For the top I followed the plans for the most part. I made this for my mother for Christmas and she wanted shelves under the bench instead of a storage bin so I modified the original bench plans. I purchased the baskets for $12.99 each from "At Home" and the medium size fits pretty good.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used Minwax "Early American" stain and finished with gloss polyurethane. The rustic looking wood on the back is actually paneling that had been printed that way.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate