The hanging chair has long gained popularity among other pieces of furniture. The incredible feeling of weightlessness and the feeling of light swaying is familiar to everyone from childhood and is associated with a swing. Such a chair will help bring back these memories and will become an original addition to the interior. It will not be difficult to create a hanging chair with your own hands with a minimum set of tools and work skills, and the result will be unique and inimitable furniture.
Content
- 1 What is a hanging swing chair: the benefits of installing products
- 2 Why you should make a do-it-yourself hanging chair
- 3 The main options for hanging chairs: cocoon, hammock, nest
- 4 Materials required for the manufacture of a floor or ceiling-suspended chair
- 5 Features of the execution of a hanging hammock chair
- 6 How to make your own hanging chair-egg (cocoon or ball)
- 7 Wicker hanging chair using vines or rods
- 8 Features of the implementation of a simple suspended child swing chair
What is a hanging swing chair: the benefits of installing products
Every person who has a summer cottage near the city will agree that in the warm season one wants to be in nature more often. Outdoor recreation is necessary for everyone, and a hanging chair will be very useful in this case. Moreover, having made a hanging chair with your own hands, it will be possible to obtain such dimensions that will allow you to install it on a small balcony or directly in an apartment closer to the window.
It is interesting! The first hanging chairs appeared in the middle of the last century in Denmark and were originally used to decorate the garden area, but then they began to produce such modifications that were successfully placed in small apartments.
A hanging rocking chair is a comfortable resting place made of natural or artificial materials: rattan, nylon, plastic, metal or glass. The finished structure is suspended from the ceiling hook using a long cord, chain or other method. In addition, the types of floor products stand out, for the installation of which you do not need to use the ceiling, because they are mounted on a special bracket-pipe. Both options differ in their ability to swing and spin, especially if there is enough free space around the installed chair.
Unusual methods of execution, shapes and various materials allow hand-made hanging swing chairs to be adjusted to any size and style of the room. With a competent approach, the finished product can withstand a weight of up to 200 kg, which makes it possible to fit two adults or an adult with a child in it.
According to the main types of chairs, they are divided into the following options:
- wicker;
- fabric;
- solid;
- soft.
All models of products must be characterized by the ability to swing in different directions or rotate. The only version of a chair that can only rotate in a circle is a product that is fixed to both the ceiling and the floor. More often it is installed in a situation where there is no free area for swinging, but you want to install furniture.
Why you should make a do-it-yourself hanging chair
An unusual appearance, an excellent addition to the interior - these are far from the main advantages that a person receives after making a hanging chair with his own hands at home. When making a product for yourself, you can think in advance of its parameters that are most suitable for installation in a specific room, because this furniture can be used even in small studio apartments. Do-it-yourself wicker chairs have a number of undeniable advantages.
Significant cost savings. The cost of the goods in the store includes rental of premises, staff service, all utilities and even the cost of parking, so even an inexpensive product will cost much more. In the case of self-production, you only need to buy cheap scrap materials - and you can save up to 90% of the original cost in the store.
Uncomplicated manufacturing process. Making a hanging egg chair or any other model with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. A large number of detailed master classes and step-by-step instructions can be found online. The main thing is to have the desire and enough free time.
An original addition to the interior or exterior of the housing. Even beautiful and massive furniture made of natural solid wood has become boring to many. The use of a hanging chair in the interior will "dilute" the appearance of the home and make it non-standard, especially if you show your imagination and give the furniture an unusual appearance.
A reason to be proud of your work. If you approach the manufacture of an adult or child seat with your own hands with trepidation and perseverance, the result will be a unique designer thing, one of a kind. All guests can easily surprise with their artwork and design talent.
Perfect sizes. Only by creating a product yourself, you can take into account the nuances of the configuration of the room in which it is planned to be installed, and make a swing chair that will ideally complement the interior, match the size and style of the room.
It is interesting! The method of weaving the backs of some chairs is similar to the technique of making fishing nets.
The main options for hanging chairs: cocoon, hammock, nest
Modern shopping malls provide a wide range of seating options, some of which are easy to do at home. Of course, creating a wicker hanging chair with your own hands will be easier for someone who is familiar with sewing, weaving, or at least knitting.
The work on the manufacture of the chair will be enough for everyone in the family, because it is appropriate to involve children in decorating the finished product, whose ideas are often more interesting than those of adults. Before you make a hanging chair with your own hands, you need to examine unnecessary things that take up space in the garage or pantry, because they may well become the basis for a hanging hammock or children's swing. In any case, finding and buying the components for the chair is much cheaper than purchasing a finished product.
It is easiest to make a hanging hammock chair with a soft frame with your own hands. Unlike a hammock bed, which is characterized by the presence of two fasteners, it is enough to make only one fastener for a hammock swing, and it will be slightly smaller in size than the standard version.
To make a hanging chair-ball or nest, you need a gymnastic hoop, but not plastic, but durable metal. Among other models, the ball is most popular, because it has an unusual, interesting shape and laconic design that fits into any interior.
Based on personal preferences, weaving technique, colors and decorative decorations are selected. In addition to the hoop, for the manufacture of a ball chair, it is enough to have dense textiles, wooden bars and a decorative cord for weaving.
Swing chairs are made of various materials, while the frame can be either hard or soft. Despite its simple construction, the chair looks attractive and sophisticated. Such a hanging chair is used for a summer cottage, veranda, balcony, as well as for living rooms such as a bedroom, living room or nursery. The main materials that will be required for do-it-yourself manufacture are textiles, wood and thread bars to create the seat and back.
The cocoon chair, or egg, is considered a favorite model of hanging furniture for children, because it has high sides and a small entrance. In such an armchair, you can comfortably hide from prying eyes and in solitude do your favorite things: read, tie, or just dream. When making a do-it-yourself hanging cocoon chair, the frame is made quite rigid, and the walls are woven using various techniques using vines, rattan, rods or any other suitable materials.
To create a wicker chair on a rigid frame, acrylic threads, vine, metal, plastic or rattan are used. According to reviews, the hanging chair resembles a rocking chair, which is not installed on legs, but is fixed either to the ceiling or to a tree branch. To complete the base, textiles, leather base, wooden slats, vine or rattan are used.
Materials required for the manufacture of a floor chair or a chair suspended from the ceiling
There are many ways to make a hanging chair. Consider what materials are most often used to make it.
Textile. Inexpensive and affordable material that is simple and easy to work with. The strength of the finished product will depend on the type and quality of the selected fabric. To create an armchair, you can use either a canvas made of old but dense denim, decorated with rivets or patches, or a raincoat or tarpaulin. The more natural the fabric, the more comfortable it will be in the swing: if the fabric does not breathe, the skin will sweat in summer.
Related article:
Hanging chairs: an original method of arranging a place for rest
How to choose a frame depending on the material, brief characteristics of each. Installation site, advantages and disadvantages of use.
Knitted fabric.For those who own the technique of crocheting, knitting, or even hands, it will be easy to complete such a basis. The main thing is to use dense yarn and not make too large distances between weaves so as not to fall through.
Weaving macrame. It involves the use of a durable cord, which is characterized by high performance. The openwork hanging macrame chair looks light and airy in the interior; it will become an adornment of a home made in any style.
Vine. Natural material that is not only pleasant to the touch, but also has an attractive appearance. Wicker furniture looks especially beautiful on the veranda or in the living room of a chalet-style house or in an apartment with an ethnic interior. It is only important to pre-treat the branches with antifungal and anti-mite mixtures. To make the chair last longer, it is recommended to varnish it from time to time.
Rattan. Both artificial and natural rattan stand out. However, you need to know that the artificial version of the material has higher characteristics: it is designed to hold more weight - up to 200 kg, while the load on natural rattan should not exceed 120 kg. In addition, artificial rattan better tolerates exposure to high humidity and does not fade in the sun, but it has a higher price than its natural counterpart.
Interesting information! More and more often on the Internet you can find master classes "Hanging chairs with your own hands", where a thread from plastic bottles is used as the material for the braiding. Such furniture is popular because it can be used outdoors, it is not exposed to moisture and gives plastic a second life.
What materials are used for the frame of hanging chairs: photo examples
If you look at the photos of hanging chairs with your own hands, you can notice that most often a gymnastic hoop is used to make the frame. If the chair is made for a small child, it is permissible to use a plastic hoop, but still, in most cases, it is recommended to buy a metal strong hoop for this, which makes the structure stiffer and more reliable. Other materials used to create the framework include:
- Metal pipe. The design will be safe and durable, but it will differ in a rather large weight of the finished product - from 7 kg and more. Other additional complications include the need for special tube bending equipment.
- Tree. The finished chair will be lightweight, pleasant and warm to the touch, and environmentally friendly. At the same time, you need to remember about the features of wooden products, which are prone to moisture absorption and drying out under the influence of sunlight. It is necessary to pre-treat the frame with impregnations and repeat the application at least once a month in case of active use.
- Reinforced plastic pipes (PVC). A do-it-yourself hanging chair made of PVC pipes will be not only lightweight, but also not subject to corrosion. Due to the plasticity of the material, no additional devices are required in order to give it the desired shape. To firmly fix the ends together, wooden or plastic bushings are used, which are additionally fastened with self-tapping screws for reliability.
Helpful advice! For the manufacture of a chair, you should not take materials that have pronounced defects: cracks, chips or breaks. This will not help to significantly save on production, but such a chair will serve a very short period of time.
Basic weaving techniques for hanging swing chairs
In order to make a do-it-yourself wicker hanging macrame chair, several weaving techniques are used, which differ in the finished relief, the pitch between the links and the density. Techniques are conventionally divided into two large groups - openwork and smooth weaving.
The smooth weaving technique provides for a minimum gap between the rods, here the following main options stand out:
- Basic or general weaving. Suitable for both experienced people and beginners. For work, they acquire flat, but wide ribbons, which are woven in a checkerboard pattern using a 1 × 1 step. The result is a simple but durable canvas.
- Striped. Initially, a vertical base is braided using a thin rope. Horizontal stripes are made in 2 × 1 increments, with a slight displacement of the pattern.
- Fish tail. Weave used with a diagonal offset of 2 × 2.
- Stairs. There is also a 2 × 2 step, which is shifted in each row in opposite directions.
- Christmas tree. The fabric is woven in stages. First, several starting planes are performed using a 3 × 2 step. Then each position is shifted towards the adjacent row. The result is a dense canvas with a prominent central corner.
The openwork weaving technique involves basically two options for ornaments:
- Four-sided weaving. The pattern resembles a six-pointed, acute-angled star.
- Hexagonal. Quite a complicated way of weaving, reminiscent of oriental motifs.
Before you start manufacturing, you should complete the preliminary drawings of the hanging chair with your own hands, which take into account the dimensions and materials. You can create a plan yourself if you have some skills for such work, or use ready-made options from the Internet. At the same time, a ready-made drawing of an armchair with your own hands can be modified to your taste by downloading programs available on the network that help with the independent manufacture of pieces of furniture:
- PRO100;
- Basis-Cutting;
- Astra Furniture Designer;
- bCAD;
- Basis-Furniture.
Features of the execution of a hanging hammock chair
Not the simplest, but the most convenient are the do-it-yourself macrame hanging hammock chairs, for which a rigid frame is used. Most often, gymnastic hoops or PVC pipes are used for this. In addition to the macrame technique, ordinary textiles can also be used, but these hammocks do not look so airy.
The advantage of the macrame technique is that you do not need to use a sewing machine and resort to sewing. The entire structure consists of a frame and a woven fabric, the pattern of which is selected based on the complexity of manufacturing and personal preferences. So, to create a hammock chair, you need two hoops of different diameters. To decorate the seat, a circle with a diameter of 80 cm is suitable, but for the backrest, you should choose a slightly larger diameter - 110-120 cm.
To braid such rings, you will need the following materials and tools:
- about 700-900 m of polyamide or acrylic cord;
- 12 meters of sling rope;
- strong cord to secure the hoops;
- wooden rods;
- centimeter or tape measure;
- scissors;
- gloves.
It is easiest to work with a ring made from a PVC pipe with a cross section of about 35 mm during manufacture. You can calculate the required pipe length for a certain diameter using the formula: 3.14 × ring diameter.
If a base diameter of 120 cm is required, this indicator should be multiplied by the number π - you get 376.8 cm.This means that in order to achieve the required diameter, you will need to use a pipe with a length of 3.77 meters.To connect the ends of the tube to each other, you need to use wooden or plastic gaskets, additionally fixed with self-tapping screws.
The main stages of the implementation of the original hammock chair
The back is made using a soft rope with a diameter of 4-5 mm or another strong but pleasant to the touch cord that can be found in a hardware store. The advantage of weaving with acrylic cord is the creation of strong knots that do not shift under load.
Helpful advice! It is better to immediately buy a cord of the required length, which will be enough for the manufacture of a chair, so that later you do not have to select a material of another color.
At the first stage of creating a chair, you need to tightly wrap the surfaces of the hoops - without gaps or sagging. To prevent the braid from sliding out, after 20-25 turns, you need to tighten. After that, they proceed to the design of the seat, for this, threads are fixed on a ring made of a pipe with a smaller diameter at the same distance from each other. Then, using imagination, one of the weaving options is applied, most often a simple checkerboard. The knots must be flat.
Before you start decorating the back, you need to connect the hoops to each other. On one edge, the rings are attached as close as possible. The depth of the hammock chair depends on how far the opposite sides are spaced. The back is woven either in the same pattern as the seat, or in a different one. Work begins on the design of the backrest from top to bottom, after which the ropes are tightly fixed on the lower circle.
When finished, the long tails can be fringed, or leftovers can be used to weave the sturdy cords used for hanging. The result of the work will be an original and comfortable chair that can be installed on the street and in the apartment.
How to make your own hanging chair-egg (cocoon or ball)
By the type of construction, a do-it-yourself cocoon chair is distinguished by the maximum closure of the internal space. Another distinctive feature of the model is the high side edges, which are closed with the backrest and fence off the interior space on three sides. The chair is shaped like an egg, ball or cocoon.
You need to be prepared that the drawings of the hanging cocoon chair are characterized by the greatest complexity, and the product itself has significant dimensions and needs a strong and massive frame. For these reasons, the egg chair is one of the most difficult options to implement. For the frame, structures from pipes or hoops are more often used, therefore the product is distinguished by its rounded shape.
To complete the frame, you will need to take at least three rings, which are additionally reinforced for rigidity with arcs installed perpendicular to the main hoops. Thus, the ball is divided into conventional segments. Before fastening the hoops to each other, as in the previous case, they must be wrapped with a synthetic cord, which is additionally glued to the base every 10 turns.
To fill the space between the segments, use the same rope or a thinner one, which will make the weaving openwork. Colored polyamide threads can be purchased to add color to the product. In addition, soft wooden lamellas can also be useful for decoration, which will need to be drilled and firmly attached to the base.
For the seat, it is recommended to install a wooden round seat, which is complemented by a soft cushion, because the spherical bend can interfere with a comfortable stay in the ball. For convenience and to create a softer back, you can also attach a pad made of padding polyester, sewn on your own.
After you have made a hanging cocoon chair with your own hands, you need to think about ways to fix it. The simplest option is to hang the product from the top with a cord or rope. There is also a floor mount option, for which you will need to purchase a metal rod and make a base using welding.
Wicker hanging chair using vines or twigs
To make a do-it-yourself nest chair, you will need to pre-prepare the processed branches. For this, the following tree species are suitable:
- bird cherry;
- willow;
- rattan;
- rakita.
To make a hanging garden chair or a variant for an apartment, you need to purchase the following materials:
- Long rods of the selected wood species - about 500 pieces. The best diameter of the rods is 7-10 mm.
- Metal pipes or hoop required to create a strong frame. You can braid the base using twigs or using polyacrylic fibers to tie the frame.
- Rope or rope that will be needed to secure the swing to a ceiling or tree branch.
Helpful information! A popular option is a do-it-yourself floor nest chair that is mounted on a metal or wooden support. The disadvantage of such a product is the lack of the ability to swing, because it looks more like a regular seating chair.
The sequence of actions when doing a swing-nest with your own hands is as follows:
- The pre-cut rods are peeled from the bark and beaten off. This is done to make the material more flexible and pliable to weaving.
- A frame is formed. To do this, take a round steel hula hoop, a rounded metal pipe or a durable PVC hose.
- The cross is being prepared. To do this, with a rope, previously moistened with glue, 4 or 6 rods are fastened together, which form a cross. The length of the vine should be equal to the diameter of the future seat.
- Fitting the cross. The rods are passed either from above or from the bottom of the cross. Vine after vine is twisted along the cross until the required diameter is formed, usually 80-100 cm. The last rod of the braid must be fixed with a cord and coated with an adhesive mixture.
After the base is ready, they proceed to the execution of the sides, the size of which is thought out in advance. Initially, you need to fix the frame rods on the base, the height of which will be the future height of the product. The interval between the frame rods should not be less than 2-3 cm. Then the branches of the vine are threaded between the rods. You need to weave the product from the bottom up, gradually rising and forming the inner cavity of the nest.
The rods should fit as tightly as possible to each other, and the end of the last rod with the help of an awl is hidden in the main weaving. This must be done so that the edge does not stick out and cannot cause injury. At the final stage, cables are attached to the sides of the finished nest, which will then be used to hang the product.
Features of the implementation of a simple suspended child swing chair
Children's swing chairs are considered the simplest and fastest option, which can be easily done on your own in one day. Moreover, if you approach the manufacture carefully, it is quite acceptable to use it for adult fans of swing.
Before you start creating a swing, you need to check the availability of materials such as:
- dense fabric (about 2 meters, but a little more is better);
- meter wooden stick;
- sewing machine;
- drill;
- rope;
- strong nylon thread for sewing;
- paint, if you want to make the product brighter.
First, you need to fold the two-meter fabric in half and, stepping back 18 cm from the upper left corner, draw a diagonal line to the lower right corner to make a triangle. Then the resulting triangle is cut out and removed. At the same time, the main part is unfolded and the sides of the cut are stitched, capturing a centimeter along the edges.
To get cavities that will serve for pulling the fastening cord, it is necessary to bend 3 cm on two long sides and sew them either on a typewriter or manually.
Further, along the edges of a wooden block or stick, two holes are made, the distance between which is at least 4-5 cm.In this case, the interval between the holes from different ends should be about 70-75 cm.A lace is threaded into closely spaced holes, which is fixed with strong knots at the base of the timber. At the top, in the central part of the corner, another knot is knitted, for which the finished product will be hung on the hook.
Long hanging lengths of cord are passed through special holes in the fabric and drilled holes, and also fixed at the base of the bar. On the hook, which is firmly fixed in advance on the ceiling with the help of anchors, first one and then the second oval steel carabiner is installed, where the swing loop is thrown. This will ensure high-quality and safe skiing.
The implementation of the frame and base is an important stage in the work that affects the safety of using the chair. After the manufacture of these elements, you can proceed to the decorative design, which will make the product unique and inimitable.
It is necessary that the color of the chair's textiles is in harmony with the environment. It is an independent creation that makes it possible to install a product that is most suitable for the surrounding interior. Moreover, the design of the chair is quite simple, and the materials for manufacturing are not very expensive. All that is required is a little imagination and perseverance.