Piano Bench Makeover

Earlier this summer I picked up a piano bench at the thrift store.  The color was wrong and it was in rough shape.  The legs were badly scratched and the bench seat had scrapes and gouges but it was otherwise sturdy.  Despite it's condition I thought it would work perfectly at the dinning room table.  I already have one bench, another one would complete the look.  Once home it was clear it was too tall to be used at the table.

Determined to find a spot for it, I went ahead and gave it a makeover.  Figuring I'd work with it's rough condition, I first gave it a coat of black paint.  Once that was dry I gave it two coats of Cottage White.  The last coat I let dry for a few minutes and then using a paint scraper I carefully removed the white paint to reveal the black undercoat, concentrating on the edges of the seat and the legs.  I tried to mimic the original distressing as best as I could.  After the paint had dried completely I gave the area's I'd scraped off a quick sanding to smooth things out.  A coat of stain over the top deepened the white paint to a muted, vintage white and a coat of wax  finished the project.  

 I love the result.

Now the color works great in my house.  I like the heavy distressing along the edges and legs.  Plus the contrast between the white and black makes me very happy.

Now all I needed was to find a place for my new bench.  I moved it all over the house trying different places but in the end the perfect spot was in the dinning room. 

Tucked into the corner, the bench makes a perfect spot to add a little softness and a pop of color with a few pillows.

A lantern was placed on top to add some pretty and a galvanized bucket underneath for just a touch more metal - I can't get enough of it this time of the year.  The bucket works great as a place to stash small items like toys and books until I have the time to deal with them properly.

I'm so happy it fits so perfectly into this corner of the dinning room.  In a pinch, we can still use it for extra seating at the table - just like I had originally planed!

Enjoy your day and I'll talk to you soon,

Robin

I'll be linking up to these parties:

Transformation Thrusdays,  Vintage Inspiration Friday,  Feathered Nest Fridays,  Show and Tell Friday,  Inspiration Friday,  Furniture Feature Friday