Community Brag Posts

After our Wal-Mart dining room chairs started falling apart (after 8 years of use) I decided it was time to replace those ugly old things with something a bit more unique. The Harriet Chair really caught my eye, so I set out to build it! My wife, Judi, chose the mustard yellow color and we thought it would be cool to add contrast with some red and white polkadot seat pads from IKEA ($9.99 ea.).

These are the first two I've built, with a goal to eventually build a total of 6-8 to fit around a table I also plan on building.

I made the addition of the front support as Judi likes to rest her feet on it. And, as you can see in the second photo, I added a small brace, cut at 15 deg., on the bottom side screwed to each backrest 2x2, and screwed to the underside of the seat (chair is upside down in photo). This gives additional rigidity and support for the backrest and also provides a nice guide to ensure the backrest has an exact 15 deg. angle on every chair. This was at no additional cost as I used scrap 2x2 pieces for it. And best of all this addition stays hidden and in no way changes the original aesthetic of the chair.

The chairs are extremely sturdy, comfortable and look great in our dining room! The only change I will make on the next set is using higher quality plywood as I had to putty this plywood a bit more than I had hoped. Otherwise, what an easy and inexpensive upgrade to our space!

Had to adjust the size of the drawer to fit inside the gap. Chose to lay the shelf on the bottom and attached a 1x2 to the front of the shelf perpendicular to the ground to keep the shelf in place.

I chose not to add the plywood backing because it's not visible, but I may in the future.

Overall a great and simple project, and I'm very pleased with the results.

I used the rustic x coffee table for my inspiration for this project. I found the mechanism for the lift top table on the web and was able to work it into my design. I used oak plywood for the top instead of the 2x6's and trimmed out the rough edge, however, I have thought about redoing the top with the 2x6's to match my tv stand and end table. I am still really happy with the way it turned out though. After posting this I decided to upgrade the top as I had described and I am way happier with the look of it!!

Not bad for my first project!!  I decided to upholster the chairs so i used a solid piece of wood for the foundation of my seat and also decided I was going to use chalkboard paint I had left over

When I saw the plans for this bed I knew it was exactly what I wanted for our guest room/office. I loved that it had storage underneath for extra blankets and office supplies and I loved the simple, clean look. I think it turned out great! We made it full size so it could sleep 2 people and we added an extra set of legs in the middle of the benches to make them extra sturdy. We want to add doors to some of the cubbies later.
This is the first piece of furniture I've painted instead of staining, and I'm so glad I did! The white looks so sharp against the gray walls. I don't think any stain would have turned out as good for the room.
The project came together really easily. We just worked on it for a couple hours on two Saturday afternoons and it was done really fast. The assembly was easy as well, and I love the concept of this bed being built of units that can be moved around or re-purposed later.
Thanks Ana for the great plans!

A 1x16 was used for the top and sides to give it a little more depth.
We cut the sides at 29" tall so that it is just under 30" high and can be used with a regular chair.
The shelves are 1x6's since we made it a little deeper.
The banner posts are 1x2's that are 6' tall.
Beadboard and some extra trim were also used.

built ins for my office-based on basic bookcase plans, and pieces from rustic bookcase plans.  I got a kreg pocket hole jig for this one- best money ever spent!!!  My husband didn't think I could do it but I did!  ❤️❤️❤️

LOVED doing this! I am a total beginner so it is not truly perfect but that is what we love about it! My five year old helped me and learned how to work an electric screwdriver. We saw Pottery Barn was broadcasting a table like this and using that the screws showed as a marketing piece - so we have some screws showing and it is soooo warm and inviting. It looks 100 years old. Everyone loves it!! Thank you for the great inspiration. We made ours 6 feet long and 3 feet wide to fit our space and 4x4's for the legs.

We had a table in the entryway that seemed to catch everything, bags, mail, etc. so when I found the Mimi hall tree I had to build it. This was my second build, so I was a little nervous. I wanted to paint it white , but my wife talked me out of it. I am so glad she did. Fun build, and now we have a place for all the stuff when we get home every evening.

I needed more storage in my small kitchen so I modified this cart to 42 x 20 x 96. One shelf has a sliding drawer. I am very new to all of this so I mistakenly overlooked accounting for the side ends of the shelves in my calculations. I left them off, but may go back and insert 1 x 2 to complete them. Not sure yet.

I love the Farmhouse Doll Bed, but because we bought a lot of doll clothes, I built a wardrobe to go with it.

The wardrobe is 21 1/2" tall X 14" wide X 7" deep. The inside shelf is 4" from the top. I'm having trouble uploading a photo of the inside, but will keep trying...

I made a mattress to look like the older striped "ticking" style. I still need to do a little more with the bedding because I'm not happy with the (muslin) pillowcase and want to do something brighter.

Cost was minimal because I'm still using up scraps from other wood projects and I used material for the mattress and bedding that I already had. That is what I love about some of the plans - they help me to use my leftover materials and still have something nice to give as gifts.

Thank you so much Anna for this plan - I also followed your suggestion and made a second one to donate. I love your site...

I love this site. We needed new furniture in are house and didn't want to spend a bunch of money. Finding the Rustic x plans was a life saver.

I am very excited to post this project .

I used the Schoolhouse Chair with Writing Pad Desk Plan exactly and did not stain the wood. Just gave it a coat of PU and there it is .

Its not a perfect project (since I used a Jigsaw ... Yes I did as no other tools were available :() but carefully cut them straight using guide.

As a  first-timer I am happy with the result... sort of... But Thanks for inspiring Ana & Jaime !!!

I love my new sofa! It is ten times more comfy than our old one. We live on an island and it was definitely cheaper to build my own sofa than to ship one in and pay duty on it. Thank you Ana for making this possible! Never thought I'd be building my own sofa, but we are so thankful for it. We even threw together our own little ottoman/toy box to go along with it from scraps...added bonus!