We’ve Been Benched! Chapter 4….

….this is the project that doesn’t end. Yes, it goes on and on, my friend! Some people started doing it, not knowing what it was and they’ll continue doing it forever just because….this is the project that doesn’t ends….(thanks, Shari Lewis!)…

Who knew that a simple Saturday afternoon project would still be loggin’ face time on our blog some 2 weeks later?!? Oh, I admit, dismantling our window seat bench in our master bedroom was a *lot* of fun (destruction always is!), but to be honest, the painting/dry time was really crampin’ our style! We were just wrapping up the project when we decided to take a weekend away from the DIY Dementia (I’m coining that term – it really *is* an addiction) and visit some friends in San Francisco. When we returned, the persistent coats of white paint (Valspar’s Du Jour in case you’re curious) plus polyurethane, plus dry times have taken us forever to wrap up. But I can safely say….*drumroll please*….it is DONE!!!!!! The final staining, polyurethaning, painting, touch-up painting, and organizing has been completed and we now have a usable space for storage from everything from linens to lingerie (ooh la la!), shoes to shams and everything in between! And the best part is that we still have space to spare! Hot diggity dog!

But since I know everybody loves a Before and After, let’s do the final before and after reveal!

Before:

…and now for the final reveal…

Isn’t it dee-lish? After all of that work it seems like such a shame to cover up the beautiful paint job, but yours truly may be tempted to take up some sewing classes just to put a window seat on top of that beauty! Throw in a couple more plush pillows and a blanket and, voila – reading nook for a rainy day! That is how it’s done, folks!

I bet you’re wondering what the wallet damage was on this project, eh? Believe it or not, but this project came in just around $125 total for all of the supplies, paint we already had on hand (free!), two tubs of stain/polyurethane, 1 sheet of MDF, 2 sheets of plywood, and one extra paint brush because I love painting with new paint brushes. And now that I have all of this extra storage…maybe I can fill it with more purses and shoes….hmmm…. 😉

PS If you’re looking for more information on why we dismantled this built-in beauty and how, check out Chapter 1. If you’d like to know how we tackled an awkward space underneath all of that finish molding, check out Chapter 2. And if you’re thinking about how we finished it off and created storage in this space, check out Chapter 3!