Most might think of "crafting" as knitting, drawing, or embroidery. But one Redditor decided to try out a different form of crafting — restoring an entire children's bench. They achieved an incredible result.
The original photos of the piece show an intact but otherwise shabby-looking bench. The railings were rusty, the paint on the wood was severely chipped, and the metal backing no longer contained any discernible image.
The Reddtior was able to take the bench apart, repaint the railings and backing, and bought new wood for the bench — they mentioned in the caption that the original wood had rotted.
The end result was a sleek, stunning children's bench, with beautiful wood and black railings. The cast-iron backing had been transformed into a beautiful jungle scene, featuring a monkey, elephant, giraffe, and a lion surrounded by trees.
"I found this children's bench on marketplace. Even though it looked like it should have been thrown out, I knew instantly what I wanted to do," the Redditor explained in the caption.
This project is a great reminder that just because something looks old or used, it doesn't mean you can't breathe new life into it.
Restoring furniture is a great way to make sure that you're getting a piece customized exactly to fit your style. It can even be significantly cheaper than buying something brand-new and can give you a new hobby, too.
This Redditor has no prior experience. "This was the first time I've done anything like this," they wrote in the caption. But that didn't matter — they were still able to create a beautiful piece, and now whoever is on the receiving end of the bench will appreciate that it was handcrafted for them.
Restoration like this is also a great way to lessen the environmental impact of furniture.
In America, 12 million tons of furniture is discarded each year. While a small portion of it is recycled, a majority ends up in landfills, where it can take a long time to finally break down.
Commenters on the Reddit post were in awe of the bench. "You should be very proud of yourself, its beautiful and whimsical," wrote one user.
Another added: "This looks amazing. Kudos for the effort to turn this piece into a functional, shiny seat."
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