Piano Bench and Princess Pouf

I found this Kindel Piano Bench at a garage sale back in June. The joints on one leg were really gappy and that had to be glued and clamped. It was nice wood, but after several years in the barn, there was evidence of mice nibbling on the feet. The legs were pretty scratched up too so I decided to paint it rather than working with the original finish.

I love the way it turned out.

I filled the deep scratches with wood filler and sanded the whole piece to smooth out the rough spots. Then I agonized over design decisions and finally settled on this scroll print, kind of a pale turquoise with brown swirls and yellow spots that matched the pale yellow paint I had on hand.

After a single, but consistent, coat of paint I used a fine grain sandpaper to smooth out the roughness and scuff up the corners just a bit.

It was originally a piano bench, but looking like this it could be a lot of things. A piano bench if you need one; a boudoir bench in front of a vanity or dresser if you need that; put a tray on top and use it as a bedside table or occasional table next to a chair or couch. Slide it under the dining room table for extra seating at the holidays. Two kids moving up from the kids table can easily share it.

Next: a Princess Pouf in progress.

I have a some little footstools I’m working on and after my niece’s princess birthday party a few weeks ago, I decided to give some of the footstools the royal treatment with the redo.

This one is a bit taller than most footstools. The legs were a scratched up dark finish—maybe mahogany or dark cherry—which I decided to take to black. I eventually decided on this pink and black paisley print. I topped the bare wood with two inches of foam and then a couple of layers of quilt batting, taking it around the corners when I tacked it down.

The top was attached very securely, so instead of taking it off I decided to recover the top while it was on the base. I’ll show the underside when I finish. I’ll gather the pink net into a skirt and top it with the ruffled lace and attach it under the cushion in a way to make sure it stands out. I may add a special flourish at the corners, but we’ll see how things develop as I finish it.

I’m pretty sure I’ll add some bells too.

When I was little we always wore a slip under our dresses. If that dress had a gathered skirt—and I think they all did—then we wore a can-can to give it some body. Unless it was an Easter dress for church, we’d wear a can-can with bells on it so it jingled when we walked. That’s why I plan to add bells to the can-can skirts of my Princess Pouf footstools.

Can’t wait to show you the finished product.