Simply Beautiful By Angela

creating simple beauty on a budget

DIY Simple End of Bed Bench

***UPDATE***

Please check out my updated tutorial on how to build the base of this bench here

 
 

So remember waaaaay back when I shared our Master Bedroom Makeover with you all?  It seems like that was ages ago, right?  Well first the holidays happened and then Lucas’ first birthday so alas, here I am almost 3 months later to finally get back to sharing some of the tutorials for the many DIY projects that went into this room.

Up today is the bench at the end of the bed!

During my original design process for the One Room Challenge I hadn’t even thought about putting a bench at the end of our bed.  If you may recall, that area between our giant sleigh bed and the dresser was really cramped and the dark furniture made it even worse.

However, when we took out the huge bed frame and replaced it with our DIY Upholstered Headboard we all of the sudden had soooo much space!  It’s hard to tell in this picture but it’s the best that I’ve got to show you the difference.

I have always loved the way that a bench looks at the end of the bed.  I feel like it sort of ties the whole space together and serves as a focal point for the room. 

Since I didn’t plan for a bench in the budget I didn’t have much money to work with.  And after not being able to find anything long and skinny enough online, I got creative and start dreaming up plans to make one myself.  And luckily it turned out to be exactly what I envisioned!

 
Supplies Used: (Affiliate links may be provided for convenience.  For more info, see my full disclosure here.) 

The amount of wood needed for this bench is minimal which is really nice!  Just a few 2×2 furring strips which are around $2 a piece and a 2×6 which is around $6 (we had it cut down into two 5 foot pieces).

(Tristan loves it when we need lumber because that means he gets to ride on the flatbed!)
 
I watched the boys while the hubby assembled the frame for me.  I am sooo lucky that he’s always willing to help his crazy wife out with her wild ideas!
 
He began but cutting all of the wood as follows:
 
4-2x2s at 57″
4-2x2s at 18″
7-2x2s at 8″ (8 are pictured but we only ended up using 7)
 
 
 
He connected two 18″ pieces to two 57″ pieces using wood screws to create the first side.
 
(please try to exuse our nightmare of a garage that you’ll get a glimpse of in these pictures–it’s definitely the most embarrassing part of the house that I can’t ever seem to keep clean or organized!)
 
He used a drill bit a little bit larger than the screw heads to create holes to countersink the screws into.
 
 
He then did the same thing to create the other side and then connected the two sides using the 8″ pieces.
 
 
Finally, he added three 8″ pieces across the top to serve as support.
 
 
Here’s my hero focused and hard at work measuring out where to put the supports.
 

Then it was time for me to take over!  I went around and filled all of the holes with wood filler.

 
Once that dried I used my trusty orbital sander to go around and sand the entire piece.  I didn’t worry about getting it too perfect since I like the rustic look but I made sure to get rid of the excess wood filler as well as any splintering.
 
For the top I attached the two 2×6 pieces with liquid nails to make it easier to upholster.  If you are just going to stain your top you could just attach the two separate pieces to the frame.  Once the liquid nails was dry I sprayed my top with some tacky adhesive and then laid it on some left over foam mattress topper that I had from the headboard. 
 
 
I trimmed it as cleanly as I could.  I learned my lesson about sloppy foam edges with the headboard…
 
 
Since I had enough foam I doubled it up.
 
 
I stapled first the batting and then the fabric.  2 yards of fabric worked perfectly.
 
 
And finally it was time for the tufting! I used the same process as I did for the headboard but since it was important to have two straight lines of buttons I made sure to mark where each one should go on the front with a chalk pencil. 
 
 
After attaching the top to the frame with wood screws I placed this baby at the end of our bed!
 
 
 
I almost stained the frame but ultimately decided to go with a distressed white and gray painted look.
 
 
 
 
It’s perfect for sitting down to put socks on and to drape our bed throw over when it’s too warm to use it on the bed.
 
 
 
I just adore how it turned out.  And since we already had everything except the wood we only spent a little over $16 so it fit right in with our budget!
 
 
 

***UPDATE***

Please check out my updated tutorial on how to build the base of this bench here

 
 
 

Comments

  1. My garage is the most hideous place in my house too. LOL I love how the bench turned out and it is now on my to do list for my own house. You and your husband remind me a lot of myself and my husband. Very cute blog! Definitely going to be following from now on. =)
    You can check out my blog (just getting started) at http://www.firesidecreekhome.com

    • Hi Krista! Thank you so much! I just hopped over to your blog and love it! We have really similar styles and that entry table that you built is soooo pretty. I've been blogging for over 2 years and still feel like I'm just getting started–there's so much to learn!

  2. That is a beautiful piece of furniture. Very nice job. And thank you for sharing such a detailed tutorial. I can't wait to try building y own bench.

  6. I love the bench and appreciate you posting it as I have been thinking of building a frame like you did. As for your garage, oh let's not go there. Yours looks great compared to mine.

  9. Angela, it the bench and your whole bedroom is absolutely gorgeous and bright! I pinning the idea, because very soon we need to create something similar for our master bathroom! thank you for sharing at Fantastic Friday!

  13. Your DIY turned out so amazing. It looks just like expensive ones you see in the store. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Pinned & Shared.

  15. You outdid yourself on this project! Your bench is just gorgeous. And I'm thankful for the tutorial; I think I see some bench-making in my future. 🙂

    Thank you for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I'm featuring you this week!

  16. Wow! That bench is amazing!! I've tufted an ottoman and it can be challenging to get it lined up – and yours turned out beautifully!! I remember your room from the ORC and have loved seeing the changes. This is like the icing on the already perfect cake!!

  21. Thank you for your easy to follow tutorial. The pictures were perfect and I was able to make my daughter one in no time, and tufting wasn't as scary as I thought, so I am going to make tufted headboard squares to match!

  26. My husband and I are following your tutorial and making the bench this weekend! We love the way it looks. I do have a question about the buttons and how you attached them, did you drill holes through the 2×6 boards like you did with your headboard? And then threading the buttons through the fabric you would try to line up with the drilled holes?

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