A chair, a chair, a bench!

From the minute I saw these two chairs many, many months ago at the Salvation Army I knew what I wanted to do with them. Through my many late night sleepless Pinterest perusing sessions I had come upon a super cute chair bench of sorts...I don't remember whose it was, but I knew I wanted to make one.

These chairs had some fabulous roses carrved into their press back design. They had originally been cane seated, but the caning was long gone. They also had several what I call "owies" that would need some nailing, some clamping, and some gluing.

After making the necessary patches and repairs, I placed them upside down on a large sheet of paper and traced their basic shape to create a template for the new common wooden seat. I purchased a large piece of crafters pine at Lowes and cut out my traced pattern with the jig saw. My husband helped me to route a nice smooth edge around the perimeter. I attached it with wood glue and screws from underneath.

After a good sanding I applied two coats of primer followed by two coats of ivory white. I never wavered on my color choice...it was always going to be white. Then it was time for my favorite part; the distressing! I just love how a piece comes to life with the simple use of sandpaper.

I always knew I wanted to find a cushion fabric with roses on it to tie in with the chair backs. I originally intended to make one large cushion, but I just couldn't get it to fit right with the hip rests. After many failed attempts I cut it in half and made two cushions in the perfect ivory and rose pattern.

I think it would be a beautiful addition to a little girls room, the entry of a cottage home, or out on a covered porch. In fact, I think I might create another more rustic version for my own back porch.




Linking up to these lovely ladies:

www.savvysouthernstyle.net