In my former house I had a narrow room just big enough for a little breakfast area off my kitchen. I started hunting for old church pews on Craigslist that would fit in the tight space. I was surprised at how many large pews I found!
After a couple of weeks, a great little bench popped up in the listings.
It was a pale yellow, very humble, rustic looking church pew
that was neither too long, nor too deep. The owner stuck to her asking price of $165, which was definitely more than I wanted to spend, but since it was
exactly what I was looking for, I bit the bullet. Funny thing about bullets that you bite...once I got the bench home I was completely convinced it was $165 well spent.
After a light sanding and priming I painted it spring green. Paired it with some old repainted kitchen chairs and a narrow table I had bought on CL for $15, and I had my breakfast nook all set.
But now this country look was not going to cut it in our new blended house, and we didn't need the bench for a breakfast area anymore. However, we did have a front entry that was in need of a spot to drop your coat and pull on your boots, so I went back to my paint supply for a little makeup job. I took a cue from some throw pillows I had bought for my sofa and painted stripes along the back and seat in the same colors. Storage space is at a premium in our house and I didn't want to waste the precious area under the bench on just dust bunnies. With some jute baskets from Target and hanging tags from an office supply store, I now have additional space for hats, gloves, bicycle helmets, and ski goggles (I know, random, right?).
What I learned from this project:
1. If you find something that is perfect for your project, give yourself permission to pay a little more than you may have wanted to.
2. Green "Frog" tape works better for taping stripes than the regular blue painter's tape. Less paint seeps under the tape.
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