New Dining Nook

I have always thought a comfy nook would be perfect for this corner in my dining area. Our house is small and lacks storage, so I also wanted a bench with storage. Our previous dining table was bar height and was uncomfortable for some guests; therefore, I wanted a standard height table and seating. Pre-made banquets are quite pricy and way out of our budget. I've been dreaming of this little nook for about four years and always thought it would be expensive to make. A few weeks ago I finally decided it was time to make it. Once I figured out the plan and measurements for the project and priced materials, I was astonished that the project would only cost me about $150-$200! The bench frame is made of 2x4 studs with MDF for the lid and leftover bead board for the bench face. I pre-cut my studs, assembled them, and attached the frame to the wall before I cut the tops. Once the bench was built, I started on the table. (I wanted to do all my painting at once.) I made the base using the plans for the storage dining table, and designed the 46"x46" square top in order to obtain the maximum amount of table top space I could get. The top is made up of 1x4s in the center and 1x6s (mitered at the corners) as the outer frame. I painted the entire bench with white semi-gloss paint. I stained the entire table dark brown and then painted the shelves of the base and the 1x4s on top with 3 coats of white. I then sanded the white to give it a distressed look and to allow the stain to show through. I also did a very light glaze of the stain in order to tone down the white. I sanded the stained parts of the table as well and then highlighted the natural wood showing through with a goldish stain. I finished it off with three coats of semi-gloss polyurethane. I padded the bench top using an egg crate mattress topper from the dollar store covered with a few layers of batting. I then covered it with red vinyl for easy cleanup and made the throw pillows for comfort and coziness! Considering that decorator fabric can be expensive, I waited for a Labor Day sale at the fabric store combined with store-issued coupons in order to get the best price for my fabric. I bought half a yard of the decorator fabrics at 50% off for pillow fronts and 3 yards of a coordinating clearance fabric (which was also on sale for an additional 50% off) for the backs. The vinyl was not on sale, so I was able to use a "40% off a regular priced item" coupon. I also used an in-store "Take an additional 15% off your entire purchase" coupon. I ended up saving about $70 on fabric! The total cost of my project was about $250, and it was custom-made! You can't beat that!