From bookcase to bench seating...

I can't really take credit for this project, well the idea at least, I found it on another blog and adapted it for my own use. I have been wanting a breakfast nook with bench seating for ever.  But with all the projects this house needed when I moved in and all the renovations and redo's I've done, bench seating took a backseat. And while this option isn't what I dreamed of, it's a good (and thrifty) solution for now.  Let's look at some pics first and then I'll give the 411...

 

Ok, so, yes it's a bookcase turned on it's side.  An Ikea bookcase to be specific. And to be very specific... this exact  bookcase http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20116274/. I did however get it for even less than that, $50, thanks to the Ikea family card.  You can sign up here http://info.ikea-usa.com/FAMILY/?src=ikea_web.  It's pretty awesome, you get nice discounts that are only offered to family members.  Let's face it 10 bucks is 10 bucks!  Back to the project!  

So I brought it home (bring a friend, trust me, it's awkward to load and get in the house) and put it together.  It was a quick assemble, really!  Then I made a trip to my Lowes with the exact measurements of the bookcase from the link above on the bookcase and got a piece of really thin fiberboard cut to the exact size I needed.  (Sidenote, you get the whole sheet of board, so the leftovers go with you for another project!)

Next, a trip to JoAnn's for some foam to make the seat.  It's a little costly, so make sure you have a coupon with you.  JoAnn's is pretty good about coupons and you can usually always get a 40% - 50% off coupon.  I got a 1/2 in thick, but really now wish that I had spent a little more on the 1 or 2 inch to make a really cushy seat.

That fabric?  It's a curtain panel that I got at World Market and I love it.  That's what I love about re-upholstering, you can use a curtain panel, a shower curtain, a bed sheet... anything that has a patter you love, can cover just about anything! 

So with some spray adhesive (really the easiest way to do this!) sprayed on the foam, I attached it to the fiberboard.Then covered with the fabric and attached it with my staple gun.  I think it came out great.  I really love it.  And I know, when I get tired of it in the dining room (which will happen!) I can use it in any other room and recover it with another pattern.

But of course I didn't stop there.  I have some saddle seat stools under my bar in the dining room too.  Why can't I cover them too?  I can and I did. 

Cute, right?!  So here's the finished product.  Until I get inspired again... :)