i actually got to do this fun project for school credit......talk about killing two birds with one stone. we had an old rug from urban outfitters that we used in our apartment but ended up disliking. i love the pattern on it but it was such a thin rug (kind of like canvas) that we would kick the edges up and they would curl....annoying.
i got the idea of turning it into a bench seat and found a good little piece of thrift furniture to execute my design.
steps: buy. wash down. sand. paint. paint another coat. (optional) sand to make it look distressed. sew strange cushion. upholster. add trim.
best part of the project? during sanding, i start smelling grape. then mint. then classic bubblegum. more grape. unknown. another unknown. another bubble gum. yes my friends, i counted 7 pieces of A-B-C gum tucked into the nooks and crannies of this little gem.
the adult version of scratch and sniff. ha ha.
once we got it all sanded and painted, it was a whole new world for that maltreated bench seat.
after this process i sewed a cushion for the seat which i stuffed with down feathers, batting, and other odds and ends. we seriously considered using an old foam camping pad, but decided the 15 years of dirt and dust was a little too gross. my mom and i upholstered the rug over the cushions using lots of brute force and many many staples.
the result?
not too shabby!
alternative ideas using similar techniques.....
recovering a stool with a cushion
a more traditional bench-shaped bench
yeah that's all i got.
option a: rose printed rug from urban, $30 for a 60" (size i used)
option b: "tribal printed rug" also from urban, a $9.99 2'x3'--perfect for a stool.
