Upgrade an old chair into a stunning DIY that also is storage

If you think chairs are just for sitting in, think again. Add a bookshelf to the bottom of a chair for an instant library! If you're a bookworm, you'll love having a dedicated place to unwind and store the stack of books you're currently reading. It also doubles as a desk chair where you can stash study or work materials quickly out of sight. You could even place the chair in an entryway for a convenient place to take off your shoes before sliding them in the space underneath.

Several small details make this chair a stylish and practical must-have for any home. A clip-on light attached to the back of the chair makes it easy to always see what you’re reading. Place a jar filled with seashells or other accents on the shelf to help draw the eye to this clever storage space. Top the chair with a decorative throw pillow for a comfortable seat that adds to the decor of the room.

Materials
- Wooden chair with support bars underneath the seat,
such as the IVAR chair from IKEA
- Plywood roughly cut to desired shelf size
- Wood boards, 3
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Electric jigsaw
- Sawhorse
- Vise or clamp, 2
- Wood screws, 2
- Electric screwdriver
- Drill bit with a smaller diameter than your wood screws
- Phillips-head bit
- Wood glue
- Electric sander
- 120-grit sandpaper
- Folk Art Home Decor chalk paint in Currant
- Paintbrush
- Fine-grit sanding block
- Folk Art Home Decor Antiquing Wax
- Rag
- Clip-on reading light

Instructions
1. Place the plywood on top of the support bars between the chair legs. Make sure the wood is flush with the front chair legs, then line up one edge of the plywood with the edge of a support bar. Use a pencil and ruler to make a line where you should cut off the excess plywood.

2. Place the plywood on a work surface. Line up one wood board on top of the short edge of the plywood. Make a line for where to cut the board so that it’s the same length as the edge. Repeat with a second board on top of the opposite edge of the plywood. You’ll want the third board to run on top of a long edge of the plywood, but with either end of the board sandwiched between the two boards on the short edges. Make your final mark.

3. Clamp the plywood to a sawhorse, and cut along the line made in step 1 with a jigsaw. After cutting, sand the cut edge with an electric sander and 120-grit sandpaper.

4. Clamp one of the boards to the sawhorse. Cut along the line made in step 2 with a jigsaw. Repeat with the other two boards.

5. Stand the boards on top of the three edges of the plywood. Drill a guide hole through a short board and into the end of the long board, then screw in a wood screw. Repeat for the opposite side.

6. Use wood glue to glue the bottoms of the boards to the top of the plywood. Clamp the boards in place, then allow the glue to dry.

7. Once the glue has dried, remove the clamps, then glue the bottom of the shelf to the top of the support bars. Clamp the shelf in place, then allow the glue to dry.

8. Remove the clamps. Paint the chair with the chalk paint, and allow it to dry.

9. Sand the corners and edges of the chair with a fine-grit sanding block.

10. Paint the chair with the antiquing wax, using the rag to wipe away the excess wax as you go. The completed chair should have a very light wax finish.

11. Once the wax is dry, clip the lamp to the back of the chair. Your bookshelf chair is ready to enjoy!