Pity’s sake, any one criticizing how the underside of upholstery looks needs to walk on. This little bench was a complete wreck, and you brought it back to life. Everyone learns more with every job, every day we learn something new. This came out great! Would love to own it!
Considering the fact the extremely hard life this little gem has endured over the past 60-70 years, what a transformation!! Regardless of the restoration imperfections in everyone’s comments, it gives a new lease of life for the next 60-70 years! If only we could be given new leases of life and enjoy sitting on this gem for another 60-70 years ☎️ 📖 ☕️ ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL 💜
Just in case you upholster again, you finish the corners by bringing the corner tip down first & then pleat in the 2 sides towards the corner tip. That keeps it neat but also keeps the 4 edges level with each other. ❤
As someone with a preservationist-obsessive mindset, I wasn't sure about the leather replacing the fabric at first, because of the sympathetic route. But it really streamlines the piece and allows you to pay more attention to the craftsmanship, making it able to be displayed in a more diverse range of spaces. Cool to see a piece of history like this come back to life. Love how shiny, bright and new the handles turned out and learned a lot about getting rid of stubborn wood staining.
in the 1950s & 1960s, telephones were relegated to a specific place in the household. i grew up with a 'telephone hole" in the hallway - a niche in the wall where the phone was placed, with space for the telephone book underneath and a chair next to it. thank you for restoring part of telephone history.
Great job on the upholstery! Very cute vintage piece! A couple of suggestions. A little beeswax on the interior will help the drawer and door slide better and will nourish the wood. A little clean-up of the bottom would be nice too.
I remember a piece very similar to this in my home when I was a child - and my mother chatting with all her friends for what seemed like hours! Thank you for bringing back some happy memories for me and making this piece into a little gem which would enhance any modern home as a very practical item of furniture.
I didn’t notice any smoothing down of the slides where the door and the drawers move backwards and forwards. They didn’t slide as smoothly as they could have. Maybe next time. 🦘❤️
People think upholstering something like seat pads is difficult but if you take your time like you did it isn't... besides no one sees the underside!!! Lovely restoration!!
I am stunned! What a shabby telephone bench and you turned it into a Fab Phone Center! I'd sit there and read, talk on the phone, etc. It is gorgeous. I would pay to have this item for my home right now. An old phone book (yellow pages?) and a black rotary would just set the stage. I'm glad you restored it instead of painting. PS: There seem to be several "experts" commenting about your finesse, but I think most people doing a DIY restoration aren't going to buy a bunch of stuff to rebuild the piece. I like that you kept everything original except the upholstery. You keep making these economical restorations because they make sense and turn out lovely!! ❤
Thank you for your lovely compliments, I appreciate it. Yes it would seem I am getting my behind handed to me on a platter (so to speak) in regards to a few things haha. But yes, just working with what I have and giving it a go! Good learning curve. Thank you for your kindness :)
Might I recommend watching Baumgartner Restoration for better practices in reupholstery. The way he cleans up corners of paintings when he attaches them to the frame. i believe it would help you in the future. He also does woodworking (frames). I hope this helps. Nice work.
What a superb job you have done on this project! It's terrific that you kept the same hardware. This piece of furniture has a timeless design. The stain you chose was a perfect color.
Nice! I don’t recall ever having seen a Mid Century Modern gossip bench before, which is strange. Beautiful restoration, and that color stain works well. I was happy to see that the tambor door just needed to be cleaned and waxed. They aren’t difficult to repair with the proper preparations, but really easy to mess up too.
Love the end result. We had a telephone table chair unit like that in our den, when I was a little girl. We had a red phone, looked like the Bat phone from the television series with Adam West.
We have a vintage telephone table that belonged to my Grandparents. It's a little worn,but still in great condition. It has a pull out seat that fits underneath it like a desk.I remember sitting at it as a child. This is a beautiful restoration. 👍🏾❤️
You did a great job on the restoration of this oak seat. I use to be a telephone repair tech in my youth & have seen many of these cute seats in homes in the 1980's. I would luv to find something like this for myself.
You've done a great job with this phone table. We had one just like it, I remember the phone books were kept in the little cupboard, paper and pens were kept in the drawer.
I just found your channel today. It is 100 degrees here so I'm looking for new content! It's too hot to be outside. I'm so glad I found your channel and got to see you restore this beautiful piece!
That looks great! I remember those sliding doors back when I was a kid. They always got sticky from dirt in the track but I still like how they ‘hide’ away. Well done.
Another enjoyable video! I love the way it has new life and purpose now! Yep, this old granny saw many of those in my childhood! Still have Mom ma's put away. Now I feel compelled to restore it! Thanks for the little guy shot! He is such a darn cutie!!!!!
Oh I hope you do get around to restoring it, amazing you still have it! Nothing better than a sentimental incentive :) Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!
We had one of those when I was growing up, but we didnt use it for the telephone. It was for my dad's record player. The seat was for headphone listening. The cabinet was filled wirh 45s and 38s.
Love it! The upholstery looks great. The knobs has a great look to them, but I personally think it would look better with something simpler in black. Love these kind of doors, but a pain to sand! Well done on both the piece and video (and baby😄)
Thank you, appreciate you watching. Absolutely agree with you on the handles, if it was going in my house I would be in favour of black handles. I did consider using them for this video but decided to try and keep the piece as original as possible - the handles aren't really my cup of tea either! Thanks again :)
No, absolutely not! Smaller knobs would not jive with this period piece. They are perfect. The only thing that doesn't go with this very nice refinish is the leather. It does not go with the piece or the period. The fabric that was replaced coordinated with the knobs and brought textural interest to the piece. A similar upholstery fabric should have been used. But, a nice job otherwise!
This is adorable! I’m so glad you were able to give it a second life. I’m going to be tackling my first reupholster job very soon, so thank you for including your first try on video. It was fine. 👍🏻
When every home had 1 telephone, telephone tables were very popular. There are examples from the 1920s to the 1950s. They lost favor in the 1960s, most people had more than one phone in the house by then.
I have certainly seen a few floating around Trade Me but think they were before my time when in fashion. Pretty cool though, I am keen to find one for my own place. Cheers for watching!
Nice job 👍🏻 for 1st time upholstering, nice work. It’s not easy, but with practice and reading the other tips everyone has left, you’ll find it easier as you do more 😊
Great job and outcome. I don't know anything about upholstery, either, but I know what I like, and I like the material you picked and the way the finished seat looks!
It came out great. Its one of those transitioning to modern pieces with the dowdy handles. I have a couple of tiered tables that are modern, but they used ugly turned legs.
Loved this! These wee benches are so so cool and u really bought it back to life. Super interesting the way you were dealing to those water stains, definitely learnt some stuff there! Got a few I need to tackle myself! Great work :)
Such an interesting piece to redo, looks surprisingly modern now. Shameless adorable baby footage! I never knew how those sliding doors worked, the dirt and grime was pretty bad.
I feel bad for your chisel..😢 That’s a good looking gossip bench. Very different from the one my parents had. Ours had a round table and then the chair built in. No drawer. You did a nice job with the upholstery for being your first time. Corners are always hard to do. Don’t be afraid to use a staple remover to readjust the fabric to minimize ripples. Oh and if you like wipe on poly, you can dilute yours if it’s oil based with some mineral spirits. I like the wipe on type, no brush strokes and you can build coverage. I do about 3-4 coats on table tops with a light sanding in between coats(400-600grit). Finish it off with a buff with craft paper or paper bag. Learned that trick from Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration here on TH-cam.😊
I can't wait to try your varnish tip and technique out. I didn't know you could dilute it and thats why I use a cheap brush to apply before wiping down, its so thick and messy otherwise. Thank you for the hot tip! The craft bag trick sounds good too, ill give it a go! Yes, I am now feeling a huge sense of guilt toward the chisel. I have to confess that I have a good set of chisels and one chisel that does get all the grunty jobs. Ill give it a break and buy a tool more suited to the task ;) Thank you for watching and sharing your feedback :)
Good job. Love it I have a mid century one I have to refinish myself it’s going to be a learning process with the upholstery lol never done that before
Awesome! If you want some advice on the upholstering, check out a majority of the comments on this video ;) Getting my ass handed to me on a platter haha. But heaps of helpful tips and what NOT to do! Best of luck with your piece, thanks for watching!
@@flipitnation I love what you did with the upholstery very nice mine looks a bit more tricky it’s a red leather with Thad beaded lip not sure why you call it lol I have to work out how to get the cushion part of to lol.
Nice job. End result had a bit of a modern flair, but very true to its original look too. As someone who appreciates tools, it's a little hard to watch a chisel being used a nail remover & can opener though.
Very nice job! It turned out lovely. However, I believe I would have upholstered it with a contrasting color fabric, say a pretty blue or even nice shade of green.
Great job! I would attach a little bookshelf or basket to the back of the cabinet & use it as a little straddle seat desk in a bedroom or in an enclosed porch. It's perfect for journal writing & storing!
Pity’s sake, any one criticizing how the underside of upholstery looks needs to walk on. This little bench was a complete wreck, and you brought it back to life. Everyone learns more with every job, every day we learn something new. This came out great! Would love to own it!
Considering the fact the extremely hard life this little gem has endured over the past 60-70 years, what a transformation!! Regardless of the restoration imperfections in everyone’s comments, it gives a new lease of life for the next 60-70 years! If only we could be given new leases of life and enjoy sitting on this gem for another 60-70 years ☎️ 📖 ☕️ ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL 💜
Thanks mum, I appreciate your encouragement :)
Husband got a new hip...kind of a new lease 😂
Just in case you upholster again, you finish the corners by bringing the corner tip down first & then pleat in the 2 sides towards the corner tip. That keeps it neat but also keeps the 4 edges level with each other. ❤
As someone with a preservationist-obsessive mindset, I wasn't sure about the leather replacing the fabric at first, because of the sympathetic route. But it really streamlines the piece and allows you to pay more attention to the craftsmanship, making it able to be displayed in a more diverse range of spaces. Cool to see a piece of history like this come back to life. Love how shiny, bright and new the handles turned out and learned a lot about getting rid of stubborn wood staining.
Beautiful job! I love this telephone seat. I hope someone enjoys having it, even if they’re not on the phone.
in the 1950s & 1960s, telephones were relegated to a specific place in the household. i grew up with a 'telephone hole" in the hallway - a niche in the wall where the phone was placed, with space for the telephone book underneath and a chair next to it. thank you for restoring part of telephone history.
Great job on the upholstery! Very cute vintage piece!
A couple of suggestions. A little beeswax on the interior will help the drawer and door slide better and will nourish the wood. A little clean-up of the bottom would be nice too.
My grandmother had a gossip bench. I actually remember her sitting on it and talking on her phone. Her was beautiful it was made out of mahogany.
Very. Well done .look bran new😊
I remember a piece very similar to this in my home when I was a child - and my mother chatting with all her friends for what seemed like hours! Thank you for bringing back some happy memories for me and making this piece into a little gem which would enhance any modern home as a very practical item of furniture.
I didn’t notice any smoothing down of the slides where the door and the drawers move backwards and forwards. They didn’t slide as smoothly as they could have. Maybe next time. 🦘❤️
People think upholstering something like seat pads is difficult but if you take your time like you did it isn't... besides no one sees the underside!!! Lovely restoration!!
I am stunned! What a shabby telephone bench and you turned it into a Fab Phone Center! I'd sit there and read, talk on the phone, etc. It is gorgeous. I would pay to have this item for my home right now. An old phone book (yellow pages?) and a black rotary would just set the stage. I'm glad you restored it instead of painting. PS: There seem to be several "experts" commenting about your finesse, but I think most people doing a DIY restoration aren't going to buy a bunch of stuff to rebuild the piece. I like that you kept everything original except the upholstery. You keep making these economical restorations because they make sense and turn out lovely!! ❤
Thank you for your lovely compliments, I appreciate it. Yes it would seem I am getting my behind handed to me on a platter (so to speak) in regards to a few things haha. But yes, just working with what I have and giving it a go! Good learning curve. Thank you for your kindness :)
I love it! I have never seen before such legs that screw themselves on a piece! Thanks so much for sharing
Come to think of it, neither have I! Good pick up! Thank you for watching :)
Such fun to see this ready for another 75 years.
Thank you Donna :)
Might I recommend watching Baumgartner Restoration for better practices in reupholstery. The way he cleans up corners of paintings when he attaches them to the frame. i believe it would help you in the future. He also does woodworking (frames). I hope this helps. Nice work.
What a superb job you have done on this project! It's terrific that you kept the same hardware. This piece of furniture has a timeless design. The stain you chose was a perfect color.
Such a fantastic piece of furniture and you’ve given it a sympathetic first class restoration. Brilliant!
Nice! I don’t recall ever having seen a Mid Century Modern gossip bench before, which is strange. Beautiful restoration, and that color stain works well. I was happy to see that the tambor door just needed to be cleaned and waxed. They aren’t difficult to repair with the proper preparations, but really easy to mess up too.
I was happy about the door also, it was in pretty good shape! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment, I appreciate it :)
Looks great now.
Thank you :)
The bench is great but that baby is gorgeous!!
Yes, he is a gorgeous little lad :) Thank you
Great job! Candle wax would make a good lubricant for the tambour door if you're interested.
Beautiful BABY! Fantastic job! Splendid mother in low! Is GOOD to have a mother in low! BRAVO!
Love the end result. We had a telephone table chair unit like that in our den, when I was a little girl. We had a red phone, looked like the Bat phone from the television series with Adam West.
i love this old creation... i wanted to have one to put in entrance remove shoes and place to put bag before leaving! amazing work!
We have a vintage telephone table that belonged to my Grandparents. It's a little worn,but still in great condition. It has a pull out seat that fits underneath it like a desk.I remember sitting at it as a child. This is a beautiful restoration. 👍🏾❤️
Супер!!! Хотелось бы такую тумбу в прихожую.👏
Love the transformation plus it got a new lease in life.
Мужчина!!!!! Хоть ты и чужой,ну ты молодец!!!!!! Так держать!!!!!!
You did a great job on the restoration of this oak seat. I use to be a telephone repair tech in my youth & have seen many of these cute seats in homes in the 1980's. I would luv to find something like this for myself.
Great job on a rather unusual piece of furniture.
Well for your first time doing upholstery you did a good job and the more you do the better you will become
Lovely, another mid-century piece saved from oblivion
You've done a great job with this phone table. We had one just like it, I remember the phone books were kept in the little cupboard, paper and pens were kept in the drawer.
Thank you! So cool, crazy how times have changed! I remember the old phone books, a big yellow one and a white one in New Zealand :)
💜
It no longer looks tired!!!
Great job the sliding door works so nicely. A little cleaning and stain wonderful job
The sliding door is pretty cool
I just found your channel today. It is 100 degrees here so I'm looking for new content! It's too hot to be outside. I'm so glad I found your channel and got to see you restore this beautiful piece!
That looks great! I remember those sliding doors back when I was a kid. They always got sticky from dirt in the track but I still like how they ‘hide’ away. Well done.
This piece brought back memories from my childhood. Beautiful restoration!
I always wanted a telephone table with a REAL phone...this is the table of my dreams , call it a Charging table now 😊 Lovely 😊
Hopefully someday you can find a vintage piece of upholstery that is more suitable to the style of the table. Nice job.
Admiro seu trabalho! Exelente!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Another enjoyable video! I love the way it has new life and purpose now! Yep, this old granny saw many of those in my childhood! Still have Mom ma's put away. Now I feel compelled to restore it! Thanks for the little guy shot! He is such a darn cutie!!!!!
Oh I hope you do get around to restoring it, amazing you still have it! Nothing better than a sentimental incentive :) Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!
Reminds me of my grandmother's telephone stand.
Beautiful restore ...baby is growing so fast... Adorable 🥰🙌
Looks great and i am glad you kept the handles.
Beautifully done. I too remember the “telephone table” which was usually situated in the hallway.
Ya done good Kiwi! 👍🏻
Cheers Boss!
We had one of those when I was growing up, but we didnt use it for the telephone. It was for my dad's record player. The seat was for headphone listening. The cabinet was filled wirh 45s and 38s.
That is probably one of the best uses! That would look awesome, in fact maybe I will hang onto it for my record player ;)
We had so many phone stools/benches as I came up. They were an interesting single-use piece of furniture to come out of the 1930s.
Very interesting for sure, thank you for watching :)
What a sweet piece. So glad you brought it back to life so beautifully.
Absolutely beautiful love the color and also remember them from childhood
You really have the gift ..... it's beautiful
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, I appreciate it!
Love it! The upholstery looks great. The knobs has a great look to them, but I personally think it would look better with something simpler in black. Love these kind of doors, but a pain to sand! Well done on both the piece and video (and baby😄)
Thank you, appreciate you watching. Absolutely agree with you on the handles, if it was going in my house I would be in favour of black handles. I did consider using them for this video but decided to try and keep the piece as original as possible - the handles aren't really my cup of tea either! Thanks again :)
I agree, I think smaller more contemporary knobs would of looked much better.
No, absolutely not! Smaller knobs would not jive with this period piece. They are perfect. The only thing that doesn't go with this very nice refinish is the leather. It does not go with the piece or the period. The fabric that was replaced coordinated with the knobs and brought textural interest to the piece. A similar upholstery fabric should have been used. But, a nice job otherwise!
This is adorable! I’m so glad you were able to give it a second life.
I’m going to be tackling my first reupholster job very soon, so thank you for including your first try on video. It was fine. 👍🏻
Just needs a rotary phone! Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
You brought it back to life. I love it.
I love this piece so much, it's so pretty, and you did an awesome job. The baby is adorable!
You have turned a very tired little phone table into a gem! Well done you! 😊
Lovely transformation, and such a darling baby!!! ❤
THAT TURNED OUT REALLY NICE
Great nostalgia!
Thank you :)
I have never seen a piece of furniture like that! Nice job!
When every home had 1 telephone, telephone tables were very popular. There are examples from the 1920s to the 1950s. They lost favor in the 1960s, most people had more than one phone in the house by then.
A very common item in NZ. Everything about that peice, down to the hardware, felt like home to me lol
Cool!
Cheers!
I have certainly seen a few floating around Trade Me but think they were before my time when in fashion. Pretty cool though, I am keen to find one for my own place. Cheers for watching!
I just love how you refurbished it to its original state, great job, I would put this is my home, love it!
Nice job 👍🏻 for 1st time upholstering, nice work.
It’s not easy, but with practice and reading the other tips everyone has left, you’ll find it easier as you do more 😊
You did an amazing job on this. Your upholstering was really good considering how thick the material is. Love it.
Great job and outcome. I don't know anything about upholstery, either, but I know what I like, and I like the material you picked and the way the finished seat looks!
Thanks mate, appreciate that! If I do more upholstery pieces, I certainly need to learn and practice more!
I can't believe you painted over the center buttons on the pulls.
I can only hope this is you having a laugh ;)
It came out great. Its one of those transitioning to modern pieces with the dowdy handles. I have a couple of tiered tables that are modern, but they used ugly turned legs.
Really loved this i rem telephone tables i thi nk theyre making a bit of a comeback
A beautiful true restoration
Love the transformation. A beautiful piece.
Adorable child ! Beautiful work !
Thank you , he loves the compliments :)
Loved this! These wee benches are so so cool and u really bought it back to life. Super interesting the way you were dealing to those water stains, definitely learnt some stuff there! Got a few I need to tackle myself! Great work :)
Thanks Kim. Glad you found a few tips in there! Thank you for watching :)
You are the only one in your craft that cleans up spider web and eggs and parts dirt. Before doing. Your work clean person…😊
Beautiful! Glad you kept the bench color neutral! Looks great!
Such an interesting piece to redo, looks surprisingly modern now. Shameless adorable baby footage! I never knew how those sliding doors worked, the dirt and grime was pretty bad.
I feel bad for your chisel..😢
That’s a good looking gossip bench. Very different from the one my parents had. Ours had a round table and then the chair built in. No drawer. You did a nice job with the upholstery for being your first time. Corners are always hard to do. Don’t be afraid to use a staple remover to readjust the fabric to minimize ripples. Oh and if you like wipe on poly, you can dilute yours if it’s oil based with some mineral spirits. I like the wipe on type, no brush strokes and you can build coverage. I do about 3-4 coats on table tops with a light sanding in between coats(400-600grit). Finish it off with a buff with craft paper or paper bag. Learned that trick from Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration here on TH-cam.😊
I can't wait to try your varnish tip and technique out. I didn't know you could dilute it and thats why I use a cheap brush to apply before wiping down, its so thick and messy otherwise. Thank you for the hot tip! The craft bag trick sounds good too, ill give it a go! Yes, I am now feeling a huge sense of guilt toward the chisel. I have to confess that I have a good set of chisels and one chisel that does get all the grunty jobs. Ill give it a break and buy a tool more suited to the task ;) Thank you for watching and sharing your feedback :)
Good job. Love it I have a mid century one I have to refinish myself it’s going to be a learning process with the upholstery lol never done that before
Awesome! If you want some advice on the upholstering, check out a majority of the comments on this video ;) Getting my ass handed to me on a platter haha. But heaps of helpful tips and what NOT to do! Best of luck with your piece, thanks for watching!
@@flipitnation I love what you did with the upholstery very nice mine looks a bit more tricky it’s a red leather with Thad beaded lip not sure why you call it lol I have to work out how to get the cushion part of to lol.
Wax on edge of door and channel for door. Looked great. 1st time upholstery job was fantastic. If interested, try chest'r. Finished piece was nice.😊
My grandparents had something similar in the 1950s
You are a magician! It is BEAUTIFUL! WELL DONE..
Thanks pal, appreciate you watching! :)
Awesome job! Very sleek looking! Love the fabric you used for the seat!!❤❤
Amazing gossip bench! Good job!
Bell lavoro 👏👏👏
Bravo 😊
Continua così 👍
Un saluto da Roma 🇺🇦 🇮🇪
I love this unique type of furniture. You did great bringing back from the dead😂❤
Such a fun piece. Pretty results
Отличная работа! Красиво!👏👏👏
Nice job. End result had a bit of a modern flair, but very true to its original look too. As someone who appreciates tools, it's a little hard to watch a chisel being used a nail remover & can opener though.
I would definitely give that house space. A really unusual little piece. Nice work
Thanks so much, I appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment!
Awesome transformation! Sonny at the end ❤❤
Very nice job! It turned out lovely. However, I believe I would have upholstered it with a contrasting color fabric, say a pretty blue or even nice shade of green.
Great job! I would attach a little bookshelf or basket to the back of the cabinet & use it as a little straddle seat desk in a bedroom or in an enclosed porch. It's perfect for journal writing & storing!
Beautiful restoration.
Beautifully done
Thank you :)
This is a stunning piece of furniture. Love what you did with it..
Thank you very much :)
It’s gorgeous! Great work! THIS is what I want do!
First video of yours I found. Excellent work and great skill. Looking forward to catching up with your older videos. ✌️
I see a few comments on proper tools... yes dude you need to tool up! Cute baby... nice transformation.
Awesome result. It's such a pleasure to watch you work, thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much, that's lovely :)