Simple as That

Making Everyday Beautiful

Ana White Farmhouse Table and Benches

I mentioned last week that we were moving and with that move came the need for some new furniture. When we left for the island in 2010 we sold a lot of our belongings, including our kitchen table, and because we’ve been staying with family for the past few months we hadn’t needed one until now. We wanted something we would love, as well as something durable and inexpensive and after a bit of shopping around we decided to build our own.

We built one of Ana White’s popular farmhouse tables and two benches and we couldn’t be happier with how they turned out!  It was actually my sister-in-law who introduced us to the amazing Ana White, she’s built several pieces of furniture using Ana’s plans including the darling toddler bed featured in these photos. A quick trip to Home Depot and $150.00 later, we were on our way to creating our new kitchen table.

It really was a labor of love putting this table together and it was so fun to have the whole family get involved! The kids were in the garage helping my husband by holding boards, sanding and sweeping up sawdust while he cut the wood and pieced the table together. We even let our oldest two help stain it – they thought that was pretty cool. Although there’s only been a handful of family meals eaten at this table so far, there are already some fond family memories associated with this table of ours.

With most DIY projects the finishing is what makes me the most nervous, but we trusted the staining and finishing of the table to Minwax and I’m so glad we did! We used Jacobean stain and I really love the rich, dark colour. We have yet to find a couple of chairs for the table ends, that old rickety thing is just a stand-in for now but we’ve been enjoying our new table for a couple of weeks now and we just love it!

For more DIY furniture plans check out Ana White’s latest book The Handbuilt Home: 34 Simple Stylish and Budget-Friendly Woodworking Projects for Every Room!
Contributors to this book include some of my favourite bloggers:
Brook from Being Brook



Rebecca

Rebecca

Rebecca Cooper is a 42-year-old wife and mother of four from Alberta, Canada. As a photographer, crafter, author, and blogger, she finds joy and fulfillment in celebrating everyday moments. She loves to read and eat chocolate, and is a firm believer in afternoon naps. Rebecca shares her family’s adventures, photo tips, simple craft projects + more right here at Simple as That.
Rebecca
Rebecca

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Comments

  5. Wonderful photo, as always and I love that you all made the table together. You should flip it over and let the kids do small carvings (or Sharpie pictures) on the underside every year. Just a thought. 🙂

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  8. This is great. We, too, have a bench at the kitchen table and I just love it. It’s perfect for gathering the family. Nice handiwork and what a great piece to create together.

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  9. Incredible project, Rebecca! Love how your table turned out, it looks just like the one I got from Pottery Barn, only that was a couple thousand dollars more, and you’ve created such great memories with yours from the very beginning. I haven’t heard of Ana White yet, will check her out!

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  12. It looks awesome! A table has been on my list of thing for brad to build for a long time, but it’s a very long list and I know he will get to the table one day! I love that you did two benches too!

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