Project Information
This is a window bench, or banquette, that I built to match the kitchen cabinets in our Craftsman style house. The whole kitchen project, starting with the refurbishing of the sash windows shown here, was started 2 years ago, and after everything else was done, this is one of the last bits.
It is made from red oak and red oak plywood. The darker finish is a General Finishes stain with shellac and water based poly, and the bench seats/doors are danish oil black walnut with Arm-R-Seal. The bottoms of the cabinets are lined with ship-lapped 1/2 cedar. The only non-standard element is the slightly angled trim on the top against the wall. It struck me as a way to add a little interest and character to the bench, and the angle mimics the trim detail on top of the windows. I really got my trim carpentry on with this project, and it was fun using power tools to do the rough sizing, and hand tools to do the trimming and fitting. There are still a few shavings from the last trimming to clean up! I also had to re-direct two electrical outlets and a floor heat vent.
I'll be adding 2" cushions for the bench tops, and will be building the kitchen table that will go here too. I'll do a build blog on that.
It is made from red oak and red oak plywood. The darker finish is a General Finishes stain with shellac and water based poly, and the bench seats/doors are danish oil black walnut with Arm-R-Seal. The bottoms of the cabinets are lined with ship-lapped 1/2 cedar. The only non-standard element is the slightly angled trim on the top against the wall. It struck me as a way to add a little interest and character to the bench, and the angle mimics the trim detail on top of the windows. I really got my trim carpentry on with this project, and it was fun using power tools to do the rough sizing, and hand tools to do the trimming and fitting. There are still a few shavings from the last trimming to clean up! I also had to re-direct two electrical outlets and a floor heat vent.
I'll be adding 2" cushions for the bench tops, and will be building the kitchen table that will go here too. I'll do a build blog on that.