When last we met I told you I was going to have a video for you that showed how I was putting together my version of the Restoration Hardware Aspen collection. The outdoor furniture would have cost me $20,000 if I'd bought it from Restoration Hardware. Which I wouldn't have, because I spent my last $20,000 on a tiara. Damnit.
Building it myself is still going to cost $1,500 (mainly because of the cushions) but that's what a cheap store bought outdoor set would have cost me and I wouldn't have liked it as much. Besides. This set will match my tiara.
Here's a reminder of what the Restoration Hardware set looks like.
To copy this I had 6" thick cushions custom made for in weather resistant/fade resistant fabric. Then I bought several rough posts of untreated Ash from a sawmill. I cut the posts into shorter lengths of 29". I needed 16 of them to make the arms with a few left over for support under the sectional and to make a coffee table with.
Restoration Hardware has used wood posts that are 8" high, but I went with 6" so it wouldn't look quite so massive in my backyard. To get the same height on the arms that meant I had to stack 4, 6" posts instead of the 3 posts Restoration Hardware has used for their arms.
After cutting them all to 29" long, I beveled all the edges with a belt sander (there are 12 edges on each post).
Then I stacked 4 of them on top of each other until I was satisfied with how they looked, and then started securing them using lag bolts.
Obviously I didn't want any of the bolts to show so I flipped the posts over and worked from the underside of them. You'll see what I mean in the video. Once 4 posts were bolted together, I had an arm. Then I sanded the sides and one arm was complete.
Like so.
My Uncle was here visiting the other week and he asked me if I got everything done I had set out to do this summer. Um. No. No I did not. The chicken coop still needs a new roof, my house isn't painted yet (although some of it is), and my front yard isn't quite looking right yet. BUT I'M BUILDING MY OWN OUTDOOR FURNITURE! Like a fool. So it's not like I didn't get the other stuff done because I was busy shining my tiara. I just needed a place to sit more than the chickens needed a dry coop. Just kidding. I got rid of the chickens. They don't match my tiara. Just kidding. I threw a tarp over their roof. They're dry.
Once my arms are done (I have one more set to assemble), I have to hack them all up so they look like they've lived a little and then put together the supports for the seats and back. Which in my head seems like a quick and easy job.
In fact, in my head, building this entire set was only going to take about half a day. I have NO idea why I ever would have thought anything so ridiculous. Actually, I'm pretty sure I can chalk it up to my tiara being too tight.
Shouldda laid out the extra $5,000 for the adjustable one.
I am wondering if there are instructions or video to add seat and back... this is amazing
Hi Katie! By the time I finished the project last summer it was almost fall and I figured most people were starting to think about winter stuff, not making furniture, so I decided to leave further instructions until the spring. So. This spring I'll be doing a post on how I put it all together, including the dreaded corner, lol. ~ karen!
Has this video been made yet? I'm going to try and tackle this project soon and would love some instruction on the seat back and bottom support. Thanks!!
Not yet Mandy. I'll do it a little further into spring. :) ~ karen!
You are my hero! I've been coveting this furniture collection since it first appeared in Restoration's catalog. The pieces look simple, and I "knew" I could build it myself, but never did anything except take closeup photos from lots of angles. You've inspired me!
Good job, you!
Well you're doing better than me then Kim, because I have no photos of it other than what's online. I have NO idea how I'm going to brace the corner of the sectional, lol. ~ karen!
I have serious power tool envy after watching that video.
Nothing says "I am woman" like maneuvering an 18 inch drill bit, huge solid wood posts, and some lagbolts into an amazing set of furniture. Wow.
Great video..but I was expecting more of a Red Green type thing...lol...
Not a roll of duct tape in sight!
lol...
Wow. I hope for you those are steel toed Bogs.
Great job!! You never fail to impress me. I am in aw of your mind and muscle! Can't wait to see more.
"Chalk it up to my tiara being too tight." LSHMSFOAIDMT! (Laughed so hard my sombrero fell off and I dropped my taco.) Thank you for making my day. I'll never see the word 'tiara' again without a smile. --Mine will be excessively sparkly. I may even sleep in it. Carefully.
I love your blog, thanks for being there. The comments are enjoyable to boot. ^_^
It's called TIME OPTIMISTIC. I get accused of it ALL THE TIME.
Hey Maggie, glad to hear a name for it! Back in August 2014, we started a bathroom reno, and by "we" I mean my husband. He told me to be aware that it might not get finished until Christmas. The following fall it was finally done. Now "we" have another one to do. Don't want to but the tiles coming off the wall, carpet on the floor and wallpaper border, all say "do it!" Shouldn't take very long eh?
Oh honey, are you polishing your tiara with a belt sander again? What, that might work, sister... of course you have to detach it from your weave first, but lol let me know how it goes. unbeweaveable !!!
you
are
amazing
LOVED the video and I know the chickens would want you to have a comfortable place to sit.
The video worked great for me on Chrome and also on my Samsung Galaxy 6.
Can't wait to see the finished product. Is your material for the cushions snazzy or plain coloured??
You really brighten my day chickie :)
Oh, I always go plain for the outdoors, lol. Especially the backyard. I like things that blend with the natural surroundings. :) ~ karen!
Hi great work! wondering how you attached the sectional corner?
Hi Patrick. It's a bit of an inelegant solution, but basically I have a piece of the 6x6 material the arms are made out of standing on end at the corner. This creates a solid, stable chunk to attach the backs and seats to. ~ karen!
Best music evah for a video, Karen! I can't wait to see the finished product.
Love the video, and the music... ( perfect for lumber wrangling! ) ... can anyone tell me what it is?
Pueblo Cafe, the song is Toda Mi Vida. ~ karen!
I've already started planning my set. I've already started pricing locally(central Florida) milled cypress($6 for 6x6 and and $11 for 8x8, per linear foot.)
Some opinionated observations:
- To finish corners, it will be faster if you use a router with a large corner round bit. Or set a circular saw to cut a 45 degree angle before sanding. A wire wheel on an angle grinder might do a better job of smoothing the surface. It will remove splinters and sharp edges but leave better texture. The sander will flatten the surface unnaturally and ruin the rough look. The wheel will even restore texture by eroding softer fibers of the grain faster than the harder ones.
- Instead of lag bolts, I will use threaded rod through all the beams at once. Be careful to drill straight holes though. A drill press would help. Also oversize the hole a bit to allow for that. (It's really hard to drill straight down!) This will leave holes in the top surface that will need some kind of plug to hide the rod and nut. I might counter bore the bottom hole and use wingnuts so it can be disassembled for storage or moving.
- If you do use lag screws, you can drill the counterbore deeper if you find your screws are too short, or just want to use shorter screws. This will require a ratchet extension. It will also shave off several grams of weight!
- If I go with 8x8s, I can replace the center one with blocks at the ends leaving open space and making it a bit lighter.
- To mount the seat, it can be screwed right down to the top of the bottom plank. Pretty easy with an open design above. If you use full length beams, the second one can be routed to let the seat be sandwiched in between them. The easiest solution is screwing in brackets on the seat bottom and screw to the side of the beams.
Rough drawing attached.
Fortunately I have good tools, but I learned a lot of workarounds before I could afford them! Can't wait to see the rest of your project.
Hey Bill! All good advice, but I didn't want to buy more tools to do the job. 1. I don't have a router (I probably would have gone with an electric planer to do the corners actually if I were to buy or borrow a tool). 2. Either way, whether it's drilling a bigger counterbore or ratcheting in the lag bolt, It's still work. :) 3. Good thinking with the angle grinder, but the fella got the angle grinder when he ran away, lol. 4. Great idea with the leaving the inside hollow. I prefer the look of having the seat a bit more invisible so I'll be using either L brackets or just a length of wood to rest the support on. If you want a more contemporary look, this is the way to go. If you want a bit more rustic, park bench feel, having the wood travel through like it does in your photo is the way to go. SO glad you used the attach photo feature! :) ~ karen!
You're simply amazing:) Gold medalist:)Canada has another one:)
Love the music. What is it? Watched on Safari
Played perfectly.
Hey Michelle! It's a song that I Shazammed years ago from the show Silicon Valley. I'm not even sure they're a real band or not because there's very little information on them on the web. They're Pueblo Cafe and the song is Toda Mi Vida. ~ karen!
Great work and thanx for the inspiration! I have no use for such a set in my yard, I am going to modify what you're doing to build myself a garden bench. Love the rustic look of the stacked posts as the arms. I will definitely be looking forward to the next steps
Karen! You are amazeballs and such an inspiration! The suspense is killing me. Can't wait to see the finished product.
It's coming! One day, lol. ~ karen!