A Garden Seat for the Frog

Not that kind of frog, although he is totally cute!

Frog

Source

Have you noticed how ceramic garden seats seem to be available everywhere now? I remember years ago seeing them in decorating magazines but I could never find any back then, at least not at a price I was willing to pay.

Last spring I was on a quest to buy a garden seat for the screened porch.

Screened Porch with Sheer Curtains and White Wicker Furniture

 

I found this one with a pretty quatrefoil design in HomeGoods and before putting it in its rightful place out on the porch, I had fun trying it out in various places around the house. It looked pretty good beside the sofa in the FROG. Thanks to Mary for teaching me that fun word, meaning “finished room over the garage.”

White Garden Seat with Quatrefoil Design

 

It’s really my upstairs family room/spill-over guest room, but FROG sounds a whole lot cuter.

Upstairs Family Room Furnished with Antique Pine 1

I also liked it at the end of the window seat in that room, too.

White Ceramic Garden Seat with Quatrefoil Design

 

But my favorite spot for it was here beside this chair in the guest room. I was super tempted to leave it there but I had purchased it for the porch.

Ceramic Garden Seat for the Guest Room

 

So, after admiring it for a while in the guest room, I semi-reluctantly took it down to the porch.

Ceramic Garden Seat for the Porch

 

You awesome guys told me Ross was a great place to look for inexpensive garden seats. I took your advice and a few weeks later I spotted this happy garden seat in Ross for just $30.  I liked its green color even better for the porch.

Garden Seat with Red Geranium

 

So, I took Mr. Quatrefoil back upstairs to live in the guest room and all was well. Except…

Ceramic Garden Seat for the Guest Room

 

I still had a hankering for one in the upstairs family room, but only if I could find another bargain, meaning something in the $40 or under range. I really liked how the white one had looked in here.

Create Upstairs Family Room from Bonus Room 2

 

It’s been six months since I brought home the green garden seat last April. You can read about it here: A Garden Seat for the Porch.

I didn’t have garden seats on the brain when I stopped by HomeGoods a couple of weeks ago, but once again, it was garden-seat city! They were everywhere, so many cute ones in so many great colors. And there it was, a white garden seat for just $39.99. I thought I’d bring it home to just see how it looked here in the FROG. Do you see it hiding out over there at the top of the back staircase?

White Ceramic Garden Seat for the Family Room

 

It makes a nice little table there at the end of the windowseat.

White Ceramic Garden Seat for the Family Room

 

It could  hold almost anything, maybe a glass of tea.

White Ceramic Garden Seat for the Family Room

 

Or, maybe a silly denim pumpkin.

White Ceramic Garden Seat for the Family Room

 

I think what I love most about garden seats is how versatile they are. They will work well just about anywhere and can be whatever you want them to be…a table, a seat or just a decorative accent in a room. How many things can you buy for $40 that can do all that?

Are you a garden seat fan, too? If so, in what room do you use yours? Is it a table or does it actually get used as a seat sometimes? What’s your favorite way to use a garden seat?

White Ceramic Garden Seat for the Family Room

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Comments

  1. I love those garden seats, but I haven’t had a place for one until recently. When I saw your latest addition for your FROG (I like that word too), I thought of the large old pottery churn that I inherited from my grandmother. It’s fatter than a normal churn and with a few books atop it, it would make a good substitute for a garden seat that I will only be using for a small table beside a rocker in a tight space! Thanks for the epiphany moment!

  2. Good Morning Susan I love the white one in the FROG (too cute) room and the green one on the porch. Looks great. I know you are like me a big animal lover. Just thought it would be nice if you passed the word on that it being Halloween and so many people are mean to animals at this time of year, mostly ”Black Cats” and dogs too. Please keep pets inside or in the garage. Animals get scared of the little children in their costumes. You have so many lovely followers that they can pass the word around too. Have a great day, which is dark, cold and rainy here in Indiana.

    • Good advice. I’ve always heard it’s best to keep black cats in this time of year. Very sad that we even have to worry about stuff like that. Around here you can’t let cats out because we have coyotes in our neighborhood and they eat cats. Big problem in the Atlanta area.

  3. I have two blue and white garden seats on my deck. I love the touch of color they add. I found them years ago when I lived in Savannah, I think at World Bazaar (does anyone remember that store?). For a while they were fairly expensive. I like that the price is more reasonable now as they do, indeed, make a great side table and an injection of color if needed!

    • I remember that store! Jenny, you’re right, they were priced a good bit higher back then. They may have been a bit better quality. I’ve noticed the less expensive ones are as nicely made.

  4. Peggy Thal says

    Your garden seats look great! Glad you found another for your perfect spot. I have 2 that I bought probably 20 + years ago. They are blue and white Chinese style. I have always loved them and they take very little room. They match my blue and white Chinese collection in all the kitchen cabinets. ( lighted and glass) The one my husband says keeps multiplying! It is so rewarding when you find something you are hunting. SCORE!

  5. Debra Taylor says

    Susan, I love garden seats as well! I have 3 now…on the porch and in the house. We have very similar taste! I wanted to tell you that I have also found them at Big Lots…the price is always just right.
    It’s a beautiful Fall day here in SC. I lived near Atlanta for many years…hope your day is glorious!

    • Oh, don’t think I’ve looked there for them…great tip, Debra! You just reminded me, I do have one more on the deck. It was bought especially for the deck in the garden center of a Home Depot so it really does look like it belongs outdoors.

  6. Susan…Isn’t it amazing how the price of garden seats has gotten more realistic lately? Your collection is great and I love where you have strategically placed each one. I admit Mr. Quatrefoil in your guest room is my favorite and I drool every time I see your guest room – such a beautiful room. I finally found a garden seat, at a price I could afford, from Ballard. It’s blue and white toile, I’m a sucker for toile. Vikki in VA.

  7. Susan I adore garden stools and have several. I move them around when changing room decor and have at least one on the terrace always!

    xoxo
    Karena
    New_2013 Designer Series

  8. You can also use for a plant stand, next to any chair or table.Place several pillows atop or books! On the terrace you can never have enough spots to place a drink!
    For those who are not sure if they have a spot…

    xoxo
    Karena
    New_2013 Designer Series

  9. I love the garden seat in the guest room also! Glad you found another one! I will be on the look-out for one now! I learn a lot from you!

  10. pam ~ crumpeety cottage says

    Oh Susan, you’re like a little kid in a candy store or a little girl with a new doll, trying out all her outfits, lol. It made me smile, all the pictures of all the fun spots you tried out your little garden seat. I agree! It worked in lots of places and was not only cute, it was useful, too. I’m glad you got to find another one. 🙂

    Yesterday was pretty here. Today is cold and dismal. 🙁 Best to stay inside and work on fun projects, I believe. 😉 😀

    • 🙂 It was fun trying it out in places. lol Yes, stay inside. Very windy here today. I think my corn shocks fell off the porch. lol I didn’t attach them well this year and the wind has been nuts!

  11. Kathryn Clayton says

    It’s so much fun to play around and try different juxtapositions! Although I don’t have a typical garden stool … I found a white elephant shaped one at Ross on clearance for $13.99. It sits on my hearth (gas fireplace) with a stack of books. I also placed a wine colored contemporary birdbath (Big Lots) at the end of my oatmeal couch to hold candle, orchid, & remote control. You have opened my eyes to the need for a garden seat for my patio.
    Weather report: very welcome overcast day in San Diego. It’s been such a HOT summer.

  12. Susan, until you mentioned the original garden seat, I hadn’t known what they were. Now, as you say, I see them everywhere!!
    I love the one in your *FROG* with the cute pumpkin. It was just meant to be!! (that’s what I tell hubby anyway when I buy something!!) 🙂

  13. Yes, I do love garden seats. I have had mine for quite a few years, and I use it as a table next to the glider on our deck.

  14. I love garden seats! I had two, each different shape and patterns, but both in Oriental blue and white designs. One burned in a fire we had in 2001…the other one survived and I now have it in my bedroom.

    I love all three of yours!

  15. Susan, I am so happy you found the green one for the pirch, it looks perfect there and the white one is gorgeous in the guest room. Now the have a 3rd!!! I have one blue and white one that I got about 28 years ago and also 2 elephants (from Vietnam) that were my in-laws that are a TREASURE to me!!!

  16. Machee Whitesides says

    I am on the hunt,right now, for a garden seat. I will have to check Ross. I found some at Homegoods but they were $79.99 and I didn’t want to pay that much, I like the $40 range. Can you tell me the size of the lanterns on the side of your front porch? I want to order some from Ballard Design, they have two sizes and I am not sure which size to get. I like the way your’s look on your porch. I love your blog, thanks for the great ideas!!!

    • The fancier garden seats with lots of design or cut-work on them are def more expensive. If you can find a more plain one, they are a lot less. They are def less at Ross, that’s where I found the one on the porch.
      I just tried to measure the lanterns and they are around 28 inches from the very top of the scrolly thing on to to the tip. They are about 12-13 inches wide at the widest part. These were made by Quoizel and the last time I checked, they still had them in stock. This one is very similar except it’s brown: http://www.quoizel.com/myquoizel/PF_Results.aspx?Type=AdvancedSearch&room=Outdoor&category=Outdoor+Fixture so you can see the measurements on their site. Mine are black and they weren’t called Fort Quinn, so those aren’t exactly the same as mine, but the measurements appear to be about what I was getting when I tried to measure. My lanterns are pretty big and some folks may have chosen smaller ones, but I really wanted a large, dramatic look for the front door. I love the size!

  17. Hi Susan. I just got back from Walmart. I could not wait to find the coffee and the candle you recommended yesterday. I smelled the Rustic one and did not like it so I decided on the Pumpkin Spice. I also got the Pumpkin Spice coffee in the grocery section. While I was checking out I picked up the Christmas edition of Southern Living so I’m all set for an afternoon of relaxation. Thanks so much for the reminder to do something nice for ourselves sometimes.

    • Gloria, you want to hear something funny. The first time I went into Walmart, I smelled the rustic one and didn’t like it either, so I bought one of the medium size Mulled Cider candles. Next time I went back, I decided to give the Rustic Retreat a try but since I didn’t think I’d like it, I bought the little bitty one you saw on the book. I like it BETTER than the mulled cider. I was so surprised! Not trying to talk you into trying the Rustic one, but I had the same exact reaction you did until I actually burned one. lol

  18. My mother-in-law is caring for her elderly father, however the small bathroom was an issue. They removed the traditional bathtub and tiled the entire area turning it into a walk-in shower. They needed a place for him to sit while he showered, enter a lime green garden seat. It’s both stylish and functional. D

  19. Oh I love all three of yours, they look fabulous and I do like the green better for the porch. Yes, I have two and I found them both at Ross for around $40. I have them in my bedroom, they are such fabulous tables. Thanks again so much for the feature yesterday, I had such fabulous feedback, I really had a great time. Hugs, Marty

  20. Love you found another – I remember when you were shopping/moving/deciding…….all great choices, too!

    I have never owned one and dont’ think I can get one for the porch until it is redone and safer – it wouldn’t be safe there yet till I finally have a pro porch, not just my Zen Room covered patio………..but I would love to have one next to my soaker tub……but afraid hubs would run into it in the middle of the night, it’d be close to his closet…………..so not sure I will ever have one but they’re so neat. Glad the price is finally going down, needed to – those buggers used to be really really pricey!!!!!

  21. I don’t have a garden seat, but have been wanting to get one for a tub-side table. It’s a garden tub, so that works, right? 🙂

  22. I’m a big fan of the garden seat! They fit in little spots where a table just won’t do. I have four. One is a little blue and white, and I use it in my living room by a chair. A white one is moveable and floats from room to room as needed. I have a tea height table instead of a coffee table and I use the stools there for extra seating on Bunco nights! I paid $70 for an bright green owl stool at Home Goods, and that one is going in my studio. The last, a vintage 60s elephant stool, goes on the porch. I come across the vintage stools quite often these days.

  23. I love them all. So versatile and a great price too. My MIL has a big ceramic elephant (plant stand?) I’m waiting for the day she doesn’t want it anymore – because for some reason, I love that guy!

  24. Count me IN for loving “garden seats!” I change mine into different rooms all the time…one is now in the guest bath holding towels…oh, the possibilities! franki

  25. Linda Louise S. says

    I actually use mine in my garden, LOL. I had been on a house tour and that’s where I saw them in the garden and fell in love with that idea. Couldn’t find any cheap enough till I found one at a garage sale. The seller wanted $10 but I talked her down to $7. In hindsight I guess I got a good deal.

  26. Sherry Pickel says

    You ladies now have me on the hunt for a garden seat! Thanks for all the tips. By the way, I love the new website and it is soooo much faster!

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