Have you ever ever wished one thing on your house that felt a bit bit loopy, buuut you actually wished it, so that you simply made it occur anyway? That’s mainly how I felt about my pink velvet banquette in our newly renovated kitchen.
I knew I wished some sort of breakfast nook since we had a nook of our kitchen that didn’t make sense as cupboards or additional countertop space.
When the thought of a banquette got here to me, I knew I wished to do it in the identical vibe as the beautiful (and really Pinterest-worthy) Sketch restaurant in London. Pink velvet was a should, and I assumed I’d throw in some channel tufting to make it really feel a bit extra particular.
Fortunately, I used to be accustomed to Mandi’s Channel Tufted Storage Banquette from just a few years again, and I assumed that might be an excellent begin to the mission.
Having the sales space sit in an L-shaped nook with uncovered ends (moderately than cowl a straight wall part end-to-end like Mandi had) posed its personal challenges.
However after sufficient trial and error—and I used to be in a position to get all of it discovered—you may take or depart whichever steps you want primarily based on the form and space you’re including a banquette to.
Provides:
-velvet upholstery material (I used between 6-7 yards of this material in Bowie pink)
–batting to go between your velvet and foam
-6″ pine boards for backing of every half spherical bolster
–half spherical bolsters (I used 6″ extensive bolsters and you may e mail them to ask them to chop them in half for you)
–steel strap ties (I used 8 with 4 on every part)
–upholstery foam (is available in totally different thicknesses however I used the three″)
-plywood for base of seat
-sewing machine (optionally available relying on form of cushions you want)
–jig noticed or round noticed for chopping straight cuts on a plywood seat base or 3/4″ boards
–miter noticed in case you have a nook banquette to chop your 3/4″ boards at a forty five° angle
-staple gun (electrical advisable)
–building adhesive (optionally available)
-L-shaped nook braces (I used a number of of those 1 1/2″ brace packs)
-3″ or 4″ trim boards to trim out your banquette (optionally available)
Make the Seat Base: First, I wanted to get a big plywood board and minimize it all the way down to the form of my L-shaped seat space. We had the bottom cupboards put in after we received the remainder of our kitchen cupboards put in, so I simply constructed on prime of these (Mandi’s banquette submit reveals you the best way to construct a backside if you wish to construct your personal).
I wished the seat to hold over from the entrance and facet edges of the seat about 1″, so I made positive that overhang was there as nicely. Then, I minimize out the form with a jig noticed.
You too can use a big piece of cardboard to make a cardboard template first (like I did to hint onto the wooden) if you wish to, however make sure it suits earlier than chopping the wooden. Extremely suggest!
As soon as the wooden was minimize, I put two items of seat foam subsequent to one another to make an L form and marked the place they need to be trimmed with a marker to suit the form of the seat.
For chopping foam, both an electrical bread knife or a normal bread knife are the very best for slicing by way of the inexperienced upholstery foam.
Cowl the Seat: As soon as the seat was formed, it was time to cowl it in velvet. If in case you have a straight bench with no nook to show, you may mainly flip your seat the wrong way up and place it foam facet first onto the underside of your velvet material with some batting in between the velvet and foam layers.
Your material shall be face down on the ground with batting on prime, after which the the wrong way up seat shall be on prime of that.
For a no-sew possibility, you may merely pull and wrap the material up and over the edges of the seat and staple in place on the plywood each few inches to maintain it in place. Then, wrap the corners like a gift (you may see how Kara did that on this DIY Coloration Blocked Velvet Bench tutorial).
You’ll be able to see that my L-shaped cushion has a seam the place the 2 sides meet within the center at a forty five° angle, so I needed to pin and stitch my material collectively alongside that line first after which wrap and staple it to the underboard.
That assembly level the place it waterfalls down the entrance of cushion generally is a difficult level, however you may both fold and staple the surplus beneath to get it as easy as you may, or you may try to pin the surplus on the again facet.
Then, sew a seam down the entrance like I did so you may minimize away bulk extra so it appears to be like a bit smoother. It’s not good for positive (I want I used to be a grasp seamstress in occasions like this!), but it surely works nicely sufficient to get the job finished.
I wished the uncovered nook to look extra completed on mine, so I did the wrap-and-staple technique I point out above on all of the hidden corners. I pinned and sewed a field nook on the one uncovered nook to offer it a extra polished look earlier than folding the additional material beneath to staple.
*Observe: Bear in mind, should you use velvet, take note of which path the grain goes when attaching it so it’s all flowing the identical path when hooked up!
Minimize the Wooden/Foam Sections: As soon as the bench backside was full, it was time to maneuver onto the channel tufted part! I took my 3/4″ thick boards that have been the identical measurement as my half spherical bolsters and minimize them to the lengths of my left and proper prime sections (3 for either side).
Since I’ve a nook to cope with, I additionally mitered the boards at a forty five° angle on the sides the place they might meet within the center.
Then, I laid the half spherical bolsters on prime of the boards (you need to use some tape to get them to remain on the board briefly) and minimize them down to suit the boards. I minimize the straight exterior edge first (or simply lined it up with an present finish of a bolster).
Then, for the mitered 45° angle facet within the center, I’d minimize it straight, maintain it up the place it was happening the wall, after which use the knife to eyeball a forty five° angle minimize such as you see above.
Wrap the Sections: As soon as the froth was minimize for the channel tufted items, I put strips of velvet I had pre-cut on the ground.
The strips have been lengthy and extensive sufficient to to cowl the entrance and may very well be wrapped across the again to staple face down. Then, I added a layer of batting, and my board with the froth (foam facet down).
For the mitered edges that meet within the center nook, I folded the material a number of occasions and stapled it beneath.
I additionally did the identical for outdoor edges that wouldn’t be seen (the proper facet of the banquette runs into our cupboards), however you are able to do this wrapping technique for any seen edges as nicely should you don’t thoughts the look.
For my edges that have been seen, I made a decision to stitch these as an alternative of fold and staple like above for a cleaner look. I made a half circle piece a bit larger than my foam bolster semi-circle and pinned and sewed that onto the sting of my material (proper sides collectively when pinning and stitching).
I left additional material beneath the semi-circle when chopping the template so I had additional material to fold over and staple.
As soon as it was sewn and flipped proper facet out, it appeared prefer it does above and I may match that over the tip of the froth. Then, I folded/stapled the additional material beneath for a cleaner finish look.
You are able to do both technique relying in your stitching abilities, but when your ends are hidden, I’d positively do the quicker folding/stapling technique moderately than stitching.
Connect the Again Sections Collectively: As soon as my three sections have been lined in velvet, I used my steel strap ties to connect the sections collectively for every grouping of three.
I let the strap tie cling over on the backside so I may screw that half into the wall to carry the underside part in place.
Put together the Wall: Then I used painter’s tape to mark about the place I wished the highest of the banquette part to hit (I used to be making an attempt to make it even with the marble windowsill ledge on the proper facet of the banquette).
I put some L-shaped brackets there to carry the highest of the banquette in place and provides me one thing to connect my last wooden trim to.
Connect Again Sections to Wall: It might be best to screw within the again sections first after which slide in your seat cushion, however I needed to put my seat again in earlier than the again proper part. My kitchen counter was in the way in which of angling it again in correctly after the again was on.
Add Wooden Trim (optionally available): You’ll be able to see that my again part is in and the highest L-brackets are holding the highest in place, however the partitions in our older house will not be precisely straight, so there was a niche the place the wall curves inward fairly a bit in that space.
In addition to rebuilding the entire wall correctly, my most suitable choice was to cover that hole with some wooden trim that goes up the facet of the banquette and follows the curve of the wall (and painted the identical coloration because the wall) to assist conceal the difficulty.
I put a 4″ board on prime of my banquette and used a compass that was mounted to the scale of the widest a part of the hole to hint alongside the wall. Then, I scribed a line onto the wooden of the place I ought to minimize it with my jig noticed for an ideal match.
This can be a nice video that reveals you precisely the best way to do it with only a pencil or small block of wooden.
As soon as I had the highest board scribed, I may use my miter noticed to chop the opposite items to suit the opposite gaps I wished to cowl, glued them along with wooden glue, painted it white, after which put in it on prime of the banquette brackets.
You could possibly screw/nail it into the wooden backing of the banquette sections and even glue it onto the steel brackets as nicely.
Observe: Should you don’t have to cowl any wall gaps like I did, you may merely use building adhesive to connect these panels to a wall or confer with Mandi’s banquette submit if you’re going from one facet of the wall all the way in which to the opposite for greatest practices there.
I’ll say that this was a marathon of a mission for me and plenty of problem-solving with our specific area and the nook part, windowsill on one facet, countertop edges in the way in which, and uneven partitions.
The entire thing was dragged out for nearly a yr in between different initiatives within the space/kitchen, however I can’t inform you what a aid it’s to have it finished and it got here out so stunning that it actually was value all of the work that went into it.
Simply this morning my daughter was sitting on the banquette and coloring in her pjs, and it simply gave a bit shot of pleasure to my morning to see her there (and I like it with that star rug proper in entrance of it and right here’s an identical bistro desk).
Hope this evokes you to make your personal banquette or to go for a DIY mission that can brighten up your private home! xo. Laura
Love a very good kitchen makeover? Try these posts …
–How I Refreshed My Kitchen Cupboards In One Afternoon
–Vacation Home Kitchen Earlier than & After
–Laura’s Kitchen Tour (Half 2!)
–Elsie’s Kitchen Tour (Earlier than & After)
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