Benched

As we continue to decorate our home, there has been one area of our home that I could never really figure out. 

When we first went to look at our new home, it was a decorated model home.  There was this space between the kitchen windows, fridge and island that was quite large and the designers put a little round table and two chairs there.|

(this is from when our home was still a model home---
see the little sitting area in front of the window?)

It looked cute, but it felt impractical.  We already have barstools on our kitchen island and we also have a dining room set (which we plan to update eventually).  So...we didn't really need more places to eat or sip coffee (because, we totally do that on the couch---the coffee sipping, not the eating).

For a long time, I just thought we would leave the area bare and I didn't mind that.  Then one day, I suddenly had a strong urge to put something there and for some reason, all I could think was "bench."

(This is the space now---to the left is our laundry room and to the right
is our fridge and then there is a big gap before you hit the kitchen island)

I had always wanted an upholstered bench for in front of our bed---but for some reason, that space in our kitchen seemed to be the perfect place for a bench.  For one, the bench would be right in front of the window and because the bench is narrow, it will make a statement without be too overbearing for the space.

I had looked at the Lola bench at ZGallerie before but didn't want to spend the $350 on it.  This weekend, I noticed that the white linen version was on sale and since the fabric matches our bar stools and is a nice contrast to our super-dark hardwoods, I decided to take the plunge and order one.

Here's why I'm glad we invested in this piece:

• It is incredibly versatile---I can always move it to a bedroom or transfer it over to a dining room table (I love the look where a dining table has a bench on one side and chairs on the other)
• Extra seating--- if you ever have a lot of people over, a long bench is a great way to provide more seating space

This is what the bench looks like:

It also comes in a velvety gray or dark brown color, but we liked the crisp white linen (it's more off-white).

In thinking of how I wanted this space to look, I also wanted to add a rug underneath the bench and I like this one that I saw at Crate & Barrel recently:

Eventually we'll have curtains put up on the windows in our kitchen and I'd also like to add some cute accent pillows to the bench.

The bench should arrive next weekend so I will definitely post photos when we have it all set up.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

xoxo,

Veronika.