About two months ago, we decided to buy a new couch.
Buying a new couch meant rearranging furniture.
Rearranging furniture meant this piece that was once used as an entertainment center now needed a new purpose. I decided it was the perfect piece to turn into a bench. It was the just the right height for sitting, plus there is a ton of room in the two side cabinets to store toys!
The first thing I did was use Gorilla Glue to attach some thin pieces of wood to the doors...
..and sides of the entertainment center. I wanted to add a little bit of interest to the otherwise plain boring sides. Jason already had these thin pieces of wood left over from a previous project, so all I had to do was cut them to the correct length and glue them on.
After the Gorilla Glue was dry {technically like two weeks after}, I primed the entire piece with Zinsser Oil Based Primer...the same primer that I used to redo my
end table. After the primer was dry, I added a coat of glossy white paint...the primer was so good that it only need one coat of the glossy paint to look pretty great! I reattached the original hinges {which were black}, and picked up two new decorative black knobs to replace the small silver ones.
I bought a piece of foam and cut it to the correct size for the top of the bench. FYI: Foam is expensive....if you have any old cushions that you aren't using, save them!
I also picked up a tablecloth at Target to make a cover for the foam. I got a great textured material for less than $10...if I had bought something similar at the fabric store it would have cost a fortune! I wrapped the material around the foam, pinned it in place, and sewed up the edges. I left the back open, so that I can remove the cover and wash it if it ever gets dirty or stained {which
is going to happen in my house full of boys}!
Throw in a couple of rattan baskets and two decorative pillows that match the throw pillows on the couch, and now I have an awesome bench and even better toy storage piece!
We decided to swap out our current 4 seater table for our bigger dining room table, but something still isn't just right about the space. I have been trying to think of the best way to use our breakfast room, and I keep coming back to something kind of like these pictures:
