A Church Pew Turned Headboard

One woman's decorating prayers are answered.

When Faith Buss, a self described "sucker for cool old stuff," saw three old church pews that had been rescued from a little country church near her home, she knew she had to have them. She loved that the seating had history, so she decided to purchase one for $25. But after a few days, she couldn't get the other two out of her mind, so she went back for the other two.


At first, she struggled because, well, what does one do with not one but three old church pews? She wasn't planning on holding any sermons in the backyard of her little yellow farmhouse in Oklahoma. (But they sure did come in handy when she hosted a youth group movie night at her house.)

Originally, she had imagined maybe putting one on the front porch as a bench, or perhaps placing another one against a plain wall inside the house, "which I don't have, but that wasn't going to stop me from buying it!" she says.

Faith, a stay-at-home mom of two and her husband, Britton, who recently lost his job, have been family-focused for the last few years, spending their time parenting, gardening and making their farmhouse a home. When one of her friends mentioned that she's seen a wooden bench made into a headboard, Faith had an idea: Why not turn one of the pews into a headboard?

Faith and Britton immediately began brainstorming how they could accomplish this. First, they'd need to cut out a spot at the center so they could position their mattress in the pew; they wanted to use the ends of the bench as nightstands. Since the pew was a bit too low, Faith says, "we considered different ways to raise it up so that the bed frame could just slide into the cut we'd make in the seat of the pew. The idea for casters (large wheels) was inspired by a coffee table I had seen in Pottery Barn with giant antique wheels on the bottom."


They discovered some large, old casters in a junkyard while on vacation in Louisiana -- a steal at 4 for $20. The casters raised the heavy, solid oak pew to the perfect height. The whole project cost only $45. It just took a bit of clever DIY-ing.

She says she's endured quite a bit of joking related to the fact she's sleeping on a church pew -- even her pastor cracked a joke, but it doesn't bother Faith one bit. She just laughs it off. The headboard "speaks to the things we're trying to develop in our home. Imagination and creativity, faith and love. It's just perfect," she says.

So what about the two that are left? They're being used for a friend's outdoor wedding ceremony in September. Who knows where they might end up next!

For more clever DIY ideas, check out how to make a home bar or visit our sister site DIY Life -- it's chock-full of DIY projects and ideas.