I am delighted! Another project is complete. This window seat bench project of ours has been in the works for about three months now. I first mentioned it here a couple of months ago.
My husband and I designed this "L" shaped bench for our office. This end of the room is intended as a sitting area. There will be a table in front of the bench and a bookshelf to the right when all is said and done. There is storage space below the bench; some sections will be filled with books, others with games. The higher section on the right will hold a lamp just as soon as Penny is a little older.
Our progress was slowed a bit when my husband injured his back this winter. Leaning down to work on the bench made matters worse so I ended up doing all the finishing. The bench was stained in a color called "Espresso." The stain was followed by two coats of sanding sealer and then three finish coats with sanding required between each and every coat. Ick. My husband made the cabinet doors last and they have been in the kitchen all week receiving one step of the finishing process each night after work. After completing those, he determined that I did a better job with the bench finishing so he wants to turn the job over to me in the future. Drat. Sometimes doing a good job really doesn't pay!
Now I can make my pillows for the bench! I am very excited about that.
I also need to decide on window treatments. The room is very bright and sunny and we want to keep it that way but we also want the option of pulling shades because at times it can be impossible to see the monitor with the glare. We were considering having me make roman shades using these directions. Has anyone made them before? Were you happy with them? I am hesitant to try them because I fear messing up and wasting a large quantity of expensive material. I am also worried about them fading when left in the up or down position, leaving bands of darker and lighter colors. Any suggestions?
Wow, that looks great. The pillows will be a super finishing touch! I haven't ever made Roman shades but I really want to do so for our bedroom...so you try it first and work out the bugs, and then I'll do mine, okay?! :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on a big project done!
WOW Amy! You and your husband did a GREAT JOB! It is a wonderful idea...and it looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! It looks professionally finished! I have made a roman shade. You can def. do it with your sewing skills. I will tell you that mine have faded. I used dupioni silk though and it has a tendency to fade a lot! Have you thought of doing a fabric covered roller shade? You would have less fade since it will be rolled up. I've seen tutorials on line for those. Then you could do a topper or side hangs.
ReplyDeleteYour bench looks great!
ReplyDeleteAmy, it's looks beautiful. You both did a wonderful job. As for the Roman shade...of course you can make one. You just want to make sure that you line them, that's all. You can use Roclon....at JoAnn's of course or you can use a heavier liner if you want to keep heat in or out. They are not really bad to make and of course you will get that custom look!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful, Amy! It looks like a wonderful place to be.
ReplyDeleteI made Roman shades for a co-worker and did a trial run with really inexpensive material...long story short, she loved them so much that she didn't want me to make another set and she still has them 7+ years later. It was much easier than I thought and I had only been sewing a couple of years at the time. Go for it! I can't put my hands on the pattern right now, but it was probably a Simplicity pattern.
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! You and your hubby did an amazing job. I can't wait to see all the other finishing touches.
ReplyDeleteThe bench looks fabulous! What a wonderful place to have your office in!
ReplyDeleteNice job!! both of you! you are so going to love that. I love things when they are so useful.
ReplyDeleteI've never done Roman shades but they usually are straight forward sewing wise. You are going to get some fading but shouldn't be too bad.
I love window seats! I'm so impressed with your work - this looks awesome! Can't wait to see the pillows you make for it.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! You guys make a great team! Can't wait to see your pillows for this!
ReplyDelete-Vanessa
Your bench seat is gorgeous. I used to have a big window that somwtimes caused glare on the computer screen but I hated to block out the light. I used a big voile panel which i could pull across or leave at the side as needed. The room was still really light and airy but the glare was gone.
ReplyDeleteHoly mackerel! You guys MADE that?!!!! Wow, you and your husband's woodworking skills are crazy awesome!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the shade goes... If you made them in a really light colour would the fading be less noticeable?... Just a thought. I think roman shades would be beautiful but I agree with you, it would be frustrating if they faded on you!
That is a stunning piece of furniture. Well done you two! If you line your shades with curtain black out, they won't fade, the front fabric is never facing the outside. They aren't hard to make, it's really just a large lined rectangle with pleat/fold pockets for dowels to go in. If you can make Easter dresses/jackets/amazing quilts/fine cabinetry, then you can certainly handle roman blinds, Amy!!
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