Hi everyone, I hope you are enjoying this week’s IHN Back-ToSchool Blog Hop!
Today I’m going to share the details on how I made our really easy homemade reading nook! Okay, not the bench part, but the cushion at least!
Remember that left over peg board from my desk stabilizing efforts? Well, I convinced my husband to cut this bad boy into the exact size to fit the top of my Ikea Besta Shelf Unit.
Next I went to JoAnn’s Craft Store and purchased some 3” foam, cute fabric, and some fabric glue called Fabric Fusion.
I laid out the fabric pretty side down, then added the foam and finally the peg board.
Next I folded up the fabric along the short edges, and ran a strip of the fabric glue along the edge. Then we stapled the corners along the short side down using a staple gun.
Next I folded up and secured the corners so that the edges are smooth on the side that will be showing.
Here is a close up of the corner. I’m sure there are better ways to fold these, but I’m not exactly a seamstress, so this is what I came up with!
We repeated these steps all the way around the board, gluing then stapling the edges all the while pulling the fabric taut.
Next we flipped it over to see our completed cushion!
Next we put the cushion in its new home on our reading bench and added some accent pillows to create an inviting little reading nook for everyone!
And here it is along the wall with all of the other shelving units.
How much fabric did you use?
What is the depth of the IKEA shelf you have? Is it large enough and strong enough for an adult 100 to 200 pounds to sit on it? I’m thinking of this idea for a bench in a dining nook area, but the max. shelf load says 33 pounds. I’m not sure what the load limit is for the top of the bookshelf.
Thanks! Wendy
How do you clean the cushion?
Wow just stumbled upon this – thank you for posting! It’s wonderful! I have been looking at cushions for our Expedit “seating” area but I’m not a seamstress, and I’m seeing them on etsy for almost $200 – a lot more than I want to spend! This is perfect! Can’t wait to try it out!
Wondering how this has held up… I’m always nervous to use fiberboard/particleboard as seating. But I love this! So cute!
I love this idea but found the “Lack” tv shelf was lower and wider for little ones to crawl on with a heavier shelf load. I also found a 3″ foam in one long piece at Home Depot for $24 in the carpeting/turf area. it’s perfect and now I just need my fabric! 🙂 hope this helps anyone trying to re-create this idea.
Brilliant!
It looks great! I got a quote for $776 for three, 18″ square cushions for our mudroom! I’ll be using your ideas to make my own, thank you very much!
Hi, I LOVE your technique on this cushion and am going to use it to create 2 cushions for our new built-in benches. I was wondering if you had any problems with the staples sticking up through the cushion? Can you feel them when you sit near the edges of the bench? Maybe this is a silly question…I’ve never used the no-sew staple method. 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Tiffany,
No, the cushion is 2.5″ thick, so nothing sticks up through it LOL!
Lol! I was just wondering the same thing!
I absolutely love your reading bench! Do you know if Ikea still carries something similar? I couldn’t find it and most options I find seem to be pricey. I would love any advice. Thank you for sharing and always inspiring me through my homeschooling venture. Have a blessed day! 🙂
Hi Katie,
Here’s a link to the bench: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49061228/#/S69061227
It says on ikea site that it can only hold 10kg. Is.it sturdy enough to sit?