Here’s a little story about how small changes can yield huge improvements in the quality of our lives.
We had this bench in our bathroom, it was a piece of furniture we inherited. It did its job – it held my workout clothes for easy access at 5 in the morning when I slip them on. I could sit down on it to put on my shoes if I wanted. I could put my bath towel on it. But I didn’t like the bench. It wasn’t my style and it didn’t make me happy in any way, but it was something we already owned so I was making do and it meant that I didn’t have to buy something else.
Skip ahead to a few months ago when I was scrolling through Instagram, I saw this bench and I loved it. It was so simple and I instantly thought of my bathroom. I showed it to Jim and he said he could make something very similar to it for me. I jumped on his offer! He bought the hairpin legs for the bench on Amazon and we went to Lowes to pick up the wood and stain. That evening I had the perfect bench! It fits our minimalist modern taste. It’s simple, well made, sturdy and I am sure it is something we will have for many many years.
Also it means so much more to me because I know Jim made it. I love that he took time out of his busy day to do that for me. It makes me smile. Thanks Jim!
What You’ll Need
This is such a simple project! Just a few things to buy and a little elbow grease 🙂
Jim used these hairpin legs from Harry’s Hairpin Legs (affiliate link). Around $50.
We bought a 1″ thick red oak plank from Lowes. It’s 36″ long and 12″ deep with a rounded front edge. Around $28.
We used Minwax Interior Stain, Jacobean tint. Around $7.
Some high-quality interior wood screws. We used 3/4″ length since the wood was 1″ thick. Around $6.
Total cost of just under $100.
Building the Bench
Sand down the wood with #220 sand paper. The piece of wood we got was really smooth already, so it only took a couple of minutes of sanding.
Then stain the wood according to the directions on the can.
Once the wood is dry you can attach the legs using the wood screws. The packaging on the legs gives recommendations on how far to place the legs from the edge of the bench, so follow those as closely as possible.
That’s it! Nice and simple.