DIY Leather Bench Makeover

This post was sponsored by The Leather Hide Store but all thoughts and opinion are mine. See disclosures here.

Hey there!! I’ve been really busy and not posting much at all. If you haven’t seen yesterday’s post about our big bathroom remodel plans, go check it out! Today I wanted to share a bench makeover I did last week. I’ve had this bench for several years and it’s very special to me. A very good friend and my daughter made it out of two dining chairs as a gift to me. It was a total surprise and one of the sweetest gifts I’ve ever received. Unfortunately, my kitties had damaged the upholstery some over the years and while moving the paint got chipped a bit. I decided it needed a little update and now it’s sitting at the top of our stairs in the little hallway.

I love contrast, as you already know. So when I was thinking of what I wanted this bench to look like that stood out in my mind. I decided to paint it with black chalk paint and recover the seat with this gorgeous leather from The Leather Hide Store. I’ve never reupholstered anything but The Leather Hide store has an amazing Leather & Fabric Reupholstery Guide they created that was such a huge help during this process. Thankfully my project was super simple and didn’t require much detail work at all.

 

Here is what the bench looked like before:

(ignore that unfinished wall paint in the background 😉 )

First I removed the seat, which was being held in place by 8 screws.

Next, I painted the entire bench, 2 coats and then some touch ups. I used my favorite black chalk paint from Decor Art. The finish is super matte, which I love. I haven’t added a topcoat yet because I don’t want to get any shine on it. But I also know in a house full of kiddos and pets, it’s probably a good idea to protect the finish.

Then I tackled covering the bench in leather. The leather I chose is Indian River from The Leather Hide Store. This is my go-to leather resource. They have gorgeous pieces and you can order samples. They are so nice to work with and will answer any all questions you may have before ordering. So so helpful! I put a call out on Instagram to decide on a color, buuuuut I wound up choosing something not even shown here!

I cut my leather to size, laid it out on the floor then, without even removing the old fabric, laid the bench face-down on the leather. I used a heavy duty staple gun to attach the fabric. I just pulled it taught, and started stapling. Once I reached the corners it took me a minute to get them looking neat but I like how they turned out. Couldn;t get pics of this since I was holding the leather tight and stapling! It’s so simple though, promise.

This bench is in great shape now and leaning more toward my style. The curves and ornate backing are more traditional, but I love the modern flair I added with the deep color and leather. What do you think? Have you reupholstered before? This is a great beginner project!!