DIY window bench with storage.

I have dreamt of adding a window bench in my living room for years, since we purchased our home five years ago. I finally rolled up my sleeves and decided to DIY it myself, a window bench with storage! This bench is beautiful to look at but it also provides A LOT of extra storage space which is certainly needed in this household!

I did a lot of research on window bench tutorials, the one I liked most was this one. I really appreciated his drawings, they helped me understand how to engineer my own. I feel like tutorials on things like this that are SO custom to each space are hard to use when working in your own specific areas. The measurements will be different for every single space depending on the window and area you're working with, but once you understand the basically construction it's easy!

Let's do a little flashback shall we? This is what this room looked like when we purchased our home 5 years ago. The recessed front window had been begging for a window bench for years now.

I know a lot of you want to know the cost of this DIY window bench with storage. Knowing what you're getting yourself into with DIY projects is always nice. I believe with the hardware I spent about $120. I'll list the materials I used below, I ended up using a couple of scrap pieces + reused my original baseboards which saved me a little bit of money.

Materials:

• 1 4 x 8 sheet ½" MDF
• 1 4 x 8 sheet 1" MDF
• 6 2 x 4 x 10
• 3 1 x 4 x 8 MDF finishing trim
• 2 1 x 6 x 8 MDF finishing trim
• 6 heavy duty brackets
• Miter Saw
• Finish Nailer
• Wood Glue

This window bench was relatively simple to construct, basically you just build two large box frames with 2x4's and then attach finishing details to them.

We live in a smaller builder grade home so aside from adding a ton of character, this bench provides a LOT of needed storage space. We lack a linen closet or junk closet of any kind, so adding in a window bench with hidden storage has been so great.

In fact, I already have filled half of it with a bin of extra decor pieces that I regularly switch out, and another bin of extra throw blankets. I'm planning on storing a tote of pool toys in here as soon as that season officially wraps up and I'll STILL have ample space for more. Attractive storage is always the name of the game, am I right? I absolutely love how much storage this bench has added to our home in addition to being the coziest corner to hang out in.

I'm planning on getting two cushions made for this bench as soon as budget allows, in the mean time I filled it with a slew of pillows and man is it cozy? I have already caught my kids snuggling up here as much as they can which makes my heart so happy. I love nothing more than creating inviting corners in our home.

I particularly love how beautifully adding this bench finished off this room. A couple weeks ago I did this ikea billy bookcase hack on the other half of the room. The two built in elements work so well together!

Here are a couple details from the rest of the room.

Don't you think it is just the perfect finishing cozy spot for our front living room Just the most beautiful finishing detail. Have I inspired you to create your very own DIY window bench with storage in your home?

You can shop this post by clicking on the images below.

A couple other fun DIY projects I've completed this year.

Budget Laundry Room Makeover.

Changing a regular door to a barn door.

Master Bedroom Makeover.