Cozy Winter Potting Bench

After the holidays, I like to carry the warm and comfy feelings around our home straight through winter–and not just inside, but outside, too. My new potting bench was a great place to set the tone with those cozy winter vibes.

Back in November, we stopped by my friend Jenn’s annual barn sale, Pickin’ at the Barn. Jenn never disappoints with all of her incredible vintage and rustic farmhouse finds. Just as we were leaving, I spied a table in the corner of the barn that was, at the time, quite buried by other treasures.

Here’s the table, as I saw it during the barn sale

Right away, I thought it could be a perfect addition to our front porch. After taking some measurements, we headed home to see if it might work.

Many months earlier, I had picked up an old nesting box that I envisioned upcycling into the top half of a potting bench. I figured the cubbies would be perfect for storing pots, garden tools, and supplies…but I would need to find a table that was the right size to put it all together.

{Related: How I Built My Nesting Box Potting Bench}

The depth and width of this table was just right for my nesting box, and I loved the rustic look. The only downside was that it was shorter than normal table height at just under 25″ tall. The average table is about 30″ tall for comfortable use.

Here’s the table on the day I went back to pick it up

Then I got the idea to add some industrial metal caster wheels to the legs to make up the height I needed. The result was exactly what I’d dreamed it could be!

{Related: Build Your Own Nesting Box with 6 DIY Plans}

I am really going to enjoy both using and decorating this space each season!

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Since my potting bench is housed on our covered front porch, it greets anyone who visits our home. For winter, I wanted it to offer a cozy feeling that incorporated winter fun as well. I hope you enjoy this mini-tour and find some inspiration for your own winter decorating, as well!

{Related: Our Minimalist Botanical Winter Porch}

WINTER FUN

In late summer, I scored this cool old toboggan, oddly enough, from another barn. I’d originally planned to sell it in our shop during the holidays, and even tagged it for sale. Thankfully, I changed my mind and brought it back home! Some treasures are just too unique to part with, and I loved the idea of hanging it on the wall for winter.

{Related: How to (Safely) Hang Heavy Stuff on the Wall}

Seems like we always have a plethora of vintage Flexible Flyer sleds stashed away for shop decor as well, so I stood a couple of them at each end of my potting bench with a pair of old black ice skates to continue the ‘winter fun’ theme.

{Related: Post-Christmas Decorating Ideas for Winter}

VINTAGE & GARDENING ACCENTS

I wanted my decor to be both practical and beautiful. This is, after all, a functional potting bench that I plan to use while gardening, so I didn’t want to stage it with a bunch of things that wouldn’t be useful.

I added spools of jute twine, lots of pots and containers, and rustic wooden boxes to store various supplies. I love using old glass jars for petite vases, so I added a few from my collection to one cubby so that I would be more likely to have what I needed when I needed it. The watering can is a practical choice, and I repurposed a vintage recipe card box to store seed packets.

Under the table, I tucked some wooden crates that are great for moving plants around in my garden cart, and an old metal toolbox (also a barn find, no surprise!) that can hold more of my gardening tools, gloves, etc.

FLORAL CHOICES

Just because something is practical doesn’t mean it can’t also be pretty. Surrounding my workspaces with beauty helps to fuel my creativity–whether that workspace is my potting bench or my home office.

{Related: Cozy Farmhouse Meets Botanical Design}

Sticking with my cozy winter aesthetic, I chose natural floral accents like pine and cedar trimmings from around our property, as well as bunches of pinecones. The faux trees added a nice Pacific Northwest touch.

I just love how the whole area came together!

This potting bench was certainly a testament to patience. The vision was there, and eventually the pieces came together, but only because I waited for the right parts to make it work. Sometimes, in the pursuit of home decorating with a vintage flair, it can be easy to get caught up in fulfilling a design vision immediately. Often, that leads to bringing home pieces that aren’t truly what’s desired out of fear that there won’t ever be something better and the need for instant gratification.

{Related: Is It Worth It To Refinish Rescued Furniture?}

I think it’s important to balance your design vision with both your expectations and patience. Compromise and creative thinking are great qualities in home decorating, but so is the ability to trust your vision and wait for it to come together. When striving to life the good life, the journey, after all, should be just as fun as the destination!

Check out more of our Winter Home Tour:

• French Bakery Inspired Dining Nook
• Minimalist Botanical Farmhouse Porch
• Cozy Wintertime Family Room