Create the Perfect Kitchen Nook With Non-built-in's

I really love built-in benches, but I was not sure I wanted to commit because it’s not going anywhere after it’s installed. So instead of built-in benches, we made free standing benches that went in the corner and extend to the end of the table on two sides (coming together in the corner). This way we could move or replace without a renovation effort.

What we used:

1/2 inch by 3 1/2 inch wood planks, cut to length with support cross boards every foot on the underside of the bench.

After the top of the benches were completed, I added 3 inch thick cushion foam and then used a staple gun to cover with fabric. Make sure to cut your foam using a razor blade it is much easier than using scissors or a knife.

The legs are sturdy square outline design, using the 1/2 inch thick boards glued together using three plank thickness.

I had three butcher block boards left from our  living room built in’s using Ikea butcher block counters tops. It would have been great if they were “floating” but because of the weight we had to add brackets to properly install.

Last spring when we added our butcher block built in’s for the living room, we also got the idea for the butcher block table. We used the extra-large butcher block island from Ikea and added the same style legs as the benches, then stained the same color grey as the cabinets (see  kitchen cabinet refinishing). The legs for the table were reinforced with metal brachets (pictured below).

The final decision was what type of chairs to add to the remaining sides. I thought about metal farm house chairs but that’s a little too farmhouse for my house, so I went with faux leather modern chairs from Target.

The light fixture came from Amazon and in my opinion, ties it all together. Please visit my website for more detailed instructions.