Swinging in the Breeze with a Hanging Seat

Easily convert a rickety old chair into a picturesque hanging seat for your garden or patio.

What you will Need
12 mm rope (15 m in length)
Old wooden chair
2 x 350 mm x 30 mm x 18 mm wooden
planks (2 spacers)
Paint

Tools
Hand saw, drill and 14 mm speed bit, paint brush

1 Saw the legs off the chair. If you are going to hang the chair outside, it would be a good idea to paint the whole chair with an exterior paint so that it will last. Otherwise, just paint the raw wood where the legs have been cut off with the same colour paint.

2 You now need to drill holes for the rope to run through the backrest and seat of the chair. If you have a chair like ours, drill one hole in the seat between the outer two backrest uprights. Then drill a corresponding hole in the top of the backrest. Repeat this on the other side. Drill a hole in both front corners of the seat for the rope to run through. Drill a hole in each end of each spacer.

3 You’re going to leave the rope in one long piece, so pay attention! Take one end and thread it through one of the holes at the front of the seat. Tie a knot under the seat to prevent the rope from pulling through. Decide how high above the seat the spacer must be and tie a knot that distance from the chair. Thread the rope through the spacer, so that the spacer rests on the knot. Pass the rope over the branch or beam. Thread it through the other end of the spacer and tie a knot in the rope. Thread the rope through the corresponding hole in the top of the backrest of the seat and then through the seat.

Run the rope along the bottom of the seat to and through the opposite hole at the back of the seat. At the same distance as with the other side, tie a knot for the spacer to rest on, then pass the rope through the spacer and over the beam. Pass the rope through the second hole in the spacer and tie a knot. Thread the rope through the remaining front hole. Ensure the seat is hanging level and tie a knot beneath it. Your hanging seat is now ready for a test ride!