Thursday, August 20, 2009

DIY Upholstered Bench

I wanted a bench to sit underneath my window. OK, I'll admit it, I wanted a bench for my cats to have something to stand on to look out the window. I didn't find anything the right size and the right price (cheap!), so I decided to make one myself.
At an estate sale, I found a bunch of wood legs for a dollar. There were 8 total - 2 sets. I also picked up an abandoned shelf. I first painted the legs, glued them to the shelf, then drilled a long screw through the top into the leg. I know this is not proper procedure (I probably should have used leg brackets) - but it worked for me.
I also pre-drilled holes to pull my buttons through later.
Next, I cut 2" upholstery foam to the size of the shelf, and then layered upholstery batting over that.
I found some gray faux suede fabric at a discount fabric store, it was under $5 for the yard that I needed. I stapled the fabric to the bottom of the shelf, securing the foam and batting (I skipped the step stapling a layer of muslin underneath the fabric, because I didn't have any - you can see the end product looks a little lumpy. The muslin would have helped with this).
Scraps of fabric made up the buttons, using a covered button kit from the fabric store.
I then used a heavy duty thread to attach the buttons, through the holes that I had already drilled in the shelf.
The last step was attaching the Nailhead Trim. I use a shortcut, the trim comes in a kit, and is already attached together, you only have to hammer in every 5th nail. I highly recommend it. It is much easier to get a straight(ish) line rather than nailing each and every nail.
This can also be found at most fabric stores. Oh, and I spray painted the trim white before I nailed it. I had to go back and touch up some of the nails when I was finished.
And here it is.

It is definitely not perfect, but it works for its purpose.

Linking up to A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day.
and
Linking up to The Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursday.
Check out both of these great blogs for other projects!

8 comments:

  1. If the kit-kat's think it is great, then you did a wonderful job ... cute pic. TTFN ~ Marydon

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  2. Wow--you built this from scratch? Impressive! Good work! Looks like it's feline approved too :)

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  3. I looks like the cats love it! They are two cuties.

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  4. Looks fantastic!
    I LOVE that nailhead trim too!!!!

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  5. Such a neat idea! Am sure kitty's enjoy it !

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  6. I'm really impressed! Nice job!
    Kimba

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  7. Gotta love nailhead trim, it's always a great touch!

    I have a poll up on my blog about my BIGGEST decor dilemma. Come on over and vote, I need all the help I can get!

    http://imnomartha.blogspot.com/2009/08/first-poll-ever-to-paint-or-not-to.html

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  8. Hi Hon,I think your bench came out beautiful. You did a fantastic job.The cats love it for sure...LOL...XXOO Marie Antionette

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