bench – HOME ON THE CORNER

Good morning! It’s officially summer now! Are you enjoying some relaxing days or evenings! I like that it is light so late in the evening. It’s so much easier to get things done when it’s still light outside. I have a simple project for you today.

Our area has quite a few estate sales. A company comes into a house, pulls everything out of cupboards and closets, prices it and then runs the sale for 2 days. The items are usually higher priced than a normal sale, but if you go on the second day, everything is half off. That’s how I found this bench. There were actually three of them. I’m not sure what the owners did with three of them, but I only came home with one!

The top was easily removed by unscrewing the 4 screws. Then I painted it white.

I had this fabric for awhile. I think I made a pillow from it before, but had plenty left over. I plan to put this little bench in my laundry, so it could be a little bit of a bright and fun color.

I cut the fabric a little bit larger than the bench top. I folded over the edge twice to give it a clean line.

Next, came the stapling. I usually start in the middle of each side and then work toward the edges, pulling the fabric tight as I go.

For the corners, I fold the fabric in, kind of like wrapping a present.

Now that the fabric is on, I just reattached it to the base.

I took photos in my living room since my laundry room has no natural light. I love the bright green stripes!

It’s the perfect place to sit to take off shoes when you come in the door or to put down your packages.

It’s amazing how a little bit of paint and some pretty fabric can change the whole look of a piece of furniture! What projects have you worked on lately? I would love to hear about it!

Here are some items to create your own project!

Hello! We have a guest post today! My daughter, Haley! She made this awesome bench from some random furniture pieces, so I am going to ask her a few questions (this was the only way I could get her to participate!).

What gave you the idea to make this?

Haley-I saw the bedframe on the side of the road and thought the shape of it was pretty. I picked it up, but It sat for awhile, while I thought about what to do with it. I saw on Pinterest where someone used a tailgate from a truck for a bench, and then I remembered the bedframe and thought maybe I could do something with it.

Bed footboard

What pieces did you use to make it?

H-I used the footboard, which I placed upside down, for the back. The outside edges of the headboard were used for the arms. A desk was used for the seat. I used other pieces of wood for the supports.

Sides of the headboard

How did you start?

H-I started with cutting the headboard apart and screwed each side onto the footboard for arms. I took the legs off of the desk. I used boards across to give it support. Then added the desk on top. It wasn’t quite long enough, so we used the supports to help it stay.

Coming together!

Desk before

Desk after

screwing it together

wood slats underneath

What tools did you use?

H-I (with the help of my dad) used a drill, a counter-sink drill bit, 2″ screws to mount the supports to the legs, a radial arm saw and a skill saw.

Did you have any issues or problems when making it?

H-We used too short of screws the first time, and the wood split when I sat on it! We then added longer screws and now it works well. The legs ended up being kind of long and the bench is pretty high. I’m tall so it works for me, but some of my friends may have problems sitting on it!

It’s finished!

How did you decide what color to use? And what did you use?

Grey and turquoise

H-I am redoing my room grey and turquoise, so this was my inspiration! I used 4 cans of Granite Rustoleum spray paint and the drawers are Lagoon Rustoleum. I also added new knobs.

Great for storage too!

A cozy spot

Thanks Haley! The bench turned out great! It looks nice right underneath the window in the bedroom. I love it when my girls get creative too! Have you used old furniture and made it new again? I would love to see your projects! I hope you all have a great week!