First, I love the color of your walls! What brand and name is it? Is the color closer to the first pic or second?

As for the bench, I like the idea of the fabric but do you have a pic of it without the fabric so we can get an idea of what it looks like now? Is it just open space or is it wood? If you use a fabric, I'd try to get something that flows with the color of your walls or your overall entryway. Also, maybe a tufted-fabric for the back. I really like the bench and mirror, too!

I remember this bench! I know you said that's just a sample fabric you had so I won't go there, but I think that's an excellent and cost effective way to make it work!

Laurie - The walls in the entry are BM Wilmington Tan and I would say the first picture is closer. I have pictures on the first thread about this bench, but it's probably a good idea to include one here to make it easier to compare.

lukkiirish - I'm a little confused about your thoughts on the black fabric. I really am open to suggestions and would have no problem buying fabric for the bench. I would need only 1 yard.

bab717 - Why are you covering the back of the bench? I think it would look great with just a few decorative pillows?

I think you need to see a wooden frame member across the top that at least looks as if it is tying the two sides together and holding up the fabric. Below that you could do fabric alone stretched over the opening, fabric padded over a piece of plywood, or perhaps tongue-in-groove panelling. Even square panelling might look OK.

Now I see in your previous thread that some of those suggestions have already been made and discussed... so I've linked to the earlier thread to avoid excessive repetition.

KarinL

Here is a link that might be useful: Previous thread with suggestions

Ok, now I see that there was a previous thread with an explanation as to why there is no back to the bench. Sorry, new poster, please forgive my original post, I assumed you were covering an existing back.

Personally, I like the no back option. I like to leave pieces like yours as I find them. I think adding any type of wood will call for restaining of the original bench, which I definitely would not do.

Ruby -- It's perfectly understandable to assume the fabric was covering an existing back. I totally agree with you about not restaining the bench. It needs a little cleaning up, but I'm even a little apprehensive about doing that. If it was a piece I'd picked up at an estate sale, I think I'd be less reluctant to doing anything to it. Since it's been in the family for so long, however, I really don't want to alter it much at all. My original idea was to leave the back open and just add a few pillows. I'm really not sure what to do now.

Karin - First of all, thanks so much for linking my original thread. It's helpful to anyone who did not see the first pictures I posted. I can see your reasoning in adding a piece of wood to the top, but am afraid it will be quite difficult to match the wood.

You can safely clean that bench with Goop hand cleaner. It's sold in the automotive section at WalMart, and it's less than 2 bucks! Apply with a cloth, then rub with 0000 steel wool; wipe off with clean cloth. I use this on all my furniture and my kitchen cabinets. Wait till you see the gunk this stuff takes off!

I love the fabric on the back of the bench!

I also like the color of your walls and think your bench back looks GREAT!! I'd prefer a "louder", busier fabric,maybe a gold background with a black vine? But the fabric you have is very pretty, especially if your gonna add a colorful umbrella holder to add some punch? Just a thought....:0)

I like it with a fabric back.

Love the new backing and the fabric -- works well with the mirror!

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

I like the look of a fabric back -- but don't think that's the right fabric.

Do you know the approximate vintge of the bench? Maybe a pattern from that time period? I could see a William Morris-esque fabric being fabulous.

I like the fabric but I'd go in a completely different direction with it. I think that fabric would look beautiful if it were made into a nice tufted cushion for the seating surface. I think the color would then pull your eye down more, and visually, there would be a nice break between it and the mirror above. You'd still be able to access the hinged area underneath, too. Then you could still put on an accent pillow (or two) that would pull some more colors out of the rug.

You might consider putting whatever you want the back to look like on the wall instead of attaching it to the bench. That would respect its integrity and yet allow you complete decorating freedom and is, after all, pretty much what its original placement will have been. You could even change it up periodically :-) Mind you, it means you can't move the bench again without repairing the wall. If that bothers you maybe you could make a full height panel that wedges behind the bench but doesn't affect the wall.

I do understand not wanting to alter the bench, I'd have trouble putting in so much as a screw myself! But I don't think staining to match reasonably well would be that difficult. It's not that uncommon a hue, I don't think.

KarinL

You might consider something like this:

Attach a strong dowel or metal rod between the uprights by means of -- whatever works. I was thinking those metal things that looks like an omega with end caps. Simple -- 2-4 screws, tops, not a lot of measuring, cutting, skill or damage to the bench (makes moving onto another option later possible).

Then, get a piece of 4" thick high-density foam, cut to fit inside the frame, with a wiggle room little to maneuver. Then with your fabric, sew an envelope for the foam, and a separate pocket for the dowel/rod to slide through, and hang it. You can then brace it against the wall, or you could sew tabs on the bottom to tack the bottom to the back of the seat of the bench, facing the wall.

My fabric store will cut the foam on the spot if you bring them a template. Just a piece of paper is fine. If 4" is too thick try thinner.

The virtue of this plan is that it is easy and minimally invasive, comfortable, and the foam fills the gap between the bench and the wall, so if you throw your keys or lipstick or whatever on there, it doesn't always slide down the back.

If you really want to tuft it, it's a simple matter to just stitch straight through the foam with button thread or yarn at measured and marked intervals; pull tight, tie and snip. But I like the simple look, particularly with a patterned fabric, and those nice lines of the bench.

You could also conceivably just staple the envelope of foam to the verticals and push it tight against the wall. But you'll obviously have to make sure nobody moves this bench at a party or there'll be trouble!

You're right in not doing too much to the bench. It's great just as it is!

This forum is the BEST!!! I really do appreciate all the interest in this project. So many great ideas on how to fill in the back.

I was out today at a fabric store that has TONS of fabric (Loomcraft) and nothing jumped out at me. Then I spent a little time online looking at fabricguru.com and saw a few possibilites, but not being able to touch the fabric drives me crazy. I even googled William Morris fabrics and found a few sites with some beautiful $125.00/yd fabrics!

As tempted as I am to use what I have, perhaps I should keep looking. Altho, if I use the black fabric in the picture, I'd use the entire piece of fabric on the plywood, so if I changed my mind I wouldn't have wasted the fabric. My plan (and I may be repeating myself) is to cut a piece of plywood to fit between the two sides and sit on top of the seat. It would then be attached to the bench on the back with mending plates.

As for the vintage of the bench, all I know is that this bench sat in my in-laws summer home for more than 60 years. It was not original to that house and my DH has no idea where the bench came from before it ended up in the WI house. I'm just happy we finally found a place for it in our home.

I will be the dissenter here. I would not touch your bench at all.

Right now, you have a beautiful piece that is unique, special, a conversation piece, it has history, character. By adding a back, you make it just another entry bench, changed, flawed from what it was, nothing unique. Not only that, right now it has some value as an antique, mess with the finish, add a back, you have no value.

I love your piece as is. I'd love to find out more info on it, but I wouldn't change a thing about it. Every flaw makes it unique; I would clean it up, but wouldn't mess with anything about it. I liked your first post showing it with the two smaller cushions, but I would cover one of them in a fabric that pulls in just a tad of your wall color. I like the mirror above it, think it draws attention to the side pieces there. I do like the umbrellas; maybe a cool, colorful piece of pottery to sit them in, and the plant on the other side looks nice as well.

You could even use the fabric you have there for one of the pillows since it does pull color out of the carpet in front of your door.

Well, Sandra, I really appreciate your viewpoint. You make some very valid points and may have persuaded me to leave it as is and just add a few pillows. Maybe I will post a few pictures of the bench on the antiques forum and see what, if any, other info I can get on it.

I'm not sure if I should start a new thread or resurrect this one, so I'm giving this a try. I'm also not sure if anyone is still following my project, but here goes anyway.

I took Sandra's suggestion to heart and decided to try just a few pillows on the bench and here's what I have so far. I made a larger pillow using the black fabric I had because it has a small motif on in that picks up on the wall color. I'm playing around with an idea for the second pillow. It would be a rectangle, done in a cream colored linen fabric, piped in black with a 'C' embroidered in black on the front.

I don't have a lot invested in this idea yet, so if I'm really heading in the wrong direction, don't be afraid to let me know. The black pillow could easily work somewhere else in our home. Right now the rectangle pillow is just fabric wrapped around a pillow form with the black piping just draped over the top and a piece of paper pinned to the front!!!

I'm with Sandra too!
Like what you've done with the above pic! :)

I like the larger pillow with the fabric from the first pic on this thread, maybe go with the less is more idea and leave it at that. I'm not sure I like the stark contrast of the lighter color against the dark there, plus it takes up much of the seaqting of your bench. Maybe find something for the umbrellas to sit in and you are good to go.

I really, really love your bench (as is) with the mirror above. I think the mirror helps to draw attention to the uniqueness of the bench.

I think it is beautiful!

Love the new pic of the bench! The fabric across the back took away how unique the bench is- love the pillows,mirror and plant together- really pretty

Thanks everyone for the vote of confidence. Sandra, I tend to be a less is more person, but the black pillow alone seems too dark. My thinking with the monogrammed pillow is to add a little brightness to the dark pillow and dark bench. I found a few fabrics today that are closer to the wall color, but I don't want to get too matchy-matchy.

I'm on the hunt for something for the umbrellas, but don't want to spend an arm and a leg. There are some gorgeous vintage pottery umbrella stands on eBay, but at $200 and more, they are WAY out of my price range. I found a ceramic umbrella stand at Home Goods over the weekend and brought it home, but I think it's going back. Even tho it was only $15, it's blue and white, has a little bit of an Asian feel and doesn't really fit in with my decor. I had to try it, tho.

Everything looks great pulled together. If you want to do something a little different with your initial pillow, here's an etsy dealer who uses buttons to make the initials--really cute-- and I think she does custom.
Dee

Here is a link that might be useful: Etsy button pillows

Dee -- thanks for the link to the Etsy button pillows. That looks like something I'd like to try. What have I got to lose? Perhaps that will be my weekend project!

Love the last pic you posted, bac! Would be great as a button pillow. Geaux!~)

I don't want to rock the happy boat....but...here goes....I think people like the big pillow because it's taking the place of the bench back that should be there. I think the bench back you had looked "normal" and like you had restored the piece. I'd put the covered back on the bench and still look for an umbrella stand.

But there wasn't any back to the bench. There are no nails holes, only a cut out on one side. Consensus on the antique forum (yes I checked there because I was curious what these in the know would say) was that the notch on the one side was to fit in into a staircase, just like bac717 thought. In other words, it was an entry way bench to begin with, as is, the 'back' to it was the wall it sat against just like it is now. I actually like just the bench, but it does appear a bit more welcoming with a pillow on it. Personally, I like the smallest pillows that bac717 showed on her prior thread; I think the bigger pillows take up too much space on the bench. But what is important is what makes bac717 happy.

A couple sugggestions- 1. maybe you could use 2 or 3 big pillows to fill up the back, just like on a couch with loose pillows or 2. maybe you could adapt the fabric headboard idea and make something that you could attach to the wall behind the bench?
I do prefer something on the back. Love the mirror!

I'm with nicole. It may not have had a back to begin with, but I think that is because the back was the beadboard paneling on the wall under the staircase and the whole thing blended into the wall.

Exactly my reasoning in the first thread where I recommended adding beadboard to the back or to the wall behind it. But the fabric looked nice, that's easier, just attach it to the wall if the high sides and the empty space between bother you.

I'm with nicole and dekeboe; the bench needs some type of back; either wood, beadboard, or fabric. I have an old entry bench that came out of my mom's house that looks very similar, and it has a wood back. We added pillows for obvious reasons....comfort! I don't think it would ruin the integrity of the piece to add a back of some type. If you ever have a home wih a staircase similar to the one it was designed for, perhaps you could remove the new back and have it set in as it was originally designed. But for now, I'd adapt it to the setting you have and enjoy it. It's very pretty!