HOW TO MAKE A WINDOW SILL SHELF
Sometimes the best ideas come from a taco place in Lower Greenville. While moving my son into an Airbnb for his summer internship in Dallas, we grabbed tacos in Greenville and sipped a cool beverage.
It had open garage doors with wood counters, barstools, and perfect views for people watching.
It got me thinking about my half wall between our kitchen and dining room.
We opened up a few years ago to let in more light from the windows in the dining room.
Our dining room has a bank of three windows above a half wall. My office has the same half wall with windows facing the backyard.
I loved the concept of sitting in front of the windows and working on my tablet, with a coffee shop vibe, backyard views, and a clean bathroom down the hall.
My family did not share my enthusiasm for a coffee shop vibe, but they just needed to embrace the vision.
To add a few inches of width to the window ledge, I borrowed these farmhouse shelves (stored in our garage, waiting for a repurpose project).
TIPS TO MAX THE WINDOW LEDGE SPACE
It was a simple idea- a shelf that extends the width of a window. The shelf needs to be at table or bar height for sipping coffee, scrolling through social feeds, or watching our grandpup Russell do somersaults in our backyard.
This shelf would be perfect for an indoor herb garden.
The window seat was simple and perfect for a 600-square-foot apartment in the city.
Except I live in the suburbs, which usually means unused square footage in the dining room.
I am obsessed with finding niches or tiny opportunities in spaces. This year, I wanted a coffee shop vibe without waiting in line at a Starbucks for 24 minutes on a Monday morning.
I love the challenge of a small space. As a real estate professional, I use words like cozy to describe a room with small square footage. If you live in a city apartment, you may not have room for a kitchen table, which is why a window ledge gives you flexibility for a laptop or takeout.
But I love to imagine how to use a space more efficiently.
So I decided to see if I could create a coffee shop vibe by adding a stained shelf to a window ledge. I repurposed wood from this planter shelf and open shelves in the kitchen and bar in our lower level (basement).
DETAILS
This DIY is perfect if you just want to try out this idea and not commit to long-term brackets or bolts. I did a similar trial run when I rearranged our dining room.
SUPPLY LIST
I love to use Select Pine at Home Depot
It’s a little pricier, so consider starting with a board from the culled wood bin at the back of most Home Depots. Home Depot is a field trip for grown-ups!
During my Farmhouse stage, I made farmhouse-style shelves in our kitchen, using metal brackets to hold them in place. I found the metal brackets on Etsy.
What I love about this wood slab window ledge is that it does not require power tools (as long as the width of the board sits deep on the existing window ledge.
I found this horizontal wood tray, which is another option for rentals!
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- Select pine from Home Depot. Check out the lumber section for other options.
- Stain (this is my go-to stain).
- I also used a horizontal tray similar to the one at Target in my home office.
This is an exercise to enjoy the views and rooms you may not think to use on the weekend.
This is one of those DIY projects where your kids, friend, spouse or electrician may tilt their head when you describe you want to create a coffee shop vibe with a window shelf. But just know I get it! It is fun to mix up a space! Scroll below for popular posts on mixing it up!
I would love it if you pinned this shelf project for others to find. Someone out there is living in a tiny space with a tiny window and pretending they are …
Love it! I totally get your coffee shop vibe!
I knew you would!