I made this little garden chair using just cardboard and some metal wire, and honestly, it turned out better than I expected. The structure is super simple, but once you add the paint layers, it really starts to look like an old, slightly rusty miniature dollhouse outdoor chair.
It’s a nice, quick project if you want to add something a bit more “lived-in” to your dollhouse garden or patio.
Materials to use
- Cardboard (for seat and back) ( 4x 4 cm)
- Strong green metal wire (stiff enough to hold shape)
- Strong glue (hot glue works well)
- Masking tape
- Craft knife
- Pliers
- Acrylic paint:
- Red
- Green
- Yellow (to mix brown)
- Blue
- Black
Step-by-Step Tutorial
🎥 Watch this Short on
YouTube
Step 1: Cut the seat and back
Cut 2 squares of 4 × 4 cm from cardboard.
Round off the top corners of both pieces to give them a softer, more realistic chair shape.
Step 2: Assemble the basic chair shape
Glue the two pieces together at around 100° angle to form the seat and backrest.
Hold it in place for a moment so it sets properly.
Step 3: Bend the wire frame
Cut your metal wire and use pliers to bend it into shape.
Each side should form:
- A front leg
- A bottom support
- A back support (slightly angled)
Make two identical pieces, one for each side of the chair.
Follow the shapes!
Untill you get this shape:
Step 4: add masking tape and attach the wire to the seat
Cover the cardboard parts with masking tape.
This helps:
- Strengthen the structure
- Create a slightly uneven texture that works really well for an old look
Glue the wire frames onto both sides of the chair.