For some strange reason my life never felt complete without a wine barrel. I’d wanted one for my back patio but had never stumbled across any (we’re not exactly winery country). However on a recent garage sale hunt I came across this beauty…

A little weathered and lacking some TLC; but large, sturdy, and in my price range! I got it home, where it sat for a few weeks before I made any effort into it’s restoration. Finally I got around to sanding the barrel, it took a lot of work to get it back to clean wood, I even managed to knock some of the black enamel paint off of the hoops. I completed the sanding process over about 3 days, just doing bits here and there. Under all the black mold I even managed to sand back and salvage the French name and numbers that had been stamped into the barrel. I used some left over varnish that we had sitting around, and after 3 coats, and another 3 days… it looked beautiful. I set it up out the back where we sit and enjoy the view of our dam and property, perfect spot for afternoon sun-downers (or cups of tea). Some finishing touches like plants and rustic bits and bobs completed the look, and helped it blend in with the rest of our patio style – perfect fit!