Bar Stools – up-cycling and alternative uses around the home

Welcome everyone to my second post of the New Year. This week we will be focusing on upcycling ideas and making our very own upcycled products.  We all seem to be moving and changing up our decor, post Christmas, so this week I bring you a quick and easy upcycling idea which you may like to do yourself. That is if you have a pine bar stool or two sitting around in need of a new lease of life. These bar stools were gifted to me by a friend sometime ago. I had thought I would use them for the purpose intended however I don’t have a bar where I can place bar stools. I do however have a need for bedside tables, coffee tables and a little something for Doris to perch on…

I began this project by measuring the legs of each bar stool to get the height I needed for tables and marked where they should be cut. OK Mr M measured and I watched. And then Mr M cut them to size because he is a perfectionist and I am not, so I knew he would do it right. It took a while if I’m honest.

He said it was important to cut correctly or my tables would wobble. Then he heard the impatient sigh. And then he gave me that look of despair he saves for when I think he’s being too fussy and he thinks I’m being too impatient. Then, when he’d finally finished they looked like this…

These two pine bar stools had a lot of shine to them; a few layers of varnish I think. And the upcycling ideas I had for them meant the shine had to go. So I set about applying a coat of this which is my go to for priming a shiny or pre-painted surface. Saves any unnecessary and messy rubbing down. You may recall from this post this primer needs to be applied pretty sharpish since it dries quickly so you don’t want to be going over the same patch too many times. This is probably one of my favourite upcycling ideas.

Once primed and dried, I applied two coats of Farrow and Ball’s Skimming Stone (exactly the colour they describe, a warm light grey) to the bar stools waiting patiently in between each coat…

Then a bit of inevitable distressing went on with sandpaper and a block, until they looked a little worn…

And then out with the wax and for this project I applied a couple of coats since there will be a lot of surface use when I’m styling and faffing.

And here are my newly painted tables with the styling and faffing of course…

One day they will live in my guest suite and sit happily either side of a gorgeous iron bed painted in white which Mr M’s parents gifted to us as a wedding present, nearly a quarter of a century ago. The bed will be adorned with a sumptuous white, waffle bedspread from The White Company and there will be scatter cushions in subtle and muted shades of lilac and grey made from vintage french linen and crisp white cotton. And there will be a fur grey throw at the foot of the bed which guests will pull up and snuggle under, to keep themselves warm on cold, chilly nights. And there will be two fluffy white faux sheepskin rugs either side of the bed to keep toes warm before bedtime. I know all this you see because I have all of the above sitting waiting. Patiently. I just don’t have the guest suite yet. So for now I shall play around styling and faffing these painted bar stools to my heart’s content…

Oh and remember, Doris needs a platform too…

So now it’s your turn lovely readers. Get your thinking caps on. Do you have any pine bar stools hanging around waiting to be a newly upcycled product? Or perhaps your current occasional tables are in need of a paint job to freshen them up a little? Or maybe you simply need time spent faffing and styling side tables you already enjoy with beautiful pretties and maybe some flowers? Whatever your upcycling ideas, enjoy your project and your week. I’ll be back next Thursday, same time, same place and with some slightly different inspiration to anything I’ve offered before x

There are plenty more upcycling ideas and upcycled products in my blog – perhaps you might like to try this one here