Benched
Last spring Douglas found this bench in the trash.
It is a cute little piece, but unfortunately it is broken and the upholstery is in appalling condition.
On Halloween, I decided that it was time to do something about the bench. The first thing that I did was take it apart and sand it down.
You can tell that this project started a while ago, because there are still leaves on the trees. While I was sanding, I also worked on the door of this cabinet that is another project that is taking me a woefully long time to complete.
Once the body of the bench was sanded, it was time to start working on the seat. There were about three thousand antique upholstery nails holding the fabric on, but it was easy to take off because the material was completely rotten and came away from the nails readily.
Then, I had to start pulling out all of the nails. Crème stopped by to check out my work, but she refused to help.
That night before we started handing out candy I also cut the foam and the batting down to size. At first, all I could find was the super thick piece, but Douglas, my hero, unearthed the piece that I was searching.
I was able to attach the foam and batting before I was interrupted by trick or treaters, but I did not get to the fabric that night.
The next morning I finished reupholstering the seat with Ponche’s “help”.
The fabric came into my possession as a velvet curtain purchased at a Goodwill store. I then used it to badly cover foam to make new cushions for this chair.
Here is the finished product. Obviously, I am doing a better job with upholstery these days. Now let’s see how long it takes me to get the body put back together and painted.
Happy Homemaking!
I am a teacher, traveler, artist, writer, homemaker and a whole lot more. In January 2009, I bought the Cape of Dreams. It was the second house that I had ever owned, but it was the first that I bought by myself. I now live in the house with my husband Douglas, our dog Kahlua, and Crème de Menthe, the cat. Because, what life is complete without a little Kahlua and Cream? I love arts and crafts of all kinds, and I refinish furniture as well. We are slowly redoing our entire house. You can read about my projects on my blog www.CapeofDreams.com
is it a music bench? it’s adorable! going to look wonderful once you’re done!
love how the kitties are always helping you out 🙂
Those kitties just cannot stand than anything occur in their house without their knowledge. They are total busy bodies, but I enjoy their company. I’m not sure what the Origen of the bench is. It’s pretty small.
This bench is adorable and you’re going to give it a new life.
Douglas made the right call bringing it home. He knew I would love it.
What a sweet little bench! It fits right in with your other eclectic pieces! Where are you going to put it?
The plan is to put it at the foot of the bed for now. Who knows where it will end up. A versatile little piece like this will very likely travel around the house a lot.
Douglas has done a good thing. This little bench is precious and you’ll do a great job refurbishing it. Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
It is funny how much he has changed since we got together. He used to cringe when I would want to bring things home out of other people’s garbage, but now he finds things on his own and surprises me with them!