Vintage Gossip Bench Makeover & Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #768
This is a story about a vintage gossip bench, also called a telephone table, that was forcibly given to me against my will.
Many years ago, my sister picked up this cute little piece of vintage furniture at a yard sale for $3. It sat in its original form in her shed until last summer when I visited and she insisted that I take the chair home with me. I argued that I did not have space in my car or my home for another piece of old furniture but she still managed to jam the thing into the back of my vehicle anyway.
I couldn’t find any markings on the chair to indicate the year it was manufactured but these benches were particularly popular from the 1930s through the 1950s. Based on the lighter colored wood and the floral upholstery, I am guessing it was made some time between the late 1940s and the early 1950s.
Not knowing what the heck I was going to do with the gossip bench, I stored it in my basement and it became my pot smoking chair.
A friend of ours, Amelia, had been visiting and joining us around the smoking chair when she declared her admiration for this unique piece of furniture. So I decided in that moment to give it a makeover and gift the gossip bench to her.
Despite being born in the early 2000s, Amelia has a great affection for all things from the 1980s so I opted for an ’80s inspired look on this vintage chair. Because pink is one of Amelia’s favorite colors, I chose a bright shade of bubble gum pink that screams 1980’s feminine pop culture to me. I made my own chalk paint with the pink color and then dry brushed some black on top to give it a funky distressed look before adding a coat of furniture wax. Finally, I used two pairs of old jeans in different washes to make a new seat cover, keeping the little bit of distressing that was already in the denim to match the vibe.
Before passing the chair onto Amelia, it sat in my downstairs hallway for a spell and it became that entryway surface that collects bags and keys.
After sending the gossip bench to its new home, I really missed it so I needed to replace it with something else to collect bags and keys. I ended up using my mother’s old sewing table that I had decoupaged with scraps of fabric. But then I needed something to put in the spot where the decoupaged sewing table once sat. And I found the perfect thing on a recent thrifting adventure! But I will share that with you in another post.
Didn’t this $3 chair turn out so dang cute? Amelia thinks so! I actually didn’t buy anything to give it a makeover either. I had all the paints and other supplies already on hand and I store all of my old unwanted jeans in a bin for projects just like this. So this makeover cost my sister $3 and cost me nothing but a day’s worth of time. I really love giving old junk new life!
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
18 Comments
Melynda Brown
Shelbee, I adore anything upcycled! “Everything old, becomes new again!” Have a great week and thanks so much for the visit.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Melynda! One of my favorite things in all the world is making old junk new again! One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Johnson
Thank you so much for featuring my birdhouse. I so appreciate it. I love your gossip bench. I have one almost exactly like it except it has a shelf under the table part to hold a phone book. I put a new cushion on it, but I never repainted it. It has its original stain. Mine sits outside the bathroom in our upstairs hallway. I usually sit on it when waiting for my turn in the bathroom. Yes, we’ve only had a bath and a half all our lives with two kids, and now four grandchildren, and somehow, we survived. 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Amy, I love that you have a gossip bench, too! It is the perfect little seat for waiting for the bathroom! I grew up in a house of six with just one bathroom and we also survived. Now we have a bath and a half which is much more convenient. Actually, our half bath has a shower but it doesn’t have a door and we use it like a storage closet. Plus who wants to take a shower right off the kitchen? It’s super weird.
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
Shelbee, this is such a cute makeover of this handy little piece of vintage furniture! Love that you rescued it and found it an appreciative home, (even though you acquired it unwillingly)! Hope you have a great weekend, and thanks so much for sharing and the link up.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Di, thank you so much! This was a really fun makeover to do. Wait until you see the vintage table and chairs that I made over for Amelia’s mom. That was a super fun project as well! I really do get excited about old junk!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
Your makeover definitely has a cute ’80’s vibe! I’m so glad Amerlia liked it.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Joanne! Initially I had planned to get really crazy with 80s stuff like decoupaging music lyrics and adding fringe around the desk. But then I decided simple was better (and easier!) and I love how it turned out.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
It would have looked so good in my hall! Can’t you just move to my village? But you for excellent job. And that gossip chair is absolutely amazing. I always loved those! Now I want one….
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I would love to move to your village! What fun we would have! You should check some secondhand shops for a gossip bench for your hallway! Soon your house will be all cluttered up with old junk like my house! Hahaha
xoxo
Shelbee
nicole orriens
Oh, my post is featured! Thank you so very much!!! What a great surprise. I love it!
And I love your makeover of the gossip bench. I love the name by the way.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Nicole! It was my pleasure and I appreciate that you join my link parties!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
I have a gossip bench right as you come in the house. It’s where I put my purse! When I was a kid, it was in our basement, and we played school with it! Mine is a bit different from yours and made from a dark wood. I have recovered the seat many times. I have no idea where it came from, but I made sure to take it with me when I got married…not that my mom cared! I also have two school desks we played with, too! I sometimes think about painting them, but they’re really small. Right now, they’re in the attic! I’m guessing Amelia will love this upcycled chair!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I love that you also have a gossip bench! They are such cool pieces of furniture. I also have an old 1880s school desk…the kind where the desk is attached to the back of the seat in front of it. My grandfather refinished it when I was a kid and I inherited it recently from my sister. I don’t think I will be painting it because it looks really nice with the natural wood the way my grandfather redid it. He also loved making old junk new…I guess that’s where I get it from!
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail Is This Mutton
This takes me back! We didn’t have one, but they were very popular! I love the name “vintage gossip bench”. A fine job in restoring it!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Gail! It is a really cool piece! And I do love making old junk new again.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
Stopping in to say hello and thank you for the feature! We were on vacation all last week, so I am just getting caught up with everything from the website. I appreciate the love and appreciate your link up each week! Have a wonderful day!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Jennifer!
xoxo
Shelbee