Banquette Storage Bench
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Beautiful banquette storage bench by Catherine Caputo
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Beautiful banquette storage bench by Catherine Caputo
I wanted to create something for my 2 girls (6 & 4) that would make both of them happy, fit in a small room, and get it done within 3 weeks while they were away on vacation. It was a surprise as neither the girls nor their mother had any idea what I was doing.
I copied the idea from others on this site but then modified it a bit to get what I wanted.
I still have more touches to complete.
I didn't finish the inside for the sake of time. I might wallpaper the inside or just paint it when time allows.
The top is a full size bed. The playhouse is enclosed with walls on all sides. There's a bed inside of the playhouse that's a Twin size with a simple stool to get on it (ran out of time - was going to create a 2 step drawer stairs).
The stairs are drawers and there's a "secret" opening under the bed going into the stairs where the girls can hide stuff.
Left the first step open in order to use for totes. My 4yr old currently fits in there and can get in and out of the playhouse through that opening. I might put a flap there.
I worked on this playhouse for about 200hrs which includes tons of visits to hardware stores, furniture stores, finishing, touches, etc. Worked in the garage and built it such that it can be disassembled and re-assembled easily.
Wanted to make it more fancy but ran out of time.
Made the stairs a separate piece on its own.
MADE MANY ERRORS but was able to correct almost all of them. Learned a lot from this project.
I didn't follow any particular plan except for the concept since my dimensions were different. I made the rails higher for added safety since my girls almost sleep walk!
Accommodating the Full size mattress made this project very challenging and more costly since I had to get a full sheet for each side - total 5 sides.
Detailed Pictures and Dimensions:
https://plus.google.com/photos/103590147643813514240/albums/56496973048…
Stairs:
https://plus.google.com/photos/103590147643813514240/albums/57625265707…
Wed, 10/19/2011 - 21:41
That is stunning. Please tell us how mom and the girls reacted to your wonderful gift!!
Thu, 12/01/2011 - 13:08
Sorry just saw the comments.
After some 30hrs of travelling by air and land, they arrived exhausted. When they saw this they all got charged up with energy. The girls loved it and it's now a toy & a bed. Their mom loved it and all the storage and began using it right away.
Slight problem is that the younger one wants to sleep in the top large bunk so we settled to having them swap in the weekends!
One nightmare is making the beds!
Wed, 12/07/2011 - 07:53
Abzman this is the most wonderful thing I have ever seen. At first I thought I was gonna read where you got this from but when I saw you made this I just had to tell you what a marvelous job you did. I really wish I could buy something like this for my own girls (4 and 3). Thanks for sharing
In reply to This is absolutely awesome by Dimika (not verified)
Mon, 12/12/2011 - 08:44
Thanks for the kind comments. Very appreciated.
Wed, 12/21/2011 - 19:23
Hi, I'm building for a full size mattress as well. It looks like you are using 1x4 for the slats. How are they holding up? Did you have to reinforce them because of the added width?
Also, how high and deep are the stairs?
BTW, everything looks great.
Thanks for the help.
In reply to bunk bed by Guest (not verified)
Wed, 12/21/2011 - 22:10
Hi,
I just finished documenting some of my dimensions and included them in the photo album linked below.
I did use 1x4's and picked the hardest and straightest I could find. I tested all of them first at HD!
They are holding up well. I used 12 total. They are all a tight fit and that was good enough support. I didn't use additional support and I know they will hold up well for a 100+ lbs person but I still have it planned to secure a few of the slats. I laid down on the top bunk and it felt sturdy.
Note that some might not agree with the height of my top bunk rails. They are at 4' even!
As for the stairs, I included the measurements in the pics. Hope this helps.
I will be covering the inside walls with colored carpeting! It will also act as a noise insulator so the kids won't wake up early AM from street noise.
https://plus.google.com/photos/103590147643813514240/albums/56496973048…
Fri, 07/06/2012 - 23:08
Give me your email address and I'll email you the pictures I have. I don't have dimensions but maybe the pictures can help. Since my staircase is removable I built the drawers outside of the bed then re-inserted the staircase. I did it the easy way using cleats and I installed felt padding under the drawers so they wouldn't scratch the steps.
Sat, 07/07/2012 - 10:15
Thank you! I'm planning on building the stairs separate as well. I've never built any with drawers in them before, and I can't find any plans for them. :-(
Sat, 07/07/2012 - 13:32
I just realized a better solution, I've posted the pictures to Google Photos. Hopefully that would help.
Basically, I built the frame of the drawers and made the front fascia separate which I attached afterwords. It allows for error correction in case the drawer doesn't come out straight and also allows for adjustments and fine tuning.
Go here: https://plus.google.com/photos/103590147643813514240/albums/57625265707…
When I saw Ana's plans I had to make this table for my home. I like the rustic look, and so I distressed the wood using a steel wool and vinegar solution. I modified the top by using four 2x8's and one 2x10. Otherwise everything is the same. It turned out great and everyone who has seen it at my home loves it.
Wed, 10/23/2013 - 10:08
I like the steel wool and vinegar finish, give it a nice weathered look!
Fri, 09/05/2014 - 05:55
So very very new to all this wood working but very excited to get started! I LOVE the finished look of this table. I had never heard of steel wool and vinegar, but just googled and can't to try it! Thanks!
Fri, 09/05/2014 - 05:56
Not really a question after I googled for details on the mixture. So just a fan comment :)
Wed, 11/25/2015 - 07:14
I Love this Table . You should just come to our house and make it for us.LOL
I was just wondering what type of wood did you use? We live in the south east and cant find any Douglas Fir wood. what other wood would you suggest?
thanks Char
Tue, 08/09/2016 - 07:12
The table looks fantastic. I know you built this two years ago. How has the top of the table held up? I am currently working on this table, and I am debating weather or not to use the kreg pocket screws or to use 7/16ths dowels for the body and mortise and tenon joints for the breadboards. However, that is more work than the kreg screws. If the kregs hold up well, than I would rather do that. Anyway, the table looks fantastic.
We are getting ready to list our house and the laundry room was the last room in the house that hadn't been renovated. I used the momplex cabinets as an inspiration and made a 6 cubby cabinet, small cabinet with drawer and door, laundry pedestal, and sink cabinet. The cabinets are made of MDF and face with pine and pine doors. The countertop is made of 2x6's.
Sun, 01/03/2016 - 08:23
This looks great, you might want to keep the house after that upgrade!:)
Plans were very easy to follow and it all went together nicely. The top was inspired by a cafe table my daughter saw at a street cafe in Chile. She liked it so much I made her one for Christmas. I wanted to do a similar coffee table since - the Rustic X Coffee table plans fit the bill perfectly!
I started with your king size fancy Farm style head board and made it taller (67” tall”) and created a footboard using same pattern. Then added three drawer on each side adding supports for king size bed - followed up by installing 4 usb charging ports behind each side of headboard.
This was my first project - thanks Ana.
I had to shrink the dimensions from the plan to fit our space. Pretty happy with how it turned out given it was my first project.
http://our-big-house.blogspot.com/2011/10/project-build-desk.html
Mon, 10/24/2011 - 16:22
Why did you use poplar if you were painting it?
Nvm I just saw the blog post, the first build is such a learning experience! Go for whitewood next time :p
Tue, 10/25/2011 - 10:43
the previous poster had my line of thought when I purchased the wood - Poplar looks great and would look fantastic with just a little bit of stain, right?
But I didn't know that staining poplar would be such a challenge.
So, yes, poplar paints well and that's why I painted in the end.
These cabinets had 3+ layers of paint on it and I had been wanting to see what was underneath for awhile. I decided to, after my first project I submitted here, started to re-due/re-surface these cabinets. It took forever to sand all of these layers of paint off. I was super excited to find that the wood under the paint was actually really nice. I hope you like the results just like I did.
Plans were right on, didn't encounter any problems. Great weekend project.
Mon, 01/04/2016 - 20:01
Great job on this project, pefect for the space. Thanks for sharing!
Tue, 01/05/2016 - 07:46
Thank you for the compliment, passed on to the husband. And thank you for all the plans you provide.
I made a 14 foot table using Ana's plans. I am remodeling my parents house that they built in 1966. I was able to use some 4x6's for the legs from walls that I took down.
Tue, 06/04/2019 - 20:07
Hi that looks amazing! I’m looking to make the same size table. Could you please tell me the measurements of your legs? Also what length support boards did you use. Thanks
"Built this with Ana's plans, with a couple modifications. What was a dead space, now has purpose!"
Deb Klug Massar
I made this from a design in Thomas Chippendale's "The Gentlemen and Cabinetmakers' Director". It has two internal shelves for storing clothes. All the drawers have working locks and the brass is from Londonderry.com brasses. Their motto is "When Authenticity Counts". It took about 250 hours. Wholly done with mortise and tenon (pinned) and dovetails. The carcass is dovetailed to avoid using any nails. The feet are typical Chippendale with ogee bracket feet. I used only rough lumber which I mill to final dimensions. The moulding is my own design.
Sun, 10/30/2011 - 19:51
Wow - quite an heirloom! I've always admired fine furniture, although I tend to go more rustic myself. Thanks for sharing!
Thu, 04/26/2012 - 16:00
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This is the biggest project I've tackled to date (I can count on one hand the little projects I've done before--stools, simple shelves, etc.). This is a beginner project, for sure. I made this bed one night when I couldn't sleep and it took about 4.5 hours to build the four main pieces: headboard, footboard, and two sides with the cleats. The next day I sanded, stained, added shellac, then assembled the 4 parts--"active" time about 1.5 hours. I used four simple L-brackets (about 50 cents each) to assemble so I will be able to easily take the bed apart... he'll outgrow it too soon.
Other than that, I followed the plans exactly as they were laid out. I like the overall look of the bed. For the guardrails: I attempted but did not like the guardrails from the plans. They were not the right size. Because his room is train-themed, I just wood-glued some extra train tracks in a crescent shape to a thin piece of scrap wood (cut and sanded to fit the tracks).
This is a fun little bed. If I had to give up my youngest's crib (so sad)... it could only be for something this cute.
Followed an Ana White DIY to make a childs art table. Modified it a bit towards the end and I think it turned out OK!
Third AG doll bed for my nieces - they are so much fun to make! I loved how the green turned out - I want to paint everything in the house this color!
This was my first furniture build. I learned a lot and can't wait to build furniture for the rest of the house! I used off the shelf lumber for this and with all the supplies I needed it ended up costing around a hundred to build. I used a water based light stain to match the rest of my kitchen. (Desert Sand by Minwax). Thank you for the plans! :)
X Table made from reclaimed wooden joists and 2x4s. The table is stabilised using 20mm metal box section welded into the same X pattern as the wooden legs and then screwed into place at the top and bottom of each leg. The top is fixed to the legs using a section of right angle steel (from an old bed frame) which is screwed to the legs and the top. The table planks are joined using biscuits (no, not the edible kind!). I'm an amateur when it comes to woodwork though I do enjoy DIY projects of any kind. Using reclaimed wood made the whole project very tricky as it was warped, dirty and full of holes. I love the character of the wood, especially once it was sanded and oiled, but getting everything lined up and straight took a lot of planing and sanding! I finished the top with a food-safe type oil/wax mixture.
I had a lot of fun making this. Thank Ana, I enjoy looking at your work and doing new projects.
Thanks Ana White for the blue print to an awesome storage sofa. I used the similar dimensions except mine is a bit shorter in width (60 inches wide). Now I just need to find awesome pillows to go with it.
Sat, 12/08/2012 - 05:39
How has the sofa held up? Also how much did it cost to make.
Sat, 12/08/2012 - 05:41
How has the sofa held up? I want to make one, and also would like to know how much it cost to make.
My brother and I just re-did his entire upstairs bathroom. We gutted it re-did some walls and he asked me to build some shelving because it was a small space. I framed off a wall and this is what I came up with is what you see. (it's big 37.5' 'L x 33' ' W x 21'' D) I shouldn't here him complain about not enough shelf space on this one...
The original size of the unit was too big for our needs so we cut down the size of the unit to 72" long and 30" high. Used patio rollers for the doors.