TO DIY: reupholster a bench

When I moved into my Washington, D.C., apartment, my landlord had left an assortment of quirky furniture for me (including a bright red lacquer/glass tchotchke cabinet). This ugly bench was left in the bedroom, but quickly proved so functional that I couldn’t throw it out. However, my bedroom has floral prints and bright colors, and the deep, dark velour red and black did not exactly tie it all together. I found this bright and cheery large chevron fabric on Etsy, and was surprised how easy it was to reupholster the bench!

First, I unscrewed the top of the bench (it wash held on with only four screws). Then I flipped over the top and fitted the fabric. This step took the longest because it was so important to me to make sure that the fabric was straight.

I wrapped the top of the bench in the fabric like a fabric, paying very special attention to smoothing (and stapling) the corners. Before even getting to the corners however, I was very careful with staples. I stapled once on each side, and then flipped over the bench, to make sure the pattern was even.

Now, I need to paint my bench! I’m going to use spray paint because of the intricate wood details on the side.

I’ve narrowed it down to pewter gray and sun yellow. :)