Trestle Bench Transformed
March 22, 2010
Happy Monday all, hope you had a fantastic weekend ! Last week, you saw the upgrades in the dining room, and one of those changes included this trestle bench that I found on Craigslist a few weeks ago.
The bench was the perfect size to add seating to our dining space and very sturdy too since it is solid wood. However, I wasn’t using any maple tones in the room, so I decided to give it a new look. The bench received a two phase transformation to arrive at two different looks.
Here’s a reminder of the bench ‘Before’:
Here’s the first new look I gave this bench:
And another different style achieved by adding a washable cotton slipcover:
Both versions work well in our dining space, but I like to use the slipcover for spring because it’s light and bright, and mimics the pleat on the chair slipcovers. It also makes my life a heck of a lot easier since I’m not so worried about spills. Stain remover and bleach are two of my very best friends.
Here’s the easy peasy lemon squeezy tale of its transformation.
First, I flipped it upside down and slapped it with a good coat of primer. My fav, my love, my go to makeup artist, Mr. Zinsser.
After the primer was dry, I gave it two coats of ‘Heirloom White’ in latex that I had leftover from this cabinet project. Then I cut 2 inch foam to fit the top and covered it with batting to smooth out the foam’s edges and hold it in place.
Next, I used some leftover suit inspired material from these pillows to cover the bench seat.
I love the finished look of nailhead trim, so I attached that to the edges with a French Nailhead Trim Kit available at Joann’s Fabrics. To apply, I always use pliers to hold the nail steady, and a mallet to drive the nail into the wood.
The trim gives the bench an updated look . . .
. . . and adds such a nice finished detail.
I was terrible not taking pictures of how I made the slipcover, but basically I created the pleats or ruffles out of long strips of fabric and sewed them with my sewing machine.
Then I attached the pleats inside out to a long rectangle of cotton I cut for the bench, then hemmed the corners and the bottom. Again, sorry no photos. It was late – I was tired. I plum forgot.
But here’s the flirty feminine slipcover. Isn’t she sweet ?
Extra seating created with a transformed Craigslist bench !
I heart Craigslist, don’t you ?
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Tags: bench, craigslist, slipcover
Well Dayum! You had a mighty productive weekend! LOVE the transformation…both parts! Now I feel like a slug.
That is so gorgeous, and I have a bench that would love to be transformed!! I love all of the white and natural light in your dining room – just gorgeous…
What a beautiful transformation! You have done a beautiful job with your instructions and photographs. Perfect!
Beautiful bench!
Yes, I DO heart Craig’s list…AND this bench! Love the covers you made!
So pretty! I love the white cover too. You make it look so easy to do!
I do love a bench. My own dining room sports a deacon’s bench from my grandmother’s church.
And I do love bleach. Not sure how a mom makes it without bleach. You were so smart to make this slipcover out of a fabric that can be washed! It looks terrific.
I love this project. Wonderful and amazing. Thank you for sharing.
You are so talented to the point that it is ridiculous!
Do you prewash your fabrics first?
I love Craigslist too! I can’t decided which one I like better, they are both amazing! You did a fantastic job!
What an awesome transformation! I love the nailhead trim. Thanks for the resource, I’ve been looking for something like that. And, yes, I do have an addiction to Craigslist. I check the furniture in my area daily!
~Rachel~
Love it Kate!
Fabulous! I love both of the versions. I own a bench similar to this one. It’s in my basement with a bunch of stuff piled on it. I’ve never thought of refinishing it. Thanks so much for sharing.
I love both options! I thought when you did nail head trim you had to put in each nail head one by one! I had no idea you could buy in a strip! Amazing. I must find something in my house to add this trim to. I love love love it!
Kate! Astonishing re-do on the bench…and your slipcover makes me swoon! I love it and those detailed pleats make me want to dance!
that is the cutest bench ever! I love the slip cover too!
holy awesomeness…it looks fantastic. YES i HEART craigslist. for these reasons on your post!!!!!
Beautiful, I love the pleats and the simple elegance of the bench.
Hello Kate,
I am Anneli from Sweden. I love your website. I just bought a house here in Sweden, built in 1989. I love what you do to your house and you inspire me to do similar things to my own house which needs some TLC.
Thank you !!
Greetings from Sweden.
Now I have to run out and find a bench! Thanks for the beautiful how-to!
I love the style with the nail head trim! Classic, beautiful. you are so talented!
Karena’
Art by Karena
Yep! I heart Craigslist too! I love the bench both ways. Thanks to one of your earlier posts, I learned to make the pinch pleats you used for the slipcover on the bench, and move a slipcover for an ottoman that no longer matched! Yayyyy!
This is gorgeous!! Slipcover is a great idea. Thanks for inspiring me to crack the whip on myself = )
The bench is wonderful and I love it upholstered and slipcovered. Both look wonderful. Great job and super find. Hugs, Marty
You are amazing. Again, this is so delightful!!
OMGoodness. I need to find a bench that I can refurb. LOVE this idear!!!
That bench is quite sassy with its flippy skirt. LOVE IT!
What a great “Before” and “After” story. I feel like you need your own TV show dedicated to this subject…it would be fun to watch. I love the sassy little skirt, and the fact that you can change things up with the nailhead trim look too. Sadly, my CL usually only advertises old lounger chairs for outrageous prices. I need to keep a better eye on it to look for bargains. :)
I heart BOTH of your bench looks! Nailhead trim can’t be beat, and the ruffled slipcover is too pretty for words. Love them!
Wow! I didn’t realize it was so pretty underneath the slipcover, too!
the CL bench is so charming, I’d love to find one for my dining room it would create so much more seating – both makeovers are perfection!
Amazing makeover! Both are very nice.
Blessings
Diana
I love both looks. The skirted look is perfect for the warm weather.
I recently reupholstered some chairs and I was not able to find nailhead trim kit anywhere. I wanted to finish my project I decided to use gimp thread. I didn’t want to use 100 nail heads for each chair! It still did the job, but quicker!
Gorgeous!
Man I love those pleats! What are those called? Knife pleats? Dar-ling.
Oooh! I didn’t realize that it was so cute under that slipcover when you showed it to us before. It’s great! Lisa~
I am so impressed! Gorgeous!
The slipcover is adorable, but I’m so glad you showed off the tailored, nailhead version underneath! It’s super sophisticated. You’re so great at transforming a run of the mill piece into a spectacular item!
Very cute! I love Craigslist and have found so many great treasures there!
Hugs,
Victoria
I love both versions. Hmmm, you have my wheels spinning !
The bench redo is fabulous! Love the nailhead trim on the cushion! The tailored slipcover is so charming, I’m a sucker for ruffled slipcover! Great ideas!
Cheers!
Tina
Wow! Your dining room looks great! It is so fresh and inviting, I would have never thought of making that bench upholstered! Great Job!
Thanks
Stacy
You are amazing!
xo,
cristin
Hi Kate, I love the slipcover you made for the bench. I have been wanting to slipcover my dinninf bench for a while now. What type of cotton fabric did you use? Looks heavy and smooth.Great Job!
I AM SLIP COVER ADDICTED!!! AND WHEN THEY HAVE THOSE BEAUTIFUL PLEATS, OR RUFFLES IT PUSHES ME OVER THE EDGE… THANKS FOR SHARING THE HOW.
HUGS FROM MAINE
I love how this turned out. You have a great eye for seeing potential!
Love them both! You always have such great and creative ideas!
I heart your bench both with and without the slipcover. Wish you would post a tutorial on how you made the slipcover, expecially the ruffles.