Transform Your Home: DIY French-Style Bench from Salvaged Chairs – Featured & Video Guide

We are absolutely thrilled to share some exciting news about our highly acclaimed tutorial on how to craft a beautiful French-style bench from salvaged chairs. This particular DIY project has garnered significant attention, even being showcased on prominent platforms like Apartment Therapy and Knock-Off Decor, a testament to its charm and accessibility. Today, we’re bursting with pride to announce two major updates that further celebrate this beloved upcycled creation.

Our French-style bench isn’t just a piece of furniture; it’s a statement about embracing creativity, sustainability, and the unique beauty that comes from giving old items a new lease on life. This project perfectly embodies our philosophy of “embracing imperfection” and creating a home that tells a story, rather than chasing flawless, mass-produced aesthetics. It’s about transforming what might seem like discards into cherished, functional pieces that add warmth and character to any space.

National Magazine Feature: Our DIY Bench in Old House Journal!

The first monumental announcement is that our very own DIY salvaged chair bench is prominently featured in the current August edition of Old House Journal! This is an incredible honor and a truly exhilarating moment for us. To see our project, born from a vision of transforming broken chairs, grace the pages of such a respected national publication feels absolutely surreal.

This marks the second occasion our work has been featured in a national magazine. The first time, our innovative paper bag floor technique was highlighted in Cottages and Bungalows, and honestly, the excitement this time around is just as palpable. Each feature validates the passion and effort we pour into our DIY endeavors, and it’s a wonderful feeling to know our ideas resonate with a broader audience and inspire fellow home enthusiasts.

Old House Journal is known for its dedication to historical homes, preservation, and clever solutions for adding character, making it the perfect home for our French-style bench. It’s a testament to how upcycling and thoughtful DIY can seamlessly blend with classic aesthetics, creating timeless pieces that feel both authentic and budget-friendly.

Flip to page 62, and there we are! Our bench is beautifully showcased right next to the “Steal & Deals” section – a truly fitting placement, wouldn’t you agree? It perfectly underscores the essence of our project: creating high-style, desirable pieces without breaking the bank. This DIY French-style bench embodies the spirit of smart, resourceful decorating.

The article itself is fantastic! Our bench is featured in the monthly “Salvage It!” column, which celebrates the art of giving discarded items new life. We were delighted to provide photographs – in fact, many more than they could use – and assist in clarifying the steps of the tutorial. It’s truly a special experience to see your name in print, knowing your creative efforts are inspiring others across the country.

However, one aspect of the feature gave us a good laugh: the estimated cost breakdown. While we understand magazines often cater to a wide audience, assuming new material purchases, their total estimate for this DIY project was considerably higher than our actual expenditure. It really highlighted the difference between buying everything new versus leveraging existing resources and practicing smart sourcing.

Let’s set the record straight on the actual, truly budget-friendly cost of our DIY salvaged chair bench:

• Original Cost for Chairs: We obtained our chairs for about $20 each. However, considering we’d already used them for 15 years, it feels a bit disingenuous to add that to the bench’s cost. For those without old chairs lying around, countless options exist: friends might have broken ones to donate, or you could easily snag a pair for $5 or less at a yard sale, flea market, or even curbside. The key is seeing potential in discarded items.
• Wood: $0. We meticulously used scraps and pieces from our existing wood stash, cutting them to fit the specific requirements of the bench. This eliminated the need for new lumber purchases, a significant saving often overlooked by commercial cost estimates.
• Paint: Approximately 1/4 of a $30 can of quality paint, which comes to around $7.50. We often have various paints on hand from previous projects, making it easy to use up remnants.
• Batting: $0. Just like with the wood, we utilized a leftover piece from a prior upholstery project. For those needing to buy it new, a small piece might cost closer to $7, especially if you can find a good coupon.
• Fabric: $0. This was perhaps the most amusing part of the cost comparison! We ingeniously repurposed a piece of painter’s drop cloth left over from our stenciled drop cloth shower curtain project. A small painter’s drop cloth is incredibly inexpensive and versatile, certainly not in the $30 range often assumed for upholstery fabric. This really speaks to the power of creative material sourcing.
• Hardware Screws: $3. We had a good supply on hand but needed to purchase a few additional screws to ensure the bench was robust and secure.

When you tally up our actual expenses, the total for our DIY French-style bench comes to a mere $10.50! This figure truly reflects our approach to DIY: resourceful, economical, and incredibly rewarding. It’s a stark contrast to the magazine’s estimation and a prime example of how truly budget-friendly a project can be if you’re willing to source materials cleverly and use what you already have. This is precisely how we keep our typical DIY project budgets lean and effective!

We highly encourage you to visit Old House Journal online to read the full article or pick up a physical copy at your nearest bookstore. Seeing our project in print is a joy, and we hope it inspires you to look at your own “junk” pile with fresh, creative eyes.

Introducing Our Salvaged Chair to Bench Video Tutorial!

Beyond the excitement of the magazine feature, we are equally thrilled to announce the release of a comprehensive video tutorial! Brian and I poured our efforts into creating this video to offer an even deeper dive into the process, materials, and tools required to construct this charming and easy French-style bench from two old, broken chairs. While our original photo tutorial is excellent, a video truly brings the transformation to life.

This video guide provides a dynamic, visual walkthrough, allowing you to see each step unfold and gain a clearer understanding of the techniques involved. It covers everything from preparing the salvaged chairs to assembling the new bench frame, applying paint, and finally, adding the comfortable upholstery. We aimed to make it as accessible as possible, even for those new to woodworking and upholstery.

One aspect we particularly wanted to highlight in the video is our guiding principle: “embracing imperfection.” You’ll definitely see this philosophy in action! There’s a moment when Brian zooms in on some sizable holes I filled, resulting from the long screws we used to reinforce the bench’s structure. For an amateur woodworking duo like us, achieving a perfectly seamless, professional-grade finish wasn’t the goal, nor was it entirely feasible without significant effort that would detract from the project’s spirit.

And that’s perfectly okay! We believe this project is a perfect example of learning to let the “little things” go. Despite these minor imperfections, the bench is undeniably beautiful, incredibly functional, and has been featured in numerous prestigious places. The reality is, once the bench is in your home, serving its purpose, no one truly notices those small lumps or bumps. They simply appreciate the unique character and the story behind a piece that was lovingly made by hand. Our definition of “DIY” has never meant replicating a professional’s flawless work; it means doing it *well enough* that we can genuinely enjoy and be proud of it. The character added by these handmade touches makes it truly one-of-a-kind.

This video is designed to empower you, showing that you don’t need to be a seasoned craftsman to create something wonderful. It encourages you to jump in, get your hands dirty, and enjoy the process of bringing a vision to life. So, grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and prepare to be inspired!

Click below to watch the full video tutorial. (And please, kindly ignore my occasionally wandering eyes in the intro – I confess, I never quite know where to look when speaking directly to the camera!)

 

 

Why You Should Try This DIY French-Style Bench Project

After seeing the journey of our French-style bench – from broken chairs to a nationally recognized piece of home decor – you might be wondering if this is a project you could tackle. Our enthusiastic answer is a resounding yes!

There are numerous compelling reasons to try this DIY. Firstly, it’s an incredibly rewarding home decor project that allows you to create a unique piece of furniture perfectly tailored to your space and style. Imagine the satisfaction of telling guests that your elegant bench was once a pair of discarded chairs, transformed by your own hands.

Secondly, this is a prime example of sustainable living through upcycling. By repurposing old chairs, you’re not only saving money but also diverting waste from landfills, contributing to a more eco-conscious lifestyle. It’s an act of creativity that benefits both your home and the planet.

Finally, the “embracing imperfection” philosophy inherent in this project is incredibly liberating. It frees you from the pressure of unattainable perfection, allowing you to enjoy the creative process and celebrate the handmade charm that often comes with DIY. This project is a fantastic opportunity to build confidence in your crafting skills, learn new techniques, and add a personalized touch to your living space without the intimidation of professional-level finish requirements.

Whether you’re looking for a charming entryway bench, an elegant dining solution, or simply a unique accent piece, this French-style bench from salvaged chairs offers a blend of timeless design and practical DIY ingenuity. It’s a testament to the fact that beauty can truly be found in unexpected places, and with a little vision and effort, anything is possible.

So, tell us, do you feel inspired to try this transformative DIY project? We’d love to hear your thoughts!