DIY Kitchen Bench

Standard Bench

• When most builders think of benches, they think about plank benches. These are truly simple to build. You need little more than four pieces of wood--a seat, two slabs that serve as legs, and a brace to unite the other three pieces into a rigid structure. You can also use four separate legs connected by an apron for something with a little more class. Whether you make them rustic or give them a craftsman's polish, the choice is yours.

  But even a plain kitchen bench can become something more. Think about styling your bench more like one you would see in a park or a garden. With a back and arms, perhaps with a cushion added, you can easily create what used to be called a gossip bench. By making one of the arms large enough to serve as a small table, you can create a telephone bench. Such small additions can turn any bench into a welcome addition to your kitchen.

Storage Bench

• Storage benches are just boxes built strong enough to sit on; some use top-mounted lids, while others use drawers or simple cubbyholes in the front. You can set them directly on the floor, perhaps with molding around the base to give them some style. These boxes can be set on a small 2-by-2 pedestal, or you can give them small block-shaped legs. Alternatively, if the box is relatively shallow, you can add longer legs with a greater variety of shapes. Cushions are often placed on top for comfort. A 4-to-5-inch thick cushion will cause your bench to be used much more often than a common 2-inch cushion.

  As with plain benches, you can add arms and a back to your storage bench for a more chair-like appearance.

Banquette

• You may have heard the term "banquette" before; it refers to a bench that has been attached to a wall, like the kind you see in diners. Traditional banquettes are upholstered, but the term is used for almost any immovable bench, especially if it's designed to be used with a table. Banquettes usually take up less space than a table and chairs.

  Modern banquettes, especially those used in a home kitchen, frequently employ cushions rather than upholstery. This allows you to easily change the cushion's colors, giving you more flexibility in decorating by allowing you to change the colors as the seasons change, for example. If you choose this route, bear in mind that most people find a banquette height (including the cushion) of around 19 inches to be about right. Therefore, you should decide on the thickness of your cushions before building your banquette seat.

  While the other bench styles may use straight backs, banquettes generally have backs that angle away from vertical. Allowing the back to lean about 1 inch from vertical for each 6 inches of rise is a good starting point.