Upcycled Bench for a Girls Room: Old Telephone Bench Makeover

Sharing is caring!

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!

If you liked this project, please help me share it with the world by hitting the share button!