Creating a Storage Bench

7 Materials
$60
1 Hour
Easy

In my house, there’s no such thing as too much storage! In our playroom, I wanted to incorporate more storage space as well as additional seating for reading or playing games. Here I will show you how I created a new storage bench from an existing old media stand!

Gather Materials


For this project you are going to need a media stand, piece of standard plywood, fabric and a thick piece of foam (I used an 1.5” thick). Your local craft store should have the foam and lots of fabric to pick from. Most likely you will need 1-2 yards of fabric, depending on the size of your stand. Since this is going into a playroom, I actually bought outdoor fabric so it’s a little more durable and stain resistant!

Measure, Layer and Cut


Once your materials are gathered you will want to get them cut to the size of your media stand. The foam as pictured is the exact size of the top. I cut down the plywood slightly smaller as shown above. This will help your cushion fit true to size.


Layer the fabric first, followed by the foam and then the plywood on top.

Staple the Sides


Wrap the fabric over the long sides and use a staple gun to attach it to the plywood. Only to the long sides in this step. You also want to pull the fabric over tightly before stapling to keep it taut.

Pin and Tuck Edges


To keep your corners neat and clean, I used a safety pin to fold the fabric at the bottom and tightly fold up just like you are wrapping a present.

After you pull up the end tightly, make sure to staple it down! Do the same thing on the other end.


All sizes should be tightly attached and your cushion should look like this.

Drill on the Cushion


Use wood screws to drill into the bottom of the console top upwards into the plywood. I used a screw every few inches to keep the cushion on nice and securely!

Style and Fill


Now you’re all ready to style! Find some fun pillows to keep seating cozy and some nice totes to organize whatever you are storing below. I love being able to quickly and easily hide away toys, which still keeping this space pretty and appealing. It’s a win, win!

Resources for this project:
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Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • Cj57 Cj57 on Aug 03, 2021

    Are these the measurements 43.4"L x 15.8"W x 19.5"H you used?

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  • Lori Lori on Sep 23, 2020

    This is a great project and looks wonderful. I did something like this, however, chose an easier route for the seating: I bought 3 tufted chair cushions for the top of my bench. I was fortunate that they just fit the top. The bench has a lip around 3 sides which holds the cushions nicely.

  • Pineapple Pineapple on Aug 02, 2021

    Awesome project. The only thing I woujd add is to put a layer of polyester batting over the top of the foam cushion before adding the fabric . That way, it will give it more cushioning this making it more comfortable.

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