Shabby Church Pew

After spotting an old church pew in my newly acquired book "Shabby Chic Interiors," by Rachel Ashwell I had it in my head that I had to find one. But I wasn't willing to fork out lots of money for an actual antique church pew. So... I had to make one myself.


This is what I came up with.

This is what the bench looked like when I found it. I bought it off of KSL from someone who had kept it in their laundry room. The seat actually lifts up for storage.


Before painting it, I wanted to add some character without adding a ton of money. I found a table leg the exact length I needed and had a very nice neighbor cut it in half for me. I also added the circle doodad wood piece (I have no idea what this is called but I have always loved these) for added detail.


I then painted it turqoise, sanded it and antiqued it with wood stain.

This adds a huge punch of color into my living room, where it currently sits until I can decide where to put it permanently. I just love that it turned out exactly how I envisioned it!