry background photo with the spray paint and then the full vignette with just a smidge of the headboard peaking out. And then there it is. It fits in that space as if made for it! So, so good! Thank you! And the chair, I think that color combination is lovely. The fabric is dreamy and takes me back to my shabby chic days. I still have nods to it through out my home, just not full on any more. I am anxiously awaiting the progress on your potting shed. I was always a little bummed that it didn’t work out for you as your photo shed because I really loved the set up you created.
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Well, it is too bad that it didn’t work out for photo staging, but now that I’m spending so much more time gardening it will be nice to have some dedicated space for all of the accoutrements that go along with that hobby. Also, I feel like I can fully embrace my love of shabby chic out in that space, so be sure to stay tuned for that!
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Yep, I’m still a wicker lover, green lover and shabby chic and ESPECIALLY barkcloth lover! This turned out fantastic! Perfect for your potting shed. Jealous you get to work on all your home projects 🙂 while I am still at work but I totally understand how your situation evolved!
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A fellow barkcloth fan! I always grab it when I see it at garage sales, although that isn’t all that often anymore.
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It’s a perfect addition to your potting shed!
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Thanks Carrie!
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Love that fabric with the painted wicker! Everything you do is magic
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Awwww, thanks so much Melissa!
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Another charming story and fixer! I love giving life to the downtrodden 😉! Yours looks wonderful! I also thought when seeing the last picture….beautiful setting for a B & B 😳!
Smiles, alice
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Well, it may appear that way in photos, but in reality I don’t think too many people would want to stay in this area, or in my house with its one tiny bathroom 😉
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It’s Quandie, Miss Quandie, Licensed to…do whatever she wants……..lol! I, for one, would like to request a look at that carriage house attic! I want to see the magic up there! The green chair is pretty and something that you mentioned piqued my interest: you’re waiting for a transfer to arrive for your potting bench. Doesn’t a potting bench get all dirty and messy? Will the transfer be wasted? Or can it really be sealed well enough to withstand scraping pots etc?
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Ha! I love that! Licensed to do whatever I want to do indeed 😉 Hmmm, I may have to consider treating you guys to a photo of the upstairs of the carriage house. If nothing else, it will make everyone realize that although it sounds magical, it’s not really. Now as for that last part, do I strike you as someone who will be worried about my transfer getting all dirty, scraped or messy?? Not at all I hope! I am protecting it with some flat clear sealer, and it will be on the front rather than the top of my bench, so I think it will be fine. And if it gets damaged over time, well, so be it.
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I love to sit in wicker furniture. The sound it makes is soothing. And I love that green.
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This is such a brilliant idea! Love the colour you picked too, so timeless and peaceful for the space it’s in.
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