This summer we built a 12′ bench along the outer wall of the dining room:
Then I screwed up the courage to sew a custom cushion for said bench:
That definitely helped it feel a lot more finished, but my plan all along was to finish the frame with a single 12′ piece of wood across the front of the bench — I just needed to wait until the fall when we would have the station wagon my stepdad leaves with us from September – May so I could actually transport a 12′ long board.
Recently I did just that, picking up a 12″x 12′ length of pine from Home Depot for about $25. I used my circular saw to trim the board to the exact length of the bench, and then applied wood stain (Minwax English Chestnut). After the stain dried, I brought the board upstairs to put in place, where I quickly discovered it was about 1/8″ too long. No bueno.
Rather than haul the whole thing back downstairs again, I used the our dining chairs as sawhorses and made the cut in the dining room:
Then I used my amazing nail gun (thank you Naomi!!!!!) to nail the board along the front of the bench frame. With it in place, the bench legs were looking a little wimpy (sorry, I forgot to snap a photo at that stage because I was busy squinting and trying to figure out what to do). So I used some spare boards to build out some simple new legs around the existing ones, nailing them in place. Here are some awful photos of that process:
And the bench was officially finished!
Except I didn’t like the dark stain. I actually did this a few weeks ago and have been living with it to see if it grew on me, but the more I thought about my plans for the dining room and wanting to have the table and chairs be the stars (I’ve got plans for those, more to come soon!), the more I knew that the eye-catching dark bench was not right. So I painted it white.
NOW the bench is officially finished. I like the white so much better — it’s Chantilly Lace, the same as the walls, and it just blends in so much more and will let other bold and colorful elements shine. Right now it maybe looks a little boring, but once we finish furnishing the space I think it will be just right. I do wish the front could be solid all the way to the ground, but I didn’t want to close off our AC floor vent and the heat register running along the whole wall.
All told this whole project cost me $175 — $75 for the wood and screws, and $100 for the cushion materials. For a 12′ bench, that’s not too bad!
Also, in case you’re wondering if I have stayed true to my cabinet painting schedule, I have indeed! I won’t do a full reveal yet because I still have a few steps left (which I plan to finish by November 6, as promised), but here’s a sneak peak of how things are looking:
looks fabulous, painting it was the better decision; but now….you need some BIGGER pillows to go with the larger bench profile; these look a little wimpy and bigger ones will also make propping yourself up to read there much more comfortable
Thanks Mary Ann! Totally agreed, it’s on my endless to do list 🙂
Believe it or not (wood lover me), I like the painted choice better. Much better! And I don’t think it’s boring at all. I like that it isn’t solid to the floor … the front adds some style. Beautiful job on this project!!
Thanks Mom!!! xoxo
I like the bench painted white too! Great job.
Thanks Stacy!
Ditto with the others on the white , and I also agree that bigger pillows would be great . But , having said that , I am still so envious of that bench – great job !
Thanks Lynn! So much positive feedback, it means so much!
I am always in favor of white, so naturally I agree with your choice this time. Smooth!
Haha, thanks Mary Anne 🙂
I usually go for wood tones but I agree – white was the way to go!
Since you want a more solid look but need the air flow, have you thought about decorative metal sheets? You could paint them to match.
Great thinking, I considered this but I think I’m going to get the rest of the room pulled together and then decide if I want to make changes. It’s so hard to tell when the rest of the room is so unfinished!
Looks very nice! If the negative space is bugging you, you might consider adding a wooden lattice, or metal mesh/grid used for radiator cabinets. You can buy some pretty stuff these days.
Thanks for the suggestion, Nicola!
I agree with everyone and I love the white version. The negative space would look great with a series of natural baskets. I also love Nicola’s idea of grids!
Oooh, interesting idea with baskets!
Love love love both the new front and color of the bench. It looks amazing. And the kitchen is going to be beautiful. I can’t wait to see the full reveal! How awful has it been to paint the cabinets? Mine need it so badly, but they were professionally sprayed before and I’m afraid I will ruin the finish with brushstrokes. Also I just can’t gear up for the HOURS it will take. One other question – do you plan to paint the window trim in the sunroom? Every time I see you have painted I’ve wondered why not re-fresh those Windows?
It has been very time consuming, but not awful — totally worth it for the transformation. Painting the window trim is on my long to do list, I’m still just trying to make it through the major projects 🙂