BEST FOR HOMES - Great ideas for transforming your home

Combine a seat with practical space to keep your bedroom free of clutter.

You will need:

• Wooden box with lid
• Tape measure
• Tongue and groove paneling
• Pencil
• Saw
• Strong wood glue
• Wood primer
• Paintbrush
• 4cm (1½in) deep foam
• Craft knife
• Fabric
• Sewing machine or needle and cotton
• Pins
• Touch-and-close tape

1. Measure the box and calculate how much tongue and groove paneling you will need. You can cover the box all around, or just the front and sides. If the widths do not fit exactly trim a plank to fit. Mark the measurements on the tongue and groove planks, then cut to size.
2. Use the wood glue to fix the tongue and groove on to the box. When dry, give the entire box a coat of primer and allow to dry. Neat apply one or two coats of oil-based paint. Leave to dry.
3. Cut the foam to fit the lid of the box. Cut a piece of fabric 40cm (16in) wider than the long edges of the cushion and long enough to wrap right round the cushion with an extra 15cm (6in) to spare. Turn under the long edges of the fabric and sew 1.5cm (⅝in) hems. Place the foam in the centre on the wrong side of the fabric. Fold over the long edges so the fabric overlaps in the middle of the foam.
4. Fold over the short edges, mitring the corners exactly as if you were wrapping a present, and pin in place. Remove the foam and handstitch the fabric where it is pinned. Sew touch-and-close tape to the central seam. Replace the foam pad, close the opening with the touch-and-close tape and place the cushion, seams down, on the lid of the box.

Labels: Classic Combinations