Outdoor Benches and Custom Cushions

As spring/summer was approaching, I was in search of stylish and inexpensive outdoor touches to our backyard.  I consider myself to be somewhat of an Ikea die-hard fan as well as Ikea hacker.  I love to repurpose some of their ideas into something even better.  This outdoor bench is definitely an Ikea hack.  The Molger bench can be found in the bathroom section, which makes it ideal for “humid” environments.  (I took that as ok to put outside).  Unfortunately the only colors available are this very light birch and a slightly darker oak.  At $39.99 each these were kind of a steal, so I bought 3!  I lived with them during the spring in the factory wood color and had some decorative planters sitting on top. 

During one of our Home Depot shopping trips, we came across a beautiful Martha Stewart patio furniture set.  After sweet talking my husband into buying the pricey outdoor set with a dark brown  loveseat and 2 chairs, I was motivated to do something different with the benches.   The benches and chairs did not match, not even close.  That proved to be an easy fix.  2 cans of rust-oleum spray paint in dark brown and tada!  One big happy dark brown family!! 

Ikea Molger bench before…

After dark brown spray paint…

In one afternoon, our backyard had been transformed into an oasis.  Now we had lounge seats around the firepit and extra bench seating perfect for summer bbqs!