Gossip Bench Make Over – A Trash to Treasure Story!

Have you ever seen or even heard your parents or grandparents talk about a gossip bench? I had never heard of the term before we found this little beauty on a garage sale website. Many decades ago, before I-Phones and the Galaxy S5 they had these incredible contraptions, with a cord and a circular dial with numbers on it. It was called a rotary telephone! You actually had to sit in one spot to talk to someone on the other end. Can you imagine? Well, in those days a gossip bench was designed to place your telephone on the table, your telephone directory in the space or drawer below  and you sat on the seat/bench so you were comfortable while you chatted. We sure have come a long way from rotary phones. The look and the nostalgia still intrigue me.

 

When I saw this darling bench on a garage sale website, I knew I needed to add it to my country decor. Sure, it was a little rough around the edges… and the top .. and the bottom! But it had so much potential, I just couldn’t pass it up.

After a quick sanding to remove whatever that is that has stained the seat, and the permanent marker from the top I decided to give it a couple coats of black spray primer. Three to be exact. I had every intention of painting over the primer with flat black paint. Once the primer had a chance to dry, I liked the way it looked just as it was.

The primer itself was a flat black also. But it has somewhat of a metal sheen to it. I think that is what I liked the most. 3 coats of black primer, and I was in love!

I don’t have a rotary phone to display  on it to give it the true authentic look, but I think my primitive decorations and the tan cushion give it it’s own sense of charm.

 

The 2 pictures above the bench are priceless reminders of 2 very special, wonderful women.

The Guee Hill Farm sign hung in my grandmother’s kitchen for years. I don’t know who painted it or where it came from, but it reminds me of her and her kitchen. I have so many wonderful memories of my childhood days in that kitchen.

The grandmother sign was given to me by my godmother right after my sweet granddaughter was born. It was the last gift she gave me and one I will always cherish because it was given with so much love.

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Have you ever found a furniture piece that you just fell in love with right away, even if it did look like it was beaten up in a few storms? I’m ashamed to admit that I have 5 pieces of said furniture occupying space in my house. Now that the weather has changed for the better, I am hoping to get them refinished so I can share them with all of you.

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