Hey friends and happy Monday! I hope you had a beautiful Fall weekend. We celebrated Thanksgiving with my side of the family Saturday, so I’ve already got one feast down. My fullness should wear off in time for round two on Thursday. This was to be the big Young House Love weekend, too…but unfortunately their media commitments and our schedule didn’t allow for us to hook up. Boo on that, I was so looking forward to meeting them! But the upside is, just the idea of them House Crashing us resulted in some seriously productive weekends…so I’ll have a slew of new projects to share with you!
We have Mr. Sugarplum’s childhood piano in our Dining Room (no where else to put it), and while I’m not sure I’ll ever change the actual piano, making over the bench was an easy choice!
The finish was really scratched and worn, so a paint job was only going to enhance it. I took the lid off, covered the inside with paper and tape, and gave it a few light coats of primer.
Instead of painting the top, I wanted to upholster the bench so it’d be more comfortable to actually sit on. I always assumed I’d use foam and fabric, but instead grabbed one of the Ikea sheepskins I already owned.
Lucky me, it was practically a perfect fit. I simply used a staple gun to attach it, then cut off the excess fur, and around the hinges.
After the base got a few coats of glossy red spraypaint, I attached the lid again.
And here she is, my little fur-baby!
The sheepskin is really thick, so no foam or batting is necessary….and it’s crazy soft and comfy to sit on!
And since it’s so thick and furry, I didn’t have to worry about being exact around the corners….it all just blends together.
Here’s the fun part….before and afters….
We still need to address the broken leg situation…those yellow blocks aren’t jiving with my vision!
And the piano does actually have a front, but Mr. Sugarplum loves to play with it off…so I finally gave up trying to put it back on. I’ll wait to pick my battle when it comes time to paint the room PINK! Muahahahahaha!
I love the touch of vibrant color, and the furry texture. Even though I plan to paint the walls pale pink, I don’t want the room to be sweet.
We are crossing things off this Dining Room list right and left!! And just in time to host Thanksgiving dinner this week….I’ll show you our table tomorrow. What design battles do you pick in your house? Are as crazy about sheepskin as I am? (I try not to think about the actual animal part.)
Brighter Rug
You've got a really good feel for funky that's not ugly! Totally pulled it off!
Love it! Well done.
Girl looks so good!!! Bravo my dear!
Totally bummed for you that YHL didn't make it to your pad! I bet your kiddos are pumped about your furry bench. Cute!
A re-do in true Sassy-Cassie fashion! Love it! Bummed that you didn't get to hook up with YHL, I was thinking about you over the weekend!
You know I love any kind of fur action- so fabulous!
This is very clever and snuggly. I would have loved this bench while I was taking my childhood piano lessons. Maybe I would have practiced more instead of playing basketball 🙂
Love this and love that you chose sheepskin to recover this piece! If anyone could pull this off it's you!
Love the look of the sheepskin! And yes -totally agree- some battles aren't worth fighting.
Love this piano bench, wonderful idea! You have great taste!
So fun and funky…love the twist that it adds to an otherwise "boring" piano! 😉
I just bought this rug at Ikea last week!! Love how you used it to cover the bench! I brought mine home and put it by our bed and Chris FREAKED out hahahah! He was like, "That is not staying in our room, is it?!?" It was priceless. I put it on his side of the bed because that is the side of the bed visible to those who come in our room…the next day I found it on my side of the bed! Chris had moved it…he is so not a fan of it, but I have a feeling I will win this battle 🙂
Looks awesome and nothing like a little fur action for a cozy bum… do you play?
That is such a genius idea to use the sheepskin as the bench cover! It looks way fun too! I've always wanted one of those rugs to put by the bed, but I have a feeling Riley and Zoey would never get off of it.
Bench looks great. I thought the yellow blocks were dipped piano legs at first, so it works! Bummed you couldn't go Saturday, but I'm sure our paths will cross eventually. I mean Dallas isn't that big. 😉
So cool!!! Cushy for your tushy too!
I love it open, so unique!
Talk about a perfect fit! I can't wait to see the pink walls!
Sa-weeeeeet!!! I totally know what to do for a top to my piano bench now! Which happens to reside in my dining room as well since there is no where else for it to live. Really digging the sheepskin, and the red is so fun. Bummer they couldn't make the house crash, but yea for it pushing you through your to-do list!
I love your moxie Cassie! Nothing is sacred with you! LOL! My mom would die if I painted the piano bench but I have always hated how it matches the piano! Yours looks awesome!!! Kudos! Happy Thanksgiving. Sorry your plans didn't work out for YHL but look how much you got done in preparation. We should sign up to have guests who can't come more often, just so we get stuff done!
Perfection!
that's why I love this blog. You're keeping it real. You just left the yellow bricks there for the photo shoot…
And the bench looks great!
The sheepskin idea? Genius! I don't have a piano at the moment (sadface) or I would probably be running out to borrow this idea immediately!
I love the yellow blocks holding up the piano leg. It reminds me of the Legos with wheels my son made me to hold up the bottom oven drawer – it even rolls in and out. Gotta love re-purposing kids' toys!!
oh wow. I REALLY want to do this to our bench. What a fabulous idea! Now that you've had the rug on the bench for a few months…is it getting grimy looking? One more question for when you have time. Since the rug goes under the lid and is so thick, does it keep the lid from closing correctly? Or no problem?
You're such a genius! Now I need to get my booty to Ikea. 😉
Abby
Thanks Abby! The bench only gets used a few times a week, but still looks perfect! And no, the lid doesn't close all the way, but the rug is so fluffy you don't notice it. Once seated, the lid stays put, too. And so comfy!!
xo. C