Out on our evening walk with the pup, we spotted it. For weeks, we’ve been scouring Craig’s List for a bench. A simple, dark wood, upholstered bench to fill up a bleak spot between our kitchen and family room.
And there she was.
In our neighbor’s yard, not near the trash can, not near the sidewalk. Just sitting in the yard. She was perfect! Dark wood legs and sides with a seat that looked simple to reupholster (we’d never done that before, but what the heck?).
So, we rang the doorbell, introduced ourselves, and asked, “So… the bench in your front yard… is that lawn furniture? Did you forget it was there? Any chance you’re anxious to part with it?” The answer was great news for new homeowners on a tight budget… “Oh, that’s yours if you want it.” SCORE! After chatting with the neighbors a little longer, watching them love on Bowdoin (what dog lover doesn’t love a good snuggle with a bulldog?!), and inviting them to our open house the following week… we snatched up that bench, cut our walk short, and embarked on a quick and EASY DIY project.
then
now!
The transformation literally took 30 minutes. So fast, our pictures are a bit blurry…
we took a paint pen that we already had and touched up a few worn spots...
the seat was secured with four screws and super easy to remove...
the label we spotted when we flipped her over... nice!
We had already purchased two yards of blue fabric that matched our décor at a discount home fabric store. (It was the end of the bolt, total cost = $6. ) The intention was to use the blue fabric for pillows, but this project only needed one yard – so there’s still plenty left over.
we stapled the fabric to the seat...
pulled it taught and maneuvered around the tricky corners...
Moments later…
we popped her back into place...
screwed her back in...
and… voila! A new to us gem!
This little spot isn’t quite done. Soon, we’ll put DIY pillows atop the bench and adorn the wall… with… here’s a hint…
yep... we still have a lot of work to do!
Total cost = $3. (That was the cost of the fabric we used, everything else we already had or was FREE!)
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