Vintage Vanity Stool Makeover {And A Love Story!}

Do you remember my dear friend, Mr. Gene?

I mentioned him here in this post.

He was a sweet fella who wore debonair hats and plaid jackets every single day. I never saw him in a pair of blue jeans.

Not even once.

He was classy and sophisticated but in a simple kind of way. He loved horses and his country and served in World War II.

I’ll never forget the smile on his face when I asked him how he met his wife Ms. Jean (spelled with a J).

While strolling around an outdoor ice skating rink one evening they collided.

Smack dab in the middle of hundreds of other skaters whizzing by they fell… literally.

And he was smitten.

Just like a scene from an old black and white movie.

Then last year I bought a few items from his estate sale (he gifted me with a few, too.)… the one he had before moving out-of-town to be closer to his daughter.

This bench had been Ms. Jeans and it still sat under her vanity dresser. Originally it was dark wood and worn from many years of good use.

(If only I had remembered to take a real before photo showing its striped orange fabric. Darn!)

I stripped away the stool’s old remnants, removed dozens of tiny rusted nails and spray painted the legs and frame. Then I replaced its old crumbling cushion for a more plush one — a standard bed pillow.

Who would think?

And it was a perfect fit!

After laying a piece of buttery soft faux suede over the pillow I stapled it underneath the frame and tapped in silver nailhead strips for a finished look.

It was so easy.

I love how the modern legs show off the rustic hide bedazzled in silver bullets.

Oh and by the way Mr. & Mrs. Gene… they lived happily ever after!

(sigh.)