Everybody has them: we know you do, because so do we… those inexplicable spaces and corners in your home that you just don’t know what to do with. Too big to leave alone, too small for any furniture, or simply, too odd-shaped to make it a functioning space.
Our such space is adjacent to our fireplace (whyyy is there a corner here!). Over the years, we have tried big plants, small plants, useless decor, random furniture - but because it’s also right next to a bedroom door, anything bulky or tall felt tight in the space, blocking much sought-after sunlight. Making things more complicated, we had covered the cables coming from the television to the wall, so that they went from very unsightly to slightly less-so.
So this past weekend, we made another attempt to jazz up that stubborn corner, to try to disguise the cable covers, and to generally make the space less awkward.
First, we picked up some wood at Home Depot; nothing super expensive or specific, and had them pre-cut a few different lengths. For our purposes went with one that was 24”x11”x1.5”.
Now seems as good as time as any to mention that we live in a 900 square foot condo in the city, so our options for big tools are pretty limited. We wanted to use our orbital sander to smooth and sand the wood, but without a driveway or garage, we had to work with what we had: our balcony. Fortunately for us, there’s a bag attached to our orbital sander so that we wouldn’t be those jerks blowing sawdust into neighbors’ open windows. The sanding of the wood (80 grit, 120 grit, and finishing with 180 grit) took less than ten minutes!
We opted for 16” hairpin legs - the ideal height for a coffee table, or a bench. Pretty straightforward, no special bolts or nuts, just the screws that comes with our legs and the always handy dandy power drill.
Fifteen minutes. That’s all it took. We decided to go for a raw/natural finish to see how the patina develops over time, but you can also apply a stain and clear coat (highly recommended for surfaces that will see action). We’re still messing around with styling options, but for now, we’re pretty happy with how this turned out! This mini bench can also double as extra seating for our dining table in a pinch. We stan a multi-purpose DIY!
Best of all, it helped cover up those cable coverings without suffocating the space!