The Blanket Box that Thinks It's a Seat
When it comes to your home, there is one indisputable fact: you can never have enough storage space. The wardrobes are bulging with an ever-growing collection of must-have (but probably never to be worn) fashion items. You need to be into parkour to traverse your attic and you never, ever open the under stairs cupboard. So investing in a piece of storage furniture has to be a no-brainer. Whatever you call them, blanket boxes or ottomans are a terrific way to add invaluable extra storage space, whether its for toys, linens, books or even the ironing. And the great thing about a sturdy storage chest is that it can easily be converted into a comfortable seat.
Location
Work out where youd find an extra seat most useful; perhaps you have a suitable bay window or theres an ideal spot in your childs bedroom. Then try to find a robust piece, with a lid of significant thickness, such as this Rustic Solid Oak Blanket Box. Once youve settled on the perfect place for your storage box/seat, then you can start upholstering the lid.
You Will Need
You will need dense upholstery foam, approximately 5cm thick, that is the exact size of the box lid; upholstery-weight fabric that is the lid measurement plus 15cm extra all the way around; braid gimp (perimeter of lid); PVA glue; staple gun and staples, or upholstery tacks and hammer; metre stick or tape measure; scissors, dressmaking pins.
If your tree is all about interior décor and not homely traditions, you can opt to theme your spruce based on current trends. These include metallic colours in everything from pewter to platinum; red and white stripes, reminiscent of candy canes, which brighten and lift the tree; retro-style, tin decorations from the fifties and sixties (popcorn strings would be de rigueur here) and ornaments made from wood and other natural materials, such as hessian, which could be closer to what the original Christmas trees looked like.
Method
Spread a thin coating of glue to the lid and carefully place the foam on top, ensuring that it is centred precisely. Allow to dry overnight. Centre the fabric over the foam and place a few pins to keep it in place. Gently pull the fabric underneath and insert four staples: top, bottom, left and right edges. This will allow you to make corrections more easily when trying to get a smooth, even finish. Once you are sure the initial staples are correctly placed, continue to gently pull and staple, leaving the corners until last. You should try to make neat pleats in the corners before securing in place. Hammer all the staples or tacks fully home, then trim off excess fabric, so that only a centimetre remains. Glue the braid gimp over the staples and selvage, to give a neat finish.
Get Creative
Heavyweight calico is a great material to use and if you have children, why not get some fabric pens and paint, so they can create their own masterpiece of interior design? Mark out the cutting border with a faint pencil line, so they know where to stop. To minimise stains, you can treat it with a protector like Scotchgard. Remember that if this toy box is in the window, sunlight can fade the colours.
Storage boxes are useful anywhere in your home and with a little crafting DIY, they can become a beautiful seat as well.