The Humphreys House was built with a couple great architectural features, one very obvious feature is a large bump out on the east side of the home. It creates a window seat area both upstairs and down. This is the only spot in the house that does not have the same window style, with bright colored glass like the rest of the house. Large windows, with oversized bottom sashes to let in as much sun from the eastern sun, are complimented by smaller top sashes with detailed muntins.
Downstairs it is easy to place a couch and end table in the spot to enjoy cozy nights with the family watching TV or blogging on the lap top. The upstairs bump out is in a bedroom and what to do with it, was obvious from the first time we saw the house. Although we were not sure who might occupy the room, the one thing we knew was that we would want to build a window seat.
The great advantage of having a recently retired father who is into wood working, is being able use his skills to prefab the perfect piece of furniture. It is a new custom piece that compliments the existing style of the windows. My father pre-assembled the pieces for the window seat at his shop on the western shore, and brought it down for a birthday weekend. Since we had decided that our daughter would have the room, she got to pick the fabric for the cushions that would be made by my mother.
Although we chalked this whole project up as a birthday present to our daughter, it ended up being a gift for the whole family. Working on the Humphreys House with my parents is a great opportunity to spend some quality time together. I know our daughter will be enjoying a reading nook with some comfy pillows and the warm sun shining in, all on a custom piece built with precision and love.
