DIY Rustic Bench For The Entry

I’m about to unleash some serious words of wisdom here so everyone grab a pen and a notepad…bonus points if it says “I Love Lists” at the top of it.  Here is Angie’s no fail process to getting a wooden bench for your entry.  Step 1…find the most amazing rustic bench on Pinterest (which was originally from West Elm) and GUSH about it in front of your husband.  I mean REALLY gush…let it all out here…like “oh this is SO gorgeous” or “this bench is to die for we could totally build this with your awesome skills” and my personal favorite, “wouldn’t a beer look so good on this bench?!”.  I think the last one was the kicker.

Step 2…print out the bench picture and tape it to the wall of your husband’s workshop, aka “Man Cave”.

Step 3…work on something else and forget about it (you know…like painting the entry blue…which I’m starting to have doubts about).  I’m talking a total back-off situation.  Works like a charm!  Before you know it, you’ll have your very own bench.  Voila!

If it’s possible, I think I love my handy husband more.  He just made me a bench…made me a bench in a couple of hours…made me a bench that was BETTER than the inspiration pic.

The best part of it is it’s rustic charm.  I asked for rustic and boy did I get rustic (or “old world style” which we affectionately call rustic charm).  One of my favorite parts of the bench is that it is made from scrap wood from Colby’s scrap wood pile in the workshop.  What I find even more endearing is that the scrap wood he used for the majority of this project was leftover from an old carrying beam in the basement that wasn’t carrying supporting anything.  We replaced the beam with something more structurally sound but turned the old lumber into this bench.  Now when we move someday, we can take the bench with us and always have a piece of our first house…cue up the “awe”.

And this bench will definitely stand the test of time.  I’m pretty sure it weighs more than I do and it is Rugged…note the capital “R” (you know…like rugged with a capital “R”…just mixing things up a bit #imnotsurethatworked).  Seriously…check out the nether regions of this bench.

And from another angle so you can check out all the supports along with Colby’s use of the Kreg jig.  My man sure knows how to build ’em.

Now…just you wait until you see the bench all stained up in it’s wood enhanced glory.  It’s amazing…breathtaking…show stopping…and a few more synonyms for general awesomeness.  But that’s another project for another day (probably tomorrow…although I am DYING to tell you about our super score purchase from this weekend…hint hint…you can catch a sneak peek if you follow us on Instagram).

Colby wants me to make sure you all know that this is the “back” of the bench…I repeat, “the back” of the bench.  There’s a bit of a gap where the wood curled up.  I think Colby is a little embarrassed about the imperfection…scratch that…not so much as embarrassed as secretly wants to start over and prevent the gappage from ever happening.  But I love it and he’s not getting his mitts back on this bench.  The gap just adds to the charm.

Pssst…What have you fine folks been building or crafting lately?  Any benches? Or Pinterest inspired projects?  Or anyone else have a no fail system for getting their handy hubby to work on a project?  Do tell!  I love hearing from you all!