Up on a Pedestal....

I have always wanted a banquette seating area in our kitchen.  It isn't a large space so finding the right pieces to fit is key to making it work.

I thought of an upholstered bench/banquette at first but we don't have the space for something that elaborate.

Another thing I have always loved is using a bench as a banquette.  I started looking for benches and soon discovered an old church pew on Craigslist (which is like an online garage sale and an amazing place to find bargains). www.craigslist.ca

I loved the history and character of the pew and knew it would be perfect in the kitchen.  I had to cut it down about 10" to fit on the angled wall which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

Next problem was the table...our existing table has 4 legs and is large and rectangular.  The legs made it awkward to squeeze into the pew to sit without moving the whole table.  I knew I had to look for a pedestal table that had a more central base and gave some legroom.  I checked Craigslist, Kijiji and some antique stores...and kept checking...and kept checking.  As always, I know that when I find the right piece it will speak to me.

I happened upon a great little Antique shop called "The Captain's Treasures" run by Captain Errol Boyd...yes, he is a real captain!!  http://www.captainstreasures.biz/

I had visited them to get one of the vanity tables I used in the Jonathan Adler bathroom vignette from my last post.  It's one of those places you need to go to often because he gets shipments in each week from the US.

I was in the area and decided to check it out again and there...at the very back...was my table.  As soon as I saw it I knew it was perfect.  I took a picture and the measurements and went home just to be sure it would fit....definitely measure twice and buy once applies here!!  Better to take your time and make sure it will work than to be stuck with something you are less than happy with.  Like most things the Captain sells it was a huge bargain...but also needed a lot of work.

Scratched finish and missing drawer, plus it was falling apart at the joints.  I knew I could bring it back to life.  I thought it was a little too high to sit comfortably in the pew so I took the table apart and cut the legs down by 1 1/2". 

Then I started sanding it down to the original wood.  I didn't want to use paint stripper because I find it really messy and toxic.

Here is how it looks so far, there is still lots of work to be done...stay tuned to see the final result!!