My New Breakfast Nook!

Recently, my husband and I have been busy remodeling our dining room.  Since it is such a small space, a large dining table would not suffice.  We decided on buying a breakfast nook to take advantage of the corner-space.  We began searching around like crazy to find a sturdy piece of furniture that would last!  The lowest price that we found was $400 + Heavy Weight Shipping from Amazon!  That is nothing short of INSANE!  Yes, we searched Craigslist, local thrift stores, everywhere!  


Finally, we decided that it would be best to just build one.  That way, the measurements would be perfect, it would be the right color, and we'd have enough storage space within.  I was so excited!  My husband and I began drawing up plans.  We went to the Home Depot, and purchased our wood. So, here is the million dollar question:  How much did we pay in total? $80.  Yes, that's it!  Wood, stain, and a little bit of time.  In total, it took us about 6 hours to build it. This was our first project, and we are currently designing a table to match. We should be starting it sometime next week. I am also planning on going to the craft store and sewing my own custom cushions! Any ideas would be great! Anyways, take a look at the following pictures, I put them in order from start to finish so it is easier to see the progression.  Let me know what you think, any and all comments are appreciated!!

Here is the beginning frame:

Next, we added our 14" side seat:

Here, we finished the paneling:

 You can see the accessible storage compartment:

Ready to be stained:

Top Stain Complete:

Finished Product (Stain was still wet!):