ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, WEEKS 5,6 | DIY Moveable Workbench And Reflection

Pause.

As George Floyd became the catalyst for the world to cry out against racism and police brutality, many of us took time. Time to reflect, time to respond. The #OneRoomChallenge also halted for a week - a sign of respect and a chance to join a collective pause to listen and to learn.

It still feels odd to be talking about beautifying our homes when there's so much ugly in our world. One thing that has made me hopeful for humanity has been the outpouring of outrage and love on social media and blogs. The immediate and decisive response from people who initially came together to share a connection over one thing, like design or home improvement or flowers, have shown that we also can come together to mobilize as a community on another level - as compassionate humans who care more about each other than we do about the next renovation project.

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In its seventeenth season, the One Room Challenge™, takes place in April and October. Each round, twenty design influencers take the challenge as Featured Designers. Every Wednesday, the designers document their process over six weekly posts (bumped to eight weeks this season due to the pandemic). Better Homes and Gardens is the official media sponsor.

In addition to following along, everyone with a blog or Instagram account, is welcome to join the fun as a Guest Participant by linking their own room transformations up each Thursday, flooding the internet and social media with interior design inspiration, ideas, and encouragement.

This is our first One Room Challenge and the first project in our new house. Follow along as we transform our forgotten garden into a blooming flower studio and botanical backyard. We are #LovingLeuty.

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DIY Workbench On Wheels

A focal point of our garden studio is a new homemade workbench to be used for floral arranging and tinkering. Taking centre stage in the shed, this table needs to be both hardworking and good looking.

Using an easy (and free) plan downloaded from MrFixItDIY.com, Graham took on this family project with the help of Ben and cameo support from Ruby and Theo. The six-foot-long bench is constructed with a plywood top and shelf, cedar legs and frame made of pine two-by-fours. Four heavy-duty casters make the bench glide smoothly so I can move it about as needed.

The workbench was really easy to put together. (I could tell by the lack of cussing.) With minimal cuts and a straightforward plan, it was built in an afternoon.

Measure twice, cut once.

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Ben is cutting pine two-by-fours for the frame. Graham drills in the lower shelf that offers mega storage.

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Four of these heavy-duty wheels cost about as much as all the wood combined. Oh, but they are things of beauty.

As the sun sets, down the garden path she goes.

Hello lovely workbench, welcome to your new home.

The kids approve.

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A light stain enhances the wood grain and adds depth. Over time we look forward to it becoming worn and weathered. In the meantime, Graham leaves some puddles of stain to saturate for a more worked-in look.

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Up Next

Week 7 is the last week before the big reveal. We have lots of finishing touches to get through - painting, container planting, dressing the shed. This is when the vision really starts to come together, so hang in there with me.

Need More Inspiration?

If you missed it, you can catch up on our progress:

Week 1 | Creating A Backyard Flower Studio

Week 2 | DIY Zero-Waste Raised Garden Beds

Week 3 | White Paint Fixes Everything, Our Garden Shed is Proof

Week 4 | Bloomscaping 101 And The No-Fail Flowers We're Growing

And be sure to visit One Room Challenge and Better Homes and Gardens to follow along with hundreds of other inspiring home-loving kings and queens working their magic during the #OneRoomChallenge.