inerorer: DIY Adirondack chair

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Week Three of Designerpalooza! My Chair!

"It was 1946 and Lana was exhausted. A few years ago, she was just another wide eyed kid on a stool at a soda fountain. What a ride! Still, years of the relentless Hollywood star machine were beginning to wear her down. Being a movie starlet isn't all it's cracked up to be, but for the most part it's nice work if you can get it. The pay isn't too shabby either.

She wrapped her "of course it's my natural color" blonde hair up in a glamorous white satin turban, added some oversized matching sunglasses and tossed her swimsuit, espadrilles and a few cotton rompers into a carry-on bag and left LA for Miami. A few nights at the Riviera in South Beach were just what a dame needed to get her moxie back. Though traveling incognito, Lana knew her ruse wouldn't last for long.

Oh to be a normal person for a day or two without any deadlines, photo shoots, film sets, special appearances, interviews or scripts to memorize. She settled back in her pretty pastel painted Adirondack chair with a tall Tom Collins for just a fleeting moment of solitude..."

Relax Adirondack Chair View Two Copyright Margot (and Andrew) Potter

Like Ms. Lana, I was feeling pretty worn out when I designed this chair. I wanted the chair to remind me that it's okay to sit back and relax. In fact, it's imperative!

I started with the idea of a 1940s pastel color palette. I'm relentlessly specific about color. It took about an hour in Lowe's to find these gorgeous saturated retro pastels. I was envisioning a chair from an old 40s beach resort that had seen better days, but still retained its retro charm. My husband and I teamed up on designing the sign and he did the manual labor for me. He's a mighty good man. We did a little sanding on some of the edges for a distressed, aged effect. You can also opt to add water to your paints to get a wash of color instead of a saturated finish.

I wanted a chair I could keep in my yard and enjoy for years to come and these Adirondack Chairs designed by Kathy Peterson for The Cedar Store are so beautifully crafted I'm quite sure they'll do the trick!

And yes, I intend to relax in this chair as soon as I get back from my photo shoot next week! No, seriously!

Next week we get a dose of fabulous from the incomparable Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo.

Stop by and visit all of the designers in the challenge for more inspiration!

Margot Potter (of course)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Designerpalooza Week One for Kathy Peterson and The Cedar Store!

My friend Kathy Peterson is a whirlwind. She's a TV host, designer, writer, lifestyle expert and all around creative guru. She's got a fabulous new line of Adirondack Chairs for The Cedar Store and recently she invited me and four other designers to participate in a designer round robin. I was so flattered and excited to be part of such an amazing group of creative women. Each of us got our very own Adirondack chair to decorate and every Tuesday for the next five weeks we'll each post a sneak peek and a link to the featured designer's work of art.

Pat Sloan is the first designer in our group and I was intrigued by the painted pattern on her sneak peek. She's a reknowned quilter and artist and I do believe, if I'm not mistaken, I detect a quilt pattern, perhaps even a wedding circle motif, here. Here is Pat's bio below and if you click on the picture above you'll be magically transported to her blog and get the full view! Thanks to

Pat Sloan has been creating since she was a child. From the first shoebox dioramas to sketches for a fabric line, there has always been creative energy flowing. When she tried her hand at quilting in 1985, she never looked back. Now, owner and founder of the quilting design and publishing company Pat Sloan & Co., she has published over 20 books, more than 100 patterns, nearly 10 fabric lines, and has had her work featured in major quilt magazines.

Pat first began sharing her knowledge through her publications, workshops, and lectures, but as expanded her reach through social media. She has built quilting yahoo groups, forums, facebook communities, and even the group “Quilters in Second Life” for quilting enthusiasts using the popular virtual world, Second Life. Also interested in beading, painting, and paper crafting, Pat’s overall passion has always been to help others harness their creative energy.