Vanity Stool Before and After

One of the little details in our master bedroom is a vanity stool for my beloved vanity.  I get ready there every day and wanted something cute and comfortable to sit on.  I searched for a long time for the perfect vanity stool but wasn't able to come up with anything from a store that fit just right.  What I did come up with was an ugly old garden chair from a thrift shop.  These chairs are a dime a dozen, and mine was actually free because I traded some old junk at a local thrift shop.  

Originally, it had the most hideous avocado green paint and a little rust, but I gave it a good sand, and a fresh coat of sealing primer and paint to start out with.

The next step, once the shell had been prepped, was to cut out plywood to fit.  I simply measured the round openings and used a nail and string to measure and draw the circle onto the plywood.  My husband then used a jig saw to cut the circles out of the plywood.  

For the seat we used a thicker 1/2" plywood for a sturdy spot to sit, and for the back we needed 2 exact cuts of 1/4" plywood.

The next step is to start covering your plywood cutouts.  For the seat, I first wrapped the wood in dacron wrap which is a spongy poly batting.  You can also choose to add a thin layer of foam for extra comfort, but I chose not to do that because I didn't want the seat to appear too thick.  After stapling the batting around the seat, I then went on to the seat fabric.

I chose this fun, upholstery weight green leopard weave.

When covering seat cushions in fabric, the key is to stretch the fabric as tight as possible when stapling to eliminate the initial wrinkles, and wrinkles down the road when the seat is used over time and the fabric ultimately stretches from a long period of use.  Start by stretching tight top to bottom, then left to right, then work your way around, pulling tight and stapling the rest of the way.

I used the same method on the front of the back rest.  Wrapped in dacron batting, then covered in fabric.  I chose to use a contrast fabric(leftover from my ottoman project) just to add to the fun factor of the piece.  

Then, to finish the open back off, you will simply cover the second identical piece of 1/4" plywood you cut out.  This time you don't need to add extra batting because it's just a finishing piece, there is no need for comfort.  Of course, you can always add it if you want a plusher look, but be careful not to make it too thick otherwise your two circles will not fit into the back of the chair.  Stapled sides of the plywood are sandwiched in the middle with finished fabric sides facing the front and back of the chair.

There we have our finished front with contrasting fabric.  And below, the finished back with small screws to hold everything in tight.

This really is an easy project from start to finish and I think it turned out to be a cute little addition to the vanity.