apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We did the same thing with our bay window (minus the built-ins). The LACK shelves work great as benches.

http://thewifeofanartist.blogspot.com/2009/07/head-cleared.html

Great looking room and good idea for seating and storage.

I love this idea and want to try it in the new place we're moving to soon, but every window there has a heater built in below (hot water radiator). I'm wondering if it would be safe to build a bench around the heater...?

I use a few lack bookshelves in my home as benches. I don't have any cushions though; I haven't found any that are the right depth without being square, like would be used on a dining chair, and those just look wierd, randomly sitting on a bookcase.

@kodak--you might try going to a foam shop with the measurements of the bookshelf and having them cut a thick piece of foam to fit each bench. You could sew simple, removable covers or if you're not into sewing, just cover first with a lining fabric (like muslin) and then wrap the foam like a present with a heavier, fairly sturdy fabric. You could even just duct tape the covers into place if you're careful about the fabric placement.

Thanks for this. Gives me a few ideas. Love it

This is a good idea and a great look. Thanks again, IKEA!

Can anyone attest to the strength of the Lack bookshelves as benches? Thanks!

sucrek- yes, I can attest to the strength of the bookshelves/seat. I am not only the architect who designed it, but I have sat on it as well and can tell you that its strong. Those vertical dividers at 16" on center gives a lot of support.

Are the lack shelves deep enough for long-term lounging? Because they're only 15 inches deep it doesn't seem like they'd support lots of back pillows. I'm trying to create a reading nook on the cheap like the one pictured above and I heard that a depth of 21 inches is a good place to start. Are there any other Ikea shelves that could serve this purpose or should I stack the lack shelves one behind the other? Any ideas on how to create a deeper seating area would be much appreciated!

for cushions, just do some searching "bench cushions" pn the internet, there are a lot available a lot cheaper than custom. A lot of them are for outdoor furniture. I got one for a bench I had for $40 or so. The cool thing about what they've done in the photo is that there's open space at the ends for an end table look...so you wouldn't need to have exact sized cushions

@sfarchitect - thanks a lot for your input! I adore window seating and I'm hoping to do something like this in my home office.

Anyone have one of these and can tell me the interior dimensions of the cubbies? If I turn it on its side, it could be a perfect bench in my entryway, under a low window it would fit just right. I'm hoping these large PB baskets would fit...16" centers? 17"?

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p3168/index.cfm?pkey=cbaskets

Then I can hide dog leashes, bags, shoes, umbrellas, garden tools...