Create a window seat #DIY and make it look like a million bucks

As part of my office makeover, I wanted a window seat. I have 4 windows, taking up the entire wall. I kind of think they are wasted space, since I can’t fit anything else there, but then on the other hand I did not want to cover them up. I love the light. A window seat would be the perfect solution.

I took another of my all time favorite IKEA Expedite and laid it on the side; these are fairly cheap under $60 and very sturdy. You have seen these around my house in many places, I know. I just love them. So versatile and easy but yet, very sturdy and will hold a ton of junk.

We added some wood planks to the top of our expedite, just screwed them in and then I painted them with my all time favorite Minwax that I use pretty much on anything wood in the house. It will keep the wood looking amazing and makes it durable, all in one step. YUP, love that as much as I love the Expedite and no, I’m not getting paid for either! …lol…

So after we added the wood planks and I painted them, this is what it looks like now. Certainly not a must; I have a similar setup on my front porch as a mud room and I did not use the wood planks there at all. So, whatever you like to do is fine. I just wanted to notch it up a bit, know what I mean….lol.

After my Wood Planks and my bench was done, I had Lowes cut me my Plywood into the exact same size as the top of my “bench”; you probably will have wood leftover, keep them, there is always something you can turn into a smaller bench …. I did with my princess’s room….

This is what you need for the window seat cushion:

• 1 Plywood cut to size – Home depot or Lows will cut it free of charge
• Cushion Foam, or like I bought a 2inch memory foam mattress topper at Amazon.com for like $20 and cut it with an electric knife, I got actually two seats out of it! and leftovers cheaper then at the craft store, so look around for your options. But you can also get Mattress toppers at Wal-Mart.
• Staple Gun
• Duck tape
• Fabric of your choice, at least 2 yards maybe even 2.5 yard
• Quilt Batting; not a must, but if you want it cushier, that is the way to go.

How to Assemble your Seat topper

Step 1:
Take you Foam and cut it to size

Step 2:
Take some liquid nail (not a must, but I love that stuff) and attach the foam to your Plywood board

Step 3:
Take the Quilt batting and wrap around your cushion; attach with duck tape on the bottom (back side) of the cushion to secure it in place somewhat.

Step 4:
Lay your fabric flat on the floor, you can iron it if you like, I hate to iron so I never do and I always end up with a nice fabric cover, but it’s up to you. Lay the print side on the floor and the “back” side of the fabric looking at you.

Step 5:
You may need someone to help you to lay your foam and plywood on top of the fabric, of course, the foam side is on the fabric.

Step 6:
Pull your fabric over the edges and staple it down; wrap it like a Birthday present …. I always put a ton of staples in the fabric to make sure it stays in plays; I also hammer the staples down if they stick out too far. Once done with the staples, run some duct tape over the staples to secure them as well as to save your seat top from scratches that the staples may cause when the kids move around on it.

That’s it… put your cushion on top of the bench and enjoy… you are done now. I added some pillows for fullness and oh it is soo comfy. Everyone calls it the most comfortable space in the house and we all fight over it. Pillows can get very expensive, especially since you need at least 6 to cover the seat, I found lots of pillows that I liked but at $30 a pillow a bit too expensive.

I thought about using some leftover fabric from the office remodel to make my pillows; but I hate to sew, as much as I hate to iron. BUT, I guess I could have done that if I wouldn’t had walked into Burlington Coat factory the other day. I looked all over the Mall, online and Walmart, target, etc for pillows to fit my budget and then Burlington had an amazing selection and the price, out of this world. I spend $80 for ALL the pillows on my seat and if you look close, there are two pillows that are identical to my fabric.. YUP.. found them at Burlington, nope I did not sew one pillow. All at Burlington, so glad I walked into hat store and it sure made a difference on our window seat.

Be sure to come back and check out our other office #DIY makeover ideas that you can easily re-create in your very own home for little money, little effort but create a BIG change.

The Backdrop out of Fabric and Liquid Starch
The finished room Makeover
Simple #DIY Window Valance on a Budget; NO Sew!
The New Desk with Ikea Part