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!

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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.

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Next I went to JoAnn’s Craft Store and purchased some 3” foam, cute fabric, and some fabric glue called Fabric Fusion.

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I laid out the fabric pretty side down, then added the foam and finally the peg board.

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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.

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Next I folded up and secured the corners so that the edges are smooth on the side that will be showing.

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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!

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We repeated these steps all the way around the board, gluing then stapling the edges all the while pulling the fabric taut.

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Next we flipped it over to see our completed cushion!

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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!

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And here it is along the wall with all of the other shelving units.

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56 Comments

  1. I am a public school teacher and just want to give you a suggestion for cleaning any table surface. Mr. Clean magic erasers will clean anything off of a table or wall. They are great and save lots of scrubbing.

    Melissa Little
  2. Love it – Thank you!! I’ve been stressing b/c I need to “sew” a cushion for my breakfast nook bench and can’t sew – This will be perfect. Great idea!!

    Jen
  3. Hello! This is absolutely adorable! Do you think it would work just as well with just the 8 cube shelves? One on either side of the reading bench? Are they sturdy enough? We are a little short on space and I’ve never used IKEA products before but I assume they are super sturdy for the price! Thanks in advance! Shannon

    Shannon
    1. I purchased from Ikea two night stands ( $(50 each) and put a piece of plywood between them. Cover the plywood with foam and fabric and now have a seat with drawers!

      Phyllis

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