Affordable X benches

Well, we've had a scary couple of days! The girls got strep last week. Grace's was the worst and we thought at one point hers had moved to Scarlet Fever because she was pink from head to toe and so sick, but it turns out she has a horrible allergy to amoxicillin. She is having a really rough week with the hives and swelling - I've never seen anything like it. Poor thing. Anyway, sorry for the silence here and apologies if I owe you an email. It actually feels really nice to sit down at the computer and take a break from sick kids. :/

I love this image above. Partly because I'm just head over heels for Jane Churchill's Rossini fabric (sadly, now discontinued). But how easy would it be to recreate this look with a wood-base x bench from Target or amazon? These go from $50-150 usually and are easily customizable.

This longer X-bench ($116 from Overstock) is a great price and has lots of potential.

Add a fun pattern to the top like the ladies from Living Livelier did.

Oh my goodness. I love this orange/tweed combo!

And why not gold or silver leaf the legs?

Jan Showers

This bench has been tricked out dozens of times. It was available through Sears/Kmart for about $45 and is currently unavailable, but might come back. So keep an eye out!

Caitlin Creer used the Sears benches here:

And Camila did too, here:

And Shannon Berrey used them here, in this show house. Love the slip cover take!

The crafty sisters found their stools at target and added extra foam to the tops for more height. Love the trim too.

This blogger used the Target benches for her ikat version (I used that same fabric here in this project)

This bench is another great base option ($73 from Amazon).

I think this long bench ($128), or the first one above from Overstock, would look great tufted with nail head trim! Maybe white linen, brass nails and a soft gray paint on the legs?

I think you'd end up with something close to this bench from Dering Hall (worth several thousand!)

And if you're looking for a little sparkle, take a look at what Naomi did with a scrap of Donghia fabric and a Worlds Away bench!

This chrome bench is only $99 and has a very similar feel to the World's Away stool.

Love the boxed edge here.

And what would a post here be like without a floral option? Good ol Rubie Green.

bench available here

I've noticed designers sort of moving away from the ubiquitous fabric-covered legs version and I think legs with a cool shape or interesting paint treatment helps to keep the look fresh. That said, I don't know that I'll ever tire of the look completely. Feels pretty classic and I just love using benches - I put one or two in almost every room I decorate. They are super functional (extra seating in a living/dining room, a suitcase stand in a guest room, a nice place for parents to rest in a bathroom while bathing kids, etc). Benches also help add dimension and layering to a room.

Have you jazzed up an inexpensive x bench? Or do you have your eye on an affordable version?

Okay, back to disinfecting my whole house!