DIY Upcycled Bench for Girls Room: Old Telephone Bench Makeover for a Girls Room Using Paint, Wrapping Paper, Mod Podge and New Fabric.
Years ago, my daughter happened upon a sad little telephone bench in a Salvation Army store and had to have it!
I think we paid about $10 for it.
And to be honest, it sat for a long time in our garage before we finally got around to planning an upcycled bench project for it.


A couple of weeks ago, I got a spark of inspiration and decided to start the bench makeover.
We’d already completed her wooden desk makeover, and the Michael Jackson lamp. So it was the perfect timing to do an upcycled bench project for her room!
Note – this post was originally written in 2011. I’ve since come back to update it and provide more information about the project! My daughter’s room has since changed from the pink look, too – you can read all about it in the tween girl bedroom makeover post.
My Gorgeous Upcycled Bench for a Girls Room
Painting the Bench for a Fresh Look
I started by pulling apart the cushions. I found 4 different layers of ycukiness for my trouble, and new right then and there I’d need to reupholster the bench.

After pulling the bench apart, I spray painted the entire frame white with a paint sprayer.
It really freshened up the look of it, and is way more suitable for a girls room than the dark wood!

Upholstering and Decorating the Bench
Then my daughter and I started debating what to do with the rest of the bench.
What fabric would look best? Patterned or solid?
And what should we do with the small telephone bench desktop?
I wanted to spend the least amount of money possible, while still making a really cute bench upcycle my daughter would love. So we decided to get creative!
First, I came up with the idea of using wrapping paper and Mod Podge on the desktop.

I bought a couple years ago, and have always loved it. Add to that, it is pretty heavy duty, so I felt like it would withstand a bit of abuse.
I used 4 coats of Mod Podge and then sprayed the whole thing (frame included) with polyurethane finish.
For the upholstery, I found some turquoise fabric I’ve had for awhile. I just used a staple gun to attach it to the padded seat and back, and voila!
Upcycled Bench for a Girls Room After Shots
Here’s the DIY bench makeover in all its glory…we absolutely love it!


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Oh wow that after looks great! I love the pattern with the white and turquoise!
So very cute! Great job!!!
gorgeous! love the color and fabric choices!
so cute!!! i bet she could even find some kind of basket or something for underneath it.
How sweet this is! I’m sure your daughter will have lots of fun with it!
Another impressive and ADORABLE thrift-store transformation! LOVE it!
Hi there! I just found your blog from The Gooseberry Patch’s feature of you, and it’s great! It sounds like you LOVE your family and spending time having fun while being creative around the house, just like me! (Although you are far more crafty than I!) I took a sneak peak of your vacation post, and it looks like you guys took an amazing family trip. What a sweet family you have.
I’ll be sure to come back and see what else you’ve got goin’ on here! Have a blessed day!!
Leslie 🙂
Love this! And what a great project to do together!
Super fabulous! You did a great job!
So cute! I love this idea so much. I have a hard time figuring out how to rejuvinate furniture, but this looks very inspiring.
I’d love for you to link up to our “Crafts for Under Twenty-Somethings” Thursdays this week! It’s a blog hop specifically for kids and teens ideas, so your post would be perfect! I’ll hope you’ll come link up this Thursday.
bearrabbitbear.blogspot.com
Melanie
Cute as can be!! Now she just needs a phone…lol. Found you via Creations by Kara and am your newest follower. Pop on over for a visit if you get a moment.
Tootles, Kathryn
http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2011/07/kitchen-cabinet-transformation.html
This is such a fabulous bench! Well done with the facelift and your daughter has a great eye for potential. 🙂 Thank you so much for linking up at Savvy HomeMade Monday. I hope you will party again tomorrow!
Oh my goodness how cute!! Would love for you to link this up at my new turquoise lovin’ party!! 😉
totally fun!
SO happy you linked this up at my turquoise lovin’ party!! Hope to have you back again soon! I’m going to pin this one!
OMGoodness I absolutely love this!
wow that after looks great!!! i love the pattern with the white and turquoise!!! greetings from germany, angie
WOWWWWWWWWW! What a transformation! My daughter will love this. The combination of pink and blue is perfecto!
You’ve been featured on Fabulousity Friday at Sweet Tea Serendipity. Come check out the post & pick up your award: http://sweetteaserendipity.blogspot.com/2011/09/fabulousity-friday-11.html
This is such an amazing re-do – it’s so so cute!
What a wonderful find at the Thrift shop! I would have had to have it too! You did great job with the redo and kudos for using things you already had around the house.
http://sipsfromthefirehydrant.blogspot.com/
Wow, amazing project. Love it!
Wow this is fabulous! You did a great job! Visiting form Mod podge
Great make over Natalie! I love your colors and patterns.
I love these telephone tables. What a great find! Your transformation is incredible. I’m your newest follower.
I would love to meet you over at my blog where I “transform the mundane, one embellishment at a time” at Altered Artworks. Hope to see you there.
http://altered-artworks.blogspot.com
Gorgeous! A little creativity really brings new life to old stuff. Sometimes we do need someone to somewhat partner with us on a project so we can get started with it.