I am delighted! Another project is complete. This window seat bench project of ours has been in the works for about three months now. I first mentioned it here a couple of months ago.

My husband and I designed this “L” shaped bench for our office. This end of the room is intended as a sitting area. There will be a table in front of the bench and a bookshelf to the right when all is said and done. There is storage space below the bench; some sections will be filled with books, others with games. The higher section on the right will hold a lamp just as soon as Penny is a little older.

Our progress was slowed a bit when my husband injured his back this winter. Leaning down to work on the bench made matters worse so I ended up doing all the finishing. The bench was stained in a color called “Espresso.” The stain was followed by two coats of sanding sealer and then three finish coats with sanding required between each and every coat. Ick. My husband made the cabinet doors last and they have been in the kitchen all week receiving one step of the finishing process each night after work. After completing those, he determined that I did a better job with the bench finishing so he wants to turn the job over to me in the future. Drat. Sometimes doing a good job really doesn’t pay!
Now I can make my pillows for the bench! I am very excited about that.
I also need to decide on window treatments. The room is very bright and sunny and we want to keep it that way but we also want the option of pulling shades because at times it can be impossible to see the monitor with the glare. We were considering having me make roman shades using these directions. Has anyone made them before? Were you happy with them? I am hesitant to try them because I fear messing up and wasting a large quantity of expensive material. I am also worried about them fading when left in the up or down position, leaving bands of darker and lighter colors. Any suggestions?