This post is about a little stool makeover I recently did. John wanted me to call it “Stool Boom,” and I’ll explain why he liked that name in a moment. A while back a weathered stool arrived at our door—no context, just there—and I decided to give it a refresh. Below I’ll walk through how I transformed it and why the whole thing was such a fun surprise.
The stool was in rough shape when it arrived: faded periwinkle paint, rusted nails, holes, and a top that was starting to rot. It wasn’t ours, but it looked like it had potential, so I started by removing all the old nails with the claw end of a hammer and cleaning up any loose bits of wood.
Next I primed the wood and painted the base a rich navy color using a small test pot of paint. In photos the hue looked unexpectedly bright, but in person it read as a deep, classic navy that balanced the warm wood tones of the stool’s legs. I applied two coats for a smooth finish.
For the seat I dug through my craft stash and found some leftover loft batting and fabric. Reusing materials kept costs low and also matched the casual, handmade look I wanted. I cut the batting and fabric to be about two inches larger than the seat on every side so I could pull the edges down and fold them underneath for a clean, tailored edge.
To secure the fabric and batting, I used decorative nail heads and spaced them evenly along the sides. I used a small cardboard spacer to keep a consistent two-inch gap between each nail head and tapped them in one by one until the fabric was taut and neat around the whole seat. The decorative nails added a nice finishing touch and helped disguise the fold of the fabric.
After finishing all four sides, the stool looked refreshed and intentional—no longer a sad, abandoned piece but a charming, functional accent. All told, the makeover cost only a few dollars in materials, since I already had most supplies on hand: paint, batting, fabric, and a couple of small boxes of decorative nail heads. The result felt like a big change for very little expense.
Before sending the stool off, I took a few final photos. I admit I gave it a hug and a quick kiss before packing it up—call it an emotional attachment to a little furniture transformation. The stool’s deep navy paint and patterned fabric play well together and would work in many rooms: a craft corner, an entryway, or beside a chair as a small side table.
This particular makeover was destined for a spread in a magazine. Several bloggers were given surprise items to rework, and each piece went to a different creative contributor. It was fun to be part of that group and to see the variety of approaches other makers took with their challenges.
One nice surprise was seeing the stool styled with yarn in the magazine photo. I don’t keep much yarn around, but the soft texture paired well with the fabric and gave the shot a cozy, crafty vibe. The fabric I used for the seat is one we’ve featured before in photo projects around the house, and it continues to be a favorite because of its watercolor-like pattern and versatile palette.
It’s always satisfying to rescue a small piece of furniture, give it new life with paint and fabric, and then send it off to a happy home or a creative project. If you’re thinking of your own quick makeover, consider repainting the base, recovering a seat with batting and fabric, and finishing the edges with decorative nail heads—simple steps that yield a big impact.
P.S. On a related note, we recently shared a video of Clara singing a medley of songs. It’s one of those tiny family moments that always makes us smile.