This post chronicles a quick and inexpensive stool makeover I recently completed for a magazine feature. The stool arrived unexpectedly in the mail, and while it wasn’t ours to begin with, I decided to give it a fresh look. Below is a step-by-step account of how the small transformation came together.
The original piece was an old, weathered stool—periwinkle blue, full of nails and holes, with a rotting wooden top. My first task was to remove the old nails and any loose hardware using the back of a hammer.
After prepping the surface, I primed and painted the stool in a rich navy shade. I used a small test pot of Benjamin Moore’s Santa Monica Blue for the job. Note: the photos make the color appear brighter or more royal blue in places, but in person it reads as a deep navy.
Once the paint had dried, I dug through supplies I already had: loft batting from JoAnn and leftover fabric. Using what I already owned kept the cost low—so far I’d spent only $3 on paint.
To secure the batting and fabric, I used decorative nail heads purchased for under two dollars a box. I cut the batting and fabric so they extended about two inches past the top’s edges, folded the excess under for a neat edge, and then tapped the nail heads into place along each side. I spaced the nails roughly two inches apart, using a piece of cardboard as a spacer to maintain consistent gaps.
I worked my way around all four sides until the top was fully covered and secured. The whole project ended up costing about $6.58 in supplies—an affordable refresh that gave new life to an otherwise tired piece.
With the makeover complete, I packed up the stool and sent it off. It turned out to be part of a winter issue feature for Do It Yourself magazine, which ran a piece on bloggers who received surprise items in the mail to transform. The project was a fun collaboration and included several talented bloggers who also reworked unexpected items into something new and creative.
In the magazine spread, the stool was styled alongside other craft-forward projects. I was amused to see the stool paired with yarn, since our home is full of craft supplies—but oddly, very little yarn. The fabric I used for the seat is one we’d also used for Clara’s weekly photo project; it has a watery pattern that turned out to be a fun match for this small makeover.
Between making Clara’s quilt and a birthday banner, there was plenty of leftover fabric to upholster the stool. This was a quick, low-cost transformation that shows how small touches—fresh paint, batting, and decorative nail heads—can refresh a piece of furniture and give it a new purpose. Have you tackled any small furniture makeovers recently? Whether painting, reupholstering, or switching up hardware, it’s amazing what a little attention can do.
Psst—We might be biased, but we think this video of Clara singing a medley of songs is the cutest thing ever. That girl loves to sing!