Sofa Banquette - IKEA HACK

Despite all the hard work I did on the dining room table a few years ago (here) E and I decided that we without a doubt, hated the table we had purchased.  Namely, I found it scratched my legs when we had it extended and we always had it extended because it gave us a nice amount of space and if we didn't the table looked so tiny in that large dining room.  In addition, I felt that we didn't use the dining room except for special occasions.  It was too formal and fancy to eat in on a more regular basis.  So, it was time for a change.  E loves me because he basically just accepts all the ongoing "projects" I have.  I think because 50% of the time it goes well he accepts the odds.

So, I sold the dining room table and chairs on kijiji.  I did not sell the hutch.  I bought that whole set because I loved the hutch.  I had originally posted them all on kijiji but at about the 15th request to only purchase the hutch I deleted the ad.  I have decided to refinish the hutch.... a project for another blog post.

So, I decided I wanted to make better use of the space in the dining room, and make it a place people would like to hang out.  Formal chairs were not going to work for that, and if I did use formal chairs I still would be stuck at a 9 person max dining table. I wanted at least 10.  So, the banquette idea was born.

Of course, this idea was not without three months of agonized research and planning and tape on the floor measuring everything out.  There are so many, and yet so few banquette options.

For example:

You have this amazing one from WestElm:

This of course, costs approximately a million dollars for any Canadian to import and ship here, and to triple down the bad luck, they don't sell some of the pieces anymore.  It wasn't going to happen to me with this, and I wasn't totally sold on the color for the dining room anyways (white or at best light gray on something you plan to eat on without a slip cover = disaster).

After a bit of research, I discovered that custom booths were also approximately a million dollars.  So I wasn't having any luck there.  I considered used restaurant booth ones but it seems like way too much money to put into something I couldn't return and might smell like rib sauce.

Enter.... IKEA HACKLAND.

Where there is a furniture need, there is a piece of IKEA furniture or an IKEA hack to meet that need.  So I found numerous blogs on how to make a banquette happen with ikea kitchen cupboards, the besta shelving, and even bookcases (determined by many commentators to not be strong enough, opt for besta for strength from what I gathered).

However.  All this concern about strength had me thinking.  I know what can happen to a lot of wear and tear on normal IKEA furniture.  It can look like garbage in only a few years.  I knew that somehow making a custom banquette was going to just kill me, if I could even accomplish it, and then I questioned about the cost of getting  a custom made foam pillow for the top, and, of course, how inevitably the gallery wall would need to be repainted...

ARGH.

If only E knew how much thought went into things...

So, I thought... perhaps the solution to the problem is to use something actually (cough) designed for sitting on.  That seems crazy... but maybe it isn't.  Maybe instead of a narrow banquette, I could put a extra long sofa against the wall?  Has that been done before?  Answer.  Kind of...

I found the following images to inspire me to at least try:

Ok, this is technically a settee, I know.

But, it was a start.  Then I found this one, but it looked too cushy:

Then, I found it.  I call it my "green sofa inspiration" or "my justification that my crazy idea might actually work just let me try it out" evidence.

To get to the point here, I did a lot more research.  Then I did some more.  Then I taped the floor.  Then I taped the walls.  All with my proposed sizing.  I was also about to get from my parents an old teak table, so I knew mid century modern was the way I was going.

I didn't go with green.  But, I did go with a dark blue which is pretty adventurous.  IKEA doesn't sell the Norsborg series in the type of couch I wanted (long but no chaise lounge) but the helpful elderly lady at IKEA helped me order what I needed.  I knew, I just knew the IKEA legs would be hideous, but I also knew they would be too short for a dining area.  Yes, I am sure you were all panicky for me, wondering if I knew.  I knew.

So, I did what any good IKEA hacker does.  I ordered some legs.  Last time I ordered new legs they took forever from Bob's workshop.  This time I went with prettypegs and the service was fabulous. I would use them again in a heartbeat (and confirmation I am in the black in my checkbook as the shipping is not cheap!).

Here you can see the original IKEA legs that were I believe around 7 inches:

Note my green tape on the floor to mark the sofa and table outline.

Now, for the new legs:

ARE THESE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LEGS YOU HAVE EVER SEEN?

Thanks to Pretty Pegs, I was able to lift the couch up two extra inches with the Carl 230 and that seems to have done the trick in terms of height.  But also, these legs look beautiful.  This couch looks way more expensive.  I probably could have done a proper photo shoot but I am sure you will all survive with it as is.

It is going to work just amazingly as a banquette and look how cozy this is!  I can't wait to have friends over and just relax with some drinks in a cozy couch.  Yes, getting in and out with a party of 10-12 will be a pain, but I have never sat at a large table and had it been easy.  I am going to try and put a little charging station along the back as well so make use of the outlet.

I am finally posting pictures of what it looks like with the old antique teak table from my great-grandpa, I bought some modern chairs from Costco that were plastic (and easy to wipe down).  Below are the photos!  It's been used for over half a year now, and we love it!

The best part about the banquette is how we actually use our dining room now.  We work from home at it, we eat at it, we play board games at it, work on projects, etc.  It has gotten so much more use and its no longer wasted space.  So happy with it!

All in all - an excellent IKEA hack.

- C

Eat for Free

One of the ways I managed to "pay it all back" was definitely eating for free or alternatively, the ancient practice of "half eating" which I assume was a thing because it definitely works where you only eat half your meal and then eat the rest for dinner!  Also an excellent strategy for weight loss.

Example 1: You landed a job at a legitimate company.  Sometimes, they have free lunches!  Always take extra back to your desk.  Eat it as a snack or, alternatively if you can snag an extra leftover sandwich, your dinner.

Example 2: Your legitimate company hosts lunches or dinners for clients sometimes.  Always wait until the event is over and go up and grab some of the food.  Often this just gets tossed, so you are doing the environment a big favour as well as your pocketbook.

Example 3: You need to buy lunch.  You know you could have packed a PBJ but who has time for that sh!t you are busy at work!  Just make sure you get the bang for your buck.  In other words, buy sometimes that will cost less than $5 for lunch.  Meatball sub sandwich.  Soup and bun.  Pho (save the second half of pho for dinner!).

Example 4: Make an enormous amount of food on the weekend.  Bring it to work every day that week.  Pay $25 off your loan.

Example 5: Go to your parents place, if you've got some local.  They always feed you!

Example 6: Go vegan, or nearly.  Meat is expensive!

Example 7: Make your own bread.  It can actually be way cheaper than the storebought stuff and tastes about a million times better.

Example 8: When your friends want to go out to eat, choose a place with happy hour.