Sunday, September 29, 2013

Easy Bench Makeover

Sometimes I like a challenge, but sometimes I just want an easy and quick project for instant gratification.  I knew this bench would be it!
I once read that a pillow sham is the perfect size piece of fabric to recover a chair seat, so last summer I picked up three of these shams at GoodWill for a few dollars.
They are Martha Stewart Living brand and are a nice heavyweight fabric.  It was also just the right size for this bench.  

I started by removing the blue and white fabric from the bench seat to find this underneath--
A chenille rug!!  And that was it, no padding or anything else.  Thankfully I had some batting that I was able to layer to give the seat some cushion.  

Then I took apart the sham.  I cut off the back layer of fabric as well as the piping to be able to free the top of the fabric.  I stapled it to the seat top as you would any seat cover.

I almost threw away the piping, but realized it was long enough to go around the seat--I just stapled it around the edges.  It was so easy and added a nice finished touch to the seat.

Not sure if you can tell, but the bench used to have cross bars--only one was left.  I used a hand saw and cut it off then sanded and filled the holes with wood filler. I painted the base with three coats of DIY chalk paint in Valspar Hotel Churchill Vanilla, distressed the paint and then screwed the seat back onto the base.
Voila!  There it is, instant gratification with a wonderfully transformed bench.


Linking to:
Silver Pennies | DIY Showoff | I Should Be Mopping The Floor | Dwellings | The Dedicated House | Creative Home Expressions | Twigg Studios | Coastal Charm | Rain On A Tin Roof | Homecoming | The Dedicated House | Cozy Little House | A Stroll Through Life | Love Grows Wild | Kammy's Korner | Table 4 Seven | Domestic Superhero | The Happy Housie | Living Well Spending Less | Lamberts Lately | Fluster Buster | Sweet Haute | Start At Home |  I Gotta Create | The Shabby Creek Cottage | Craft Dictator | Miss Mustard Seed | Liz Marie | The Shabby Nest | DIY Vintage Chic | Lovely Crafty Home | The Pin Junkie | Pink When |

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19 comments:

  1. Turned out beautiful! What a great idea.

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  2. That is so lovely! Fabulous fabric!

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  3. I'm a "instant gratification" kinda girl too! Looks fabulous!!

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  4. Very nice! I just love your posts! You do such a great job of explaining things...and I LOVE your ingenuity and budget friendly options!

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  5. beautiful! I hope you kept the chenille rug?

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  6. I'm with anonymous. Hope you kept the rug. Nice little, quick and easy project. Love it when it all comes together. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Oh my goodness is your bench just beautiful!!!! What a cool tip about the pillow shams!!!! You did such an incredible job.... The fabric of the shams are perfect!!!

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  8. Love it, Susan! It was quick and easy enough not to give you fits. : ) Love the pillow sham fabric and the white gave it a nice refreshed look.

    Thanks for linking up to The Creative Home & Garden hop!

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  9. I. LOVE. IT....
    I have a bench that I want to recover, too. Thanks for making it simple for me.
    Over from Cozy House

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  10. Oh this is cute. And it looks like it's the way it was supposed to be :)

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  11. LOVE IT! That fabric looks great on this! Thanks for sharing at Share Your Stuff Tuesdays!

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  12. Adorable makeover! Thanks for sharing at Silver Pennies Sundays. x

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  13. Beautifully done! It caught my eye because I am in the market for an old stool with fluted legs that I can redo with an old Hollywood glam look. Lovely blog too! Jeanette - SnazzyLittleThings.com

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  14. Sweet! Really like the fabric...so cheerful!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!!!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  15. Wow what a difference! Looks great! Sham material is very sturdy so I'll be looking at some for a similar project. Thanks for sharing!

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  16. Awesome to know about the pillow sham....thanks for sharing. Great job on the stool.

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