• Home
  • About Me
  • Projects
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact me

The Frugal Homemaker

Your guide to turning your house into a home... one DIY project and yard sale find at a time

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree with Bench

February 15, 2019

I am so excited to not only share this project with you but also to tell you that I am going to be partnering with 40 other bloggers each month for a DIY challenge!  Each month will have a specific theme which we will take and put our own spin on in our home.  This month was an DIY organization build challenge and it was the final push for me to complete a project I’ve been wanting to do since we moved in our home 2.5 years ago.    We needed a spot and storage for jackets, shoes, purses, and bookbags so I created this DIY shiplap hall tree with a bench.

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-10

First, let’s go back and look at some before pictures and I’ll explain all the details of why I chose this spot, design, and more.

We bought a fixer-upper home in May of 2016 and have been working on updating it and adding our own personal touches on it since then. The laundry room started out like this –  random benches and pieces of furniture ended up in here until I could figure out a plan.  This room is a bit awkward as it has a long narrow hallway (going along where stairs go up to our bonus room) and then the actual laundry part is at the end of the hall.

Laundry room before pictures-1

The laundry area started out like this and left a lot to be desired in looks and function.

Laundry room before pictures-5

Last January I gave the laundry area a big makeover on a $100 budget using some Habitat store thrifted cabinets, paint I already had, and lots of DIY projects.  You can see that entire laundry room makeover here.

Farmhouse style Laundry room makeover (for under $100)-5

That still left this narrow hallway which needed to serve 2 purposes.  I needed extra pantry storage back near the washer and dryer which is sort of in progress right now with a large IKEA cabinet I found recently – I just need to find a solution to cover the electrical box and a way to hang wet clothes to dry or hanging clothes out of the dryer.  I also needed the hall to serve as a mudroom type area since the laundry room is literally 4 steps from the garage door and there is no other space for something like that.  The one complication was that because the hall is narrow nothing can be permanently built sticking out into the hallway since a washer and dryer may have to be moved in and out.

I had this IKEA cube unit that had been used as a bench in our bedroom in our last house and then in my daughter’s nursery closet, but wasn’t being used any longer.  After considering many different options I decided that using this would the best solution – keeping the cube unit completely freestanding so it could be moved in and out if needed and then adding a shiplap hall tree directly onto the wall making it appear like one solid unit.  Here’s where I started with this project….

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-1

First thing I did was to order some hairpin legs to allow the cube unit to clear the baseboards and sit flush up against the wall. These legs are very strong and I also loved the look of them too!  I found a good placement on the wall between the door to the laundry room and the door on the opposite wall (that’s a small hot water closet under the stairs) and decided on a height for the hooks.

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-3

I won’t bother sharing a ton of measurements since this project is so specific to using this cubicle unit and to our home but just for reference, once the legs were installed the top of the bench is 24 inches high and the top of the hook board is at 6 foot high.   The cube unit is 58 inches long so the whole hall tree area is 6 foot high by 58 inches wide.   I used a 2 x 8 board and made sure to get it anchored well into studs.  Once that was set the rest of the shiplap area went on fairly quickly.

I used a 1×2 board on the sides to trim it all out and cut it to sit right on top of the cube unit so it looked built in.

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-4

To create the shiplap look I used 1/4 inch underlayment plywood which I had cut down to 12-inch strips at Home Depot and then ripped it down to 4-inch strips on our table saw at home.  I did a detailed tutorial on how to do faux shiplap when I did an entire shiplap accent wall in my daughter’s nursery so for more details on the faux shiplap process, check out this post.    Once I cut the shiplap pieces down to the right length they were up on the wall in less than 10 minutes using a nailgun and a quarter as a spacer in between the boards  I don’t like to glue mine up just in case we ever need to remove them but you can absolutely use glue or adhesive if you wish.

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-5

I added a 1×3 piece of wood on the top as a ledge and some corbels from Osborne Wood that I had from a conference swag bag just to be a bit of a decorative touch.    All the seams and the screws on the top board got caulked and sanded and then the whole thing got 2 coats of off the shelf Behr Marquee paint.

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-6

I saw these hooks a while back in someone else’s house and saved them in my Amazon cart just for this project – I love the way the look and they are great deal – find them here!  I used 5 of them on this project and will use the other 5 on another project I have planned.

Once those were attached it was all finished!!

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-9

I absolutely LOVE how it turned out!  And it provides tons of added storage, function, and of course farmhouse style to this spot.

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-14

The baskets hold lots of kids shoes and the hooks are the perfect spot to hold jackets, backpacks, purses and maybe a tiny spot for me to even hang some decor! Winking smile

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-16

This is probably the prettiest and most cohesive it will look as I sort of styled it for this post but honestly I think even multicolored backpacks and jackets all look better when hung on cute hooks on top of shiplap. Smile

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-17

Here’s the view from the other side…  plenty of room to carry a laundry basket in and out especially since I won’t be tripping over shoes and bags in the floor.

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-22

And the bench is completely mobile and can be moved completely out of the room if we ever need to replace our washer/dryer or move.

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-23

I love to DIY and decorate our home on a budget and if you have followed me for long you probably recognize where some of the decor came from…

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-27

The tobacco basket was a 90% off after Christmas Hobby Lobby find, the black house was a 90% off Target Christmas clearance find, the tin and plant came from Hobby Lobby and the other one came from a yard sale.  The sign was a spring or summer 80% Hobby Lobby find.  And if you follow me on Instagram you saw me snag that black and white pillow for $3.50 on clearance at Walmart this week!

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-12

The Home pillow is in the new line in the Target dollar spot along with all the succulents in the hanging tin basket (tin bin came from the current Hobby Lobby spring line).

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-28

The Laundry sign on the door is also from Target dollar spot last spring but they have one that is almost identical that just came out in the new spring line.

DIY Shiplap Hall Tree Bench-26

As far as my plans for the rest of the room… tackling the flooring just moved way up on my list to do.  Once the flooring is changed out I am seriously considering taking off the door to this room so this pretty hall tree isn’t hidden behind it! Smile   Not having a door will also serve as quite the motivation to keep the laundry area clean and baskets not overflowing with dirty or clean laundry.  Winking smile  Always lots of projects to do but I am so glad I finally crossed this one off the list!  Figuring out the logistics of it had me stumped for a while but once I finally figured out how to make it work this project was a fairly quick and simple project.

There are 40 other bloggers sharing their DIY organizational projects and I’d love for you to check them out below!  Tons of inspiration for you to get to work on your own organizational project! 🙂

This link party is powered by Link Party Animal

1905 Farmhouse, Abbots at Home, Bitterroot DIY, By Brittany Goldwyn, Creative Ramblings, Cribbs Style, Delicious & DIY, DIY Beautify, DIY Danielle, Dukes and Duchesses, Girl, Just DIY, Happily Ever After, Etc, Health, Home & Heart, House by the Bay Design, House on Longwood Lane, Just Measuring Up, Kenya Rae, Little Bits of Home, Living Letter Home, My Kitchen My Craft, Pinspired to DIY, Red Cottage Chronicles, Refashionably Late, Renovating Mapleson Manor, Savvy Apron, Shine Your Light, Shrimp Salad Circus, Songbird Blog, Southern Revivals, T.Moore Home, The DIY Dreamer, The DIY Village, The Frugal Homemaker, The Handyman’s Daughter, Two Feet First, What Meegan Makes, Zucchini Sisters

22 Comments LABELS ~ Uncategorized

SHARE >>
« Girls cottage themed room/playroom makeover ($100 room challenge reveal!)
15 DIY Build to Organize projects »

RELATED POSTS

  • House tour: Dining room
  • Master Bedroom Refresh
  • Valentine’s Day Mantel {Valentine Mantel}
  • The one thing I don’t think I could live without (and don’t know anyone that doesn’t have it)

Comments

  1. Cindy says

    February 16, 2019 at 10:00 AM

    What a great idea Christina! I love how cohesive it looks, even though it’s not a single unit. Great job! So happy to be sharing our ‘Build to Organize’ projects 😉

    Reply
  2. Sherry says

    February 16, 2019 at 1:26 PM

    This bench is perfect and I have enjoyed watching you share it on your IG stories.

    Reply
  3. Kaye Mattson says

    February 16, 2019 at 1:48 PM

    I love your hall tree! It looks pretty, it’s functional and easily moved if necessary! Another great idea, Christina,

    Reply
  4. Megan says

    February 16, 2019 at 3:45 PM

    I love that you created mudroom storage from a blank wall! Great job and thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Carmen says

    February 16, 2019 at 4:12 PM

    Brilliant, Christina! So super jealous of your ability to have a hall tree! glad to be hopping around with you this year 🙂

    Reply
  6. meegan says

    February 16, 2019 at 10:02 PM

    You did such an amazing and professional job, Christina. This whole space is perfection! Thanks for inspiring me.

    Reply
  7. Heather B says

    February 16, 2019 at 10:32 PM

    Very pretty, yet functional. I really like how you thought ahead to not permanently obstruct any future projects (e.g flooring, washer/dryer).

    Reply
  8. Marianne Songbird says

    February 18, 2019 at 6:04 AM

    What a beautiful functional project. You did great girl!

    Reply
  9. Jacque says

    February 18, 2019 at 2:58 PM

    Woah, What a great makeover girl! LOVEEEEE! Adding to my must do list.

    Reply
  10. Christine says

    February 19, 2019 at 9:07 AM

    What a great project!!! I soooo want that in my house!! Looks absolutely beautiful!!!

    Reply
  11. Anam says

    February 19, 2019 at 11:11 AM

    Beautiful. The space looks great now!

    Reply
  12. Danielle says

    February 19, 2019 at 8:54 PM

    Gorgeous build and laundry room!

    Reply
  13. Jamie @ Southern Revivals says

    February 20, 2019 at 9:11 PM

    This is just gorgeous!

    Reply
  14. Pamela says

    February 22, 2019 at 10:08 AM

    I absolutely love this. We have been looking at ways to do something along the same lines in our laundry room. We have the wire shelving and I am not a fan of it.

    Reply
  15. Lisa says

    February 26, 2019 at 7:03 PM

    Christina!! This is an awesome project! And I love love love what you did in the laundry area with the $100 Room Challenge! It all looks so pretty – great transformation!!

    Reply
  16. Christine says

    February 28, 2019 at 11:43 AM

    Well- what a difference 2 years makes! Seriously this is a great upgrade and a perfect way to increase your storage in that space and create something appealing and fashionable. Love how narrow it is too (without the optional cubbies at the floor). Really nicely done! The cupboard over the washer and dryer too. So good.

    Reply
  17. Benita says

    March 4, 2019 at 10:42 AM

    I love this, so pretty! You guys did a great job! We would love to have you share your project at Celebrate Your Story! The link party opens this evening at 7:00 pm CST! Have a great day!

    Reply
  18. Benita says

    March 4, 2019 at 1:40 PM

    Hi, I left a comment earlier, but I don’t know if it made it through since our internet went down just as I was posting. If it shows up twice, please excuse the additional comment. I love this project and think that you guys did an amazing job! So wonderful! Please consider sharing your project at Celebrate Your Story link party. It begins tonight at 7:00 p.m. CST! Thanks so much! Hugs!

    Reply
  19. Laurie says

    January 15, 2020 at 7:36 PM

    Love this so much I went out and bought the stuff to make one in daughters house! One question. How hard was it to attach the metal legs on a hollow shelf unit? I bought mine from Walmart and it’s on its way!

    Reply
  20. Des says

    October 7, 2020 at 9:45 AM

    Hey lady great job love it … curious what sheen did you use for the off the white to paint it ??? Thanks hun 🙂

    Reply
  21. Jennifer Lee says

    December 21, 2020 at 5:20 PM

    We just finished this project and I absolutely LOVE how it came out. Thank you so much for the inspiration!

    Reply
  22. Michael Buscio says

    June 29, 2021 at 4:14 PM

    Just asking cause I’m about to build this for my wife, but if on the side you used 1×2 doesn’t that mean the top board anchored to the wall has to be 1×8? If it’s 2×8 it would come out 1 inch further than the sides and in your photos it looks flush to the sides.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow me:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Hi!  My name is Christina . . .

I love doing simple, frugal things to make our house feel like HOME! Come learn along with me how to have a beautiful home on a budget.

Recent Posts

  • How to find Homeschool student discounts on attractions or teacher discounts/freebies
  • Fall hosting essentials
  • Cozy & Comfy Warm Fall Fashion
  • Budget friendly fashion pieces to transition into Fall
  • Red, white, and blue sumer fashion for the whole crew!





THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS