Saturday, March 12, 2011

Benched

A few months ago (ok, like a year ago), I blogged about how I got a Pottery barn knock off entry way bench and shelf from JCPenny to act as our "coat closet" in the foyer since our house didn't have a real place for jackets and storage. (original post here) Well we LOVE the bench, however, it's taken me quite a while to make it our own. It sat un-accessorized for a year, but I finally got around to making it cute! Especially since it's literally the first thing you see when you walk in our front door, it wasn't making a very good impression. Here's the blah before:
It is great for storing shoes and other stuff like scarves, hats and gloves, but it was just sort of boring. I hated the white cushions on the bench because they got dirty so quickly (we have a dog with black fur!) and I felt like they blended in with the wall.

My first step was accessorizing the top. I found two glass vases that I loved and they fit perfectly up there. Then I turned to Etsy to find a fun print to frame, which I propped up against the wall. My last project came just recently when I got out my sewing machine (I told you I've been busy with that thing!) and made a new print cushion for the top to replace the dirty white ones. Here's the after:
Isn't it so much more fun?
Close up of the top (ignore the lovely nail pops in our ceiling that need to be fixed). I got the famous "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster, but found a seller on etsy who personalizes them with different things. Since J is big into sailing, I thought that one was perfect!
Close up of the cushion I made. The brown and green paisley matches the rest of the colors in our house and will definitely hide all the dirt and dog hair we have going on. I'm pretty proud of myself because I did a cushion with piping, which I think it makes it look more finished than just being plain.

So that's my latest house project - definitely makes our entry way more cheery and inviting!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a cute cushion! I like the green you have going on. good job!

KatiePerk said...

I am loving that green! What a cute print too!

Mrs EyeCanSee said...

So cute! And I love the bench....I've kind of been looking for something like it myself!

Pink and Green Mom said...

It looks great!!

Kelsey @ Seattle Smith's said...

Love the layout!

SkinnyMeg said...

So cute! I love it with the green :) Great job!!!

Unknown said...
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Always Organizing said...

Looks wonderful!!! Any chance you will give us a tutorial on the cushion??? :)

Alexandra Bee Blog said...

looks good!! i LOVE the green and i have that same raincoat (i even mentioned it in my St. Patrick's Day post). i'm new to the world of blogging, please stop by!

 
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