Create Handy Banquette Bench Seating and Storage in Your Kitchen’s Unused Nook

Unloved and unused area of the kitchen

Unloved and unused area of the kitchen

Is there a neglected space in your kitchen that seems useless and challenging to furnish? Perhaps you’ve attempted to make it useful by placing small chairs or a compact table and chairs there, or maybe it’s been left empty all this time.

Don’t worry, there’s a solution that can turn this underused part of your kitchen into a cozy and practical spot for everyone to enjoy. The key is to replace the bulky furniture with a space-efficient banquette bench seating that offers both comfortable seating and plenty of hidden storage for items you need to access easily.

Designing the Banquette Seating

The initial step involves deciding the ideal height for the bench to accommodate both adults and children comfortably. A height of 450mm was selected, leaving a bit of room for a cushion. The back of the bench was designed to stand 1450mm from the floor. Taking into account the width of the radiator behind the bench and a 5-degree angle for a more relaxed back, the seat width was determined to be 400mm.

Using a laser level to mark the seat height of the bench on the wall
Using a laser level to mark the seat height of the bench on the wall

The existing double panel radiator, which stuck out 165mm, was swapped for a less obtrusive model that only extended 70mm from the wall. This allowed for a thinner back profile for the bench. With the height, projection, and back profile set, preparations for the framing began.

Framing and studwork for the seat part of the bench
Framing and studwork for the seat part of the bench

Constructing the Frame

Timber was selected for the frame, and studs were placed at the bench corners, with the skirting board being removed. The studs were firmly fixed to the wall, and the bottom pieces of timber were cut and joined using screws and pilot holes. The upright timbers were cut to size and attached with a combination of glue and screws, with horizontal studs affixed in a similar manner but mitered at the corners for extra strength.

Creating Seat Lid Tops and Installing Hinges

Marking out the parliament hinge housing on the seat lid
Marking out the parliament hinge housing on the seat lid

Next, the seat lid tops were made from bevelled pine boards. Parliament hinges were chosen to allow the lids to open flush against the backboard. Boards were cut to fit with a small overhang, and rebates for the hinges were carefully chiselled out. The hinge was repeatedly tested to ensure it sat flush with the board’s surface before being fixed in place.

Chopping out the parliament hinge housing
Chopping out the parliament hinge housing
The housing for the parliament hinge chopped out with a chisel
The housing for the parliament hinge chopped out with a chisel

After preparing the hinge housing, the pilot holes were drilled, and the hinges were attached to the seat boards. The boards were then aligned on the frame, clamped in place, and the hinges were marked and screwed into the horizontal studs. Finally, the lids were checked for smooth opening and closing. The seat lids were

After the pieces were detached, their edges were smoothed out, bevelled, and then finished with two layers of Danish Oil before being reattached.

The seat back brackets were installed with spacers, creating the desired five-degree tilt for the seat backs.

The seat backs were the next focus. Additional supports were added to the wall for the longer seat, and the necessary calculations were made for the back panel angles to ensure the seat lid wouldn’t get stuck. Using a laser level, the five-degree angle for the back was marked on the wall, and the measurements for the spacers were marked and cut with a sliding miter saw. The spacers were then attached to the supports with a strong two-part glue – one part liquid and the other a spray activator.

To make the back of the seat for the longer portion of the bench, a 10mm thick piece of hardboard was cut to fit between the top seat rails and the tops of the vertical wall studs. It didn’t need to reach the right-hand wall completely, as it would be overlapped by the shorter seat’s back. The hardboard was then secured in place with a nail gun.

The back panel for the smaller, right-hand bench seat was trimmed to the correct height and a provisional length to accommodate an angled cut that would allow the two panels to align smoothly. Once the cut angle was determined, the board was marked and sawed accordingly.

The smaller panel was then aligned to match the top edge of the other backboard, trimmed to the correct dimension, and fastened with the nail gun.

Next, the frame of the banquette seating was panelled with 10mm hardboard. The boards were custom-fitted and glued to the frame studs using the two-part adhesive. This quick-set glue formed a very firm joint.

The upcoming task was to prepare the top covers for the seat backs from Knotty Pine planks. These planks were cut to 88mm wide with a bevelled front and side edges. Air vents had to be incorporated into these top covers to allow heat from the hidden radiator to escape. For this purpose, holes were drilled, and the material in between was cut away with a jigsaw to create the vents.

Finally, the edges of the vent holes received a bevelled edge using sandpaper, and the covers were set aside to have wire mesh applied underneath. Stainless steel mesh with approximately 5mm holes was cut to size using a multifunction tool with a diamond-coated blade. A wire mesh was attached beneath the seat back cover strips using an electronic tac gun to shield the air vent holes. This wire mesh is designed to allow warm air to escape from the radiator inside the bench while also preventing small items from falling behind the seat.

For the decorative finish, strips of hardboard, 3mm thick and 93mm wide, were affixed with mitre glue. The liquid glue was added around the batten’s edge, and the activator was put on the hardboard where the batten was to be attached. Afterward, the batten was pressed onto the panel.

Once the decorative battens were secured, any small gaps were filled with quick-drying, fine-grain filler. After the filler dried, the area was sanded smoothly using a hand sander equipped with 180 grit paper and a vacuum extraction system to minimize dust.

The bench was readied for painting by masking the floor to protect the tiles. A special MDF primer was applied to the bare wood, performing two tasks: sealing the wood and hardboard for optimal top-coat adhesion and coverage, and filling wood grain and minor imperfections.

The final layer of paint on the bench utilized a grey kitchen cupboard paint known for its resistance to scuffs and stains. It was applied with a roller and a small brush for the more challenging areas of the bench seat.

The finishing touches included placing back the seat lids and attaching the seat top cover battens over the seat back. Now, you can simply grab a cup of coffee, sit back on the new bench storage seat, and decide what to stash inside it.