I did it all for the nook...ie

Remember this? This was the kitchen before the wall came down.

I took it down, and then painted and patched and finished the subfloor. Then I brought in my vintage Heywood Wakefield table. The table of my dreams that I found covered in paint at a thrift store for $180. We added some chairs and a bench and we were happy.

But the table was a little too big for the space. So I had to come up with another idea. I really wanted a little nook with benches lining the wall. Something I could push into the corner when not in use. I searched and searched for inexpensive options, like super cheap.

Then I found this:

A locker! I have been wanting one for that exact space forever! I needed storage for spices and only had 13 inches of space to squeeze in a cabinet. These lockers are 12" wide and 6' tall,...perfect!

Except that it was also 18" deep...sad face. So it took up a lot of depth and we lost the spot for our garbage can.

So I moved it. And it created the perfect nookish area!

After scads of research I found these benches:

From Ikea at $10 each, they were exactly what I wanted. I bought 4. I also needed cushions! Luckily, Ikea helped me out with 4 pillows from their AS-IS section for $1 each. And with some fabric I found at a yard sale for $5, from the Ivory Coast no less, I have 4 gorgeous cushions and a bench for $50!

From this:

To this:

That's a lot of work! But I haven't even shown you the table!

A long time ago, John and I found a solid oak table on the side of the road. Eventually we cut down the top for a top to our portable dishwasher.

See?:

But we still had the pedestal base! John tried to get rid of it, but I knew I could use it someday!

For the table top we bought 3 pine boards, 6" x 6', (for $10) cut them in half for a table that measures 36" x33"*, which was exactly how big the table could be without overpowering the space!

Nice, right?! Wait! That was before the pillows were finished!

Okay, now:

I really needed a table that could take Legos and marker and dents and scratches and all that comes with 4 and 5 year old boys. Six coats of polyurethane will see to that!

(Okay I still have one more pillow to make. But have you tried tufting?! It's hard!)

We ate dinner last night at the new table and we all finally fit!And I wasn't worried about the spaghetti sauce staining my table like I was with the pretty vintage one.

We spent $60 total and have a new kitchen nook that can take abuse and still look good!

Whole enchilada:

Phenomenally cheap design!...Itty-bitty kitchen space!

*Pine boards that measure 1" x 6" x 6' are actually 3/4" x 5-1/2" x 6' due to the way the wood is processed. Keep that in mind if you have exact measurements for a project.

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