Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Window Bench - DIY

I've always wanted a window bench in my home. There is something dreamy about being able to sit up on a comfy cushion against the window and read a good book. A room full of windows was the perfect spot for a cozy bench for the boys, but how to make one was the tricky party.  Enter in a new DIY...

The window bench needed to meet a few needs. It needed to look like a built-in, be comfortable and hold mucho storage. The Expedit shelf from Ikea has gone through many "Ikea hacks" before online and a window seat it will be.

Here is what you need:
  • 2 of these babies...
Ikea Expedit Shelf
 
  • foam (this stuff is ridiculously expensive...no idea why. I got it at Fabricland...look for a sale!)
  • serrated knife
  • sharp scissors
  • Sharpie
  • level
  • fabric
  • adhesive
  • staple gun
  • plywood


  • Lay the Expedit shelves on their sides...

  • To make it comfy, Mr. Fix-it went to the Homer and had them cut down plywood.  Cut one piece the length of one Expedit, and one the length of one Expedit plus the distance from the end of the Expedit to the wall. (We actually had to have four pieces instead of two because the width of our fabric wasn't wide enough to have two cushions, so we had to break it up).

Lay your foam on the boards to see if you need to cut any off or add-to for it all to fit...

  • Use a Sharpie to draw where you need to cut and a level to make sure it's straight!

  • Definitely use a sharp serrated knife to cut the foam for a clean cut...hello bread knife!

  • You'll want to adhere the foam to the plywood but you don't need anything heavy duty because the fabric will hold it on there. We had "No More Nails" in the workroom so we used that.  You could use a spray adhesive also.
  • Make sure it all measures up and the foam is stuck onto the plywood...

  • Lay your fabric face down and place your foam/plywood piece on top. Starting with the long sides, pull the fabric taught and staple it to the plywood.  Just like wrapping a present!
 

Corners last...

VOILA!! A fresh.fabulous.sophisticated no-sew DIY window bench that is cozy and provides lots of storage! Next step is to decide on what baskets to get for those little cubbies.
 
 

P.S. Looking for the perfect paint colour? Check out my post on The Ottawa Mommy Club website today.

Keep it Beautiful.

Alicia


1 comment:

  1. I have a bay window in my house and we did a similar bench for it. It made for one cozy space to hang out at. I feel like it'll be the same for this space in your house. I would love to sit there, read a book or just gaze at the view.

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