This is a great example of why one should buy custom furniture for their home. I was approached to build this Arts and Crafts Bench for a new client in Denver. This design went through several iterations. The client first started out by sending me a link to a closet cabinet company that had some built-ins with a place to hang your coats, a bench to sit on, and some cupboard doors on either side to add some symmetry.
The biggest challenge to implementing this design in her entryway was space; she just didn’t have enough room to fit it all in. The first drawing I presented was a scaled-down version of the picture she showed me from the custom closet company. Proportionally it was a little off, and there really wasn’t enough room for more than one person to sit and take their shoes off when coming home. For a busy family of four with two little kids, this was just not practical. Taking turns while one kid tracks mud around the entry while waiting his turn just wasn’t going to work out.
In the next drawing, we omitted the side cabinets and just went with the top cubbies for storage. We were getting closer to the final design, but it seemed bulky and would take up a lot of space in the entryway. We talked about other design elements she wanted to incorporate into the entryway. One element was a plush cushioned chair with a freestanding lamp where she could sit and read a book while waiting for her kids to get off the school bus when coming home from school. With that in mind, this design was just too bulky.
To eliminate the bulky design, we decided to split the top from the bottom and make the coat rack with cubbies for storage a wall-hanging unit, thus opening up the space. There would be plenty of space for storing boots and shoes inside the bench and gloves and hats in the cubbies above. There would even be space on the top shelf to display art and knickknacks.
Once we achieved a basic working design, we started adding the details. The house in Denver was an older home with original woodwork trim and built-in cabinets. All were adorned with rope molding. To find this molding the right size and configuration, I had to have a millwork shop custom-make it. Having the rope added to the panels of the bench was well worth the wait and extra expense; the bench looked like it came with the house.
Don’t settle for that cheap, mass-produced furniture; your décor will be nothing special and look just like everybody else’s house. Stand out from the crowd, and let me build you a custom piece of furniture.
Check out my Craftsman Style Bench Page for more completed photos of this bench as well as the coat rack.
If you are interested in the build process and how I build my furniture, below is a time-lapse video of the build.
