Banquette
When we go out to eat at a restaurant with two toddler boys, we always specifically request a booth if one is available. The reason? We can contain our boys in an "area" so they don't go running around the restaurant.
Also, there's just something nice about sitting in a booth. They are often more comfortable, and there's more room to spread out, given that it's hard to leave to go to the restroom if you're on the "inside." There's just another level of togetherness when sitting in a booth. We wanted to recreate that in our house.
Our previous dinette area worked, but it was bland. We liked having a round table initially, but there was a lot of wasted space that could have been better used for storage.
HOW IT STARTED
Previously, we had a round table with eight chairs, but it just wasn't working for us. We knew we could fit more people, particularly kids, more comfortably, and we could have more storage underneath the bench. Double whammy!
THE DESIGN
The design of the banquette would be against the wall with a rectangular table and three chairs. The banquette would be designed to integrate with the kitchen cabinets, which are about 24” deep. This would provide us with deep seating and enough room for a thick back cushion. We would install vertical shiplap against the wall to enhance durability and to give us a modern, yet farmhouse look.
In an effort to keep materials as efficient as possible, especially since lumber prices skyrocketed during the pandemic, I meticulously planned out every piece of lumber to ensure there was no waste. The base and carcass would be constructed from 2x4s, and the rest from 3/4" plywood. Since this would be an L-shaped banquette, I built two separate banquettes and pieced them together. I also had to consider that I can only fit so many pieces of wood in my car. These measurements were crucial!
I bought 8’ pieces of 2x4 and 4’x8’ sheets of plywood which I had the Home Depot cut it down. This saved me a ton of time. All the pieces fit in my car!
I purchased 8' pieces of 2x4 and 4'x8' sheets of plywood, which I had Home Depot cut down. This saved me a ton of time. All the pieces fit in my car!
These three tools were instrumental in the speed of this project. I can't stress enough how important it was to connect a shop vac to both the miter saw and table saw. It sucks up most of the dust and will save you a ton of cleanup time. Cleaning up sawdust is the one thing that is the most annoying.
THE EXECUTION
The second step was to take all the necessary measurements and begin assembling the carcasses. This process went by pretty quickly since all I used was my miter saw. One of the most important dimensions that had to be almost exact was the clearance space between the vertical 2x4s. Each spacing almost had to be exact, or else each drawer would require custom fitting. After that was complete, I wrapped all sides with the 3/4" plywood.
The next step is to build the drawers and install them. This step was quite tedious, but precision is absolutely necessary. You want your drawers to slide smoothly without catching on anything after they've been installed.
I had a little helper test out the drawers after they were all installed. Once I got his final approval, I mounted the carcasses in place.
The next step was to put up the vertical shiplap, which I bought from Lowe's. I don't think I found better shiplap anywhere else in my area. I've used this shiplap in several of my other home projects, and it looks so good.
After several coats of primer and paint which I had custom color matched with my existing kitchen. The project was complete. I had my dad make me custom cushions, where I selected the fabric from Joanne fabrics and the cushions from Amazon. I used:
- 6” foam medium density cushion for the back cushions
- 2” cushion medium density cushion for the seat cushions
- Dacron Upholstery Grade Polyester Batting to wrap all the cushions
Once all was said and done, here is the final result. This project came together very nicely after several years of experience with other projects in the house. I made a lot of mistakes and took many trips to Home Depot in a single day. In the end, it was all worth it. Not only do we have a nice, intimate space for eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but we often find ourselves napping or reading a book in the banquette. It has become one of the most used areas of the house.
THE REVEAL
