What do you do with that twin bed your child has outgrown? How can you disguise it in an extra bedroom that doubles as an office? Turn it into a sofa by adding a foam-cushion back, twin-bed footboards for sides and foam bolsters for arms. DIY Decorating & Design host Nancy Golden explains how. Materials:
Twin bed
Two twin-bed footboards
Paint or stain
Screwdriver
Screws
Piece of foam--18" high, 6" deep and cut to the length of the bed
Two foam bolsters
King-size matelassC) bedspread
Twin-size matelasse bedspread
Scissors
Tape measure
Cording
Large safety pin
Foam board
Batting
Glue gun and glue sticks
- Obtain a pair of twin-bed footboards for the ends of the bed (figure A). Stain or paint them to match if necessary, and attach them to the foundation of the bed.
- A piece of upholstery foam forms the back cushion of the sofa (figure B). Have it cut to the length of the mattress, 18" high and 6" deep. Arrange the foam along the length of the bed against a wall. Cover the foam cushion and the bed with the king-size matelassC) bedspread to give the sofa a soft upholstered look.
- Arm rests for the sofa are made with foam bolsters covered with matelasse fabric cut from a twin-size bedspread. To cover the foam bolsters, measure the length and circumference of the bolster. Add 4" to the length and 1/2" to the circumference, and cut a piece of fabric to size for each bolster.
- Fold the fabric lengthwise with right sides together, and stitch a 1/2" seam along its length. Fold over the top and bottom edges, and sew a casing at each end, leaving an opening that measures about 1 1/2".
- Use a large safety pin to run a piece of cording loosely through each end casing. Turn the bolster cover right side out. Insert the foam bolster into the cover, and cinch the cord tight at each end (figure C). Tie the cord in a knot, and tuck inside the hole.
- Make an upholstered button to cover the end of each bolster with a circle of foam board padded with a layer of batting and covered with matelasse fabric. Lay the circle of fabric face down, top it with a layer of batting, and center the foam-board circle in the middle. The fabric circle should be cut large enough to be glued to the back of the foam-board circle. Fold the fabric to the back, making tucks for a neat edge, and hot-glue in place (figure D). Attach the upholstered button to the end of the bolster with hot glue (figure E).
- Arrange the bolsters on the ends of the sofa, and finish the sofa, if desired, with a jumble of toss pillows.
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