Window Benches: A How-To Guide

Window benches are a great way to add a touch of style and class to even the most modest of rooms. Crafting a special seating area out of the space under a window not only makes a room look more austere, though; with a window bench you can automatically create more seating space in any room of your choosing. Naturally, you'll want to have a bit of experience with building things if you plan on setting out and making a window bench on your own but don't worry if you consider yourself an amateur: Window benches are not as difficult to build as you may imagine them to be at first.

You'll need some two by fours in a quantity that will suit the amount of window benches you'd like to build but let's just assume that you're practical and you are only building one at the moment. You'll need some groove lumber and pine tongue as well and of course you'll need screws and a drill. A table saw will also be necessary so if you don't have a table saw you may want to just forget the whole thing and just buy a window bench. Having to buy new power tools quickly makes such a project unfeasible. You'll want to get some hinges, if you're still sticking with the project, so that you will be able to attach a top to the window bench when you are all completed.

You'll also want to decide which window would be best suited for a window bench. Window benches look great in nearly all circumstances but you should choose the window with the best view so that you can enjoy sitting on it and reading a book or sipping some coffee. Once you find the window of your dreams it is just a matter of creating a typical box shape out of your two by fours. Create a rectangle that accommodates the size of your window and you're halfway there! You'll then want to add two by four studs to each twelve inches for the framework and then use some lag bolts so that you can affix the bench to the wall. Use the slats to decorate the bench however you wish and then buy some hinges and use them to attach to a top that you'll create out of your own free will. Congratulations are in order! You've created your own window bench!

Keep in mind, though, that no window benches are ever complete until you add some stain and finish. This part is up to you, however, because you will need to decide on a color that will complement your room and the other furniture in it. A good idea, though, is to stick with something that is as natural as possible because the bench will be directly under a window that will hopefully be revealing nature itself. Most of all, though, make sure that you are happy with the finished product.