Bed Turned Into Bench

This beautiful bench, made by my talented husband Simon, was a somewhat useless twin head/footboard in a former life!

If you have some old bed frames lying around collecting dust, you may want to pull out the chop saw and get building!  If you don't like using the power tools - I don't - then find yourself a Simon!  

Here is how Mr. Wilson did it.

First he found a bed frame on the side of the house collecting dust.  Yes - on the side of the house.  The garage is completely full of more important pieces!  This one was intended for scrap wood.

Next, you chop it up and stuff.  Really.  I don't know exactly what he did to it.  But I do know that he used almost all of the bed.  The sides are the bed rails.  The front is the footboard, minus some of it - so you could actually sit on it.  And I know he took great care in measuring the seat height before he chopped things up.  Lot's of measuring was going on.

And then some scrap wood was used to make the seat.  

We debated over whether it should have arms on the sides, and decided not to put them on, as it was made from a twin bed, so it's not very large, and we wanted it to feel more open, and roomy.

And then I came along with my fabulous Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  This is a mixture of Florence and Napoleonic Blue.  I painted it, distressed it, and then finished it with a minwax polyurethane/stain in one.  I hadn't tried that finish before, but I imagined this bench living outside, and I wanted it to look antiqued, and I didn't want to spend too much time doing all sorts of layers to get the look I wanted.

I love my Bed Turned Bench. 

This twin bed did have a twin.  There were two!  So keep an eye out for the next one!

Sharing with;

 

http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/ http://missmustardseed.com/  

http://www.decoratinginsanity.com/ http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/ 

http://www.atthepicketfence.com/ 

http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/ http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/ 

http://www.somewhatsimple.com/ http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com/ http://www.fivedaysfiveways.com/ 

http://www.remodelaholic.com/ http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/ 

http://tatertotsandjello.com/  

 

http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/ http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/ 

http://www.sistersofthewildwest.blogspot.com/ http://www.redouxinteriors.com/

 

http//makinglemonadeblog.blogspot.com/ http://diyshowoff.com/ 

Comments

[cassie]

this looks gorgeous- the color and finish are SO fun!

[AngieC]

Absolutely breathtaking! I am in love :)

[Karen]

This is so beautiful! I have tons of heaboards/footboards (well, quite a few)...on the side of my house too! I have had this in mind for a while now, using yours as my inspiration piece. Thank you for sharing! -K

[Helen]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Simon is very talented....as are you! I love this and I'm pinning it.

[andrea]

A fabulous job! The color is bold, yet still soft enough to transition into even the most neutral decor.

[Martha]

What a nice piece. I have a head board and foot board and have been wanting to do that same thing but lack the woodworking skills. But I'm determined to learn and figure it out. Thanks for the kick in the pants to get started!

[Pamela]

Gorgeous!
Pam

[Norma from Norma's Kentiques]

This is MEGA fabulous and love it SO SO much! Found this via Heather from "at the Picket Fence" and am drooling over this. Is this for you or are you selling. If selling, how much are you asking?

[Nichole]

This is so charming!
It's also good to know about your durable paint choice.
Thanks for the inspiration...now to find myself a Simon. ;)

[Jackie]

Lovely! And the colour is soooo beautiful too.

[Erica]

Love the Bench and especially the colors you chose!! Thanks for the inspiration and eye candy!

[Pam]

WOW! I want one!

[Julie @ followyourheartwoodworking]

Beautiful bench, I especially love the colour!

[Cecilia]

Love it! Beautiful color too. I've had one for years my husband made from a full sized bed but it needs repainting - I'm inspired to paint it instead of just staining it again.

[Beth]

Wow. What a great idea!!! it was so ugly before. I just love the idea (may have to steal ;) and the colors are perfection!
Thanks!!

[Susanna]

The bench turned out absolutely fantastic! I love the color and finish. How nice to have such a handy husband!

[Elizabeth @ Lizzi's Creations]

That is amazing! What a great transformation! I really love the turquoise.

[Charles Budd]

What a fantastic idea! I love the way he's used bits of the bed to make it, and then some scrap wood for the seat. This is PROPER recycling. And you've done a brilliant job finishing it. Thanks for sharing the process and the piccies. :-)

[vikki]

I love it. I have one of those taking up precious space in my garage. Now all I have to do is make it!

[Debra@Common Ground]

Great creative save. LOVE the color!!

[Karen]

Thank you so much for sharing! I am featuring tomorrow afternoon at my party. -K

[Abbie (Five days...5 ways)]

LOVE it! Featuring you tomorrow!

~Abbie

[gail]

anyone who knows me very well at all, knows I love a great headboard bench. In fact I plan to make several this weekend. I love how your hubs did this one, and the color is fabulous!

gail

[Courtney]

AWESOME! Thanks so much for this! My son is using a twin bed we will be replacing with matching one's for he and his brothers and it will fit this project PERFECTLY!

Love the color too :)

[Pam @ Simple Details]

What an amazing job your handy guy did transforming the bed, and your color choice takes it over the top! Wonderful job!

[margo]

So gorgeous!

[Brenda]

This is so well done. Flawless! And the color is amazing. Can't wait to see what you do with the second one!
Brenda

[Sarah]

I LOVE how this turned out!! The color is gorgeous!!

[Daisy]

I've starting seeing these little benches pop up everywhere. I am love with this idea.....so clever!
Daisy~

[Karri]

How much of each paint color did you use to make that color? I love it! I have a bench that looks really close to the one you made that I found in a thrift store. I can't wait to get my paint and get to work!! Great idea with the twin beds. I'll have to start looking for those when I thrift, now.

[marlene]

I Love benches and you did a wonderful job on this one, Thanks for the inspiration I needed!!!!!!!!!

[Lynne]

I absolutely love this!
We are getting ready to move, and are down-sizing our beds.... so what to do with our big bed with the headboard and footboard that I no longer want.... OMG... this is SO perfect! Even the color. Thank you very much for creating and sharing :)

[Annette]

I absolutely love this! I can do this as soon as I find the right bed. But I am fairly new to this. Can you please tell me what brand and color paints you used and how to distress it? Thanks!

[Marie]

I LOVE IT! <3 I want one, will you be selling the next one? I am seriously interested! Awesome idea.

[Jill Wilson]

Annette - I use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - this bench was a mix of the colors Florence and Napoleonic Blue. You just paint it as you would anything, and then sand back here and there with sand paper. This paint is super easy to work with, and distresses beautifully. I added a stain over this piece, as it was going to spend some time outside and the usual wax finish isn't suitable for outside. Good Luck with your projects!

[thefolia]

Your store looks so lovely--I have to come by. Do you have a spot for this unique Wagon Wheel Table--I think it will fit right in, especially with a coat of Chalk Paint. http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/fuo/3606635947.html.
Happy Nesting!

[malic]

That is amazing! What a great transformation! Thanks for the inspiration

[Nell]

Wow!! This is cute. And to think I donated my twin beds to someone else. But like someone else mentioned will have to keep my eyes open for a twin bed.

[Kelly @ IdealistMom.com]

I love how this turned out! We happen to have an old twin bed frame and a foyer with an empty wall. :-) Pinning now!

[asima]

What a charming blog,nice collection.