An architectural feature I saw several years ago in the Portland Oregon Japanese Gardens inspired this design. It had been kicking around in my head for a while just waiting for the right person to build it for. Well that time finally came, I found a client in the Colorado Springs area that was doing a full basement remodel and was looking furnishings for his spa room. They had made a room in their basement that contained a built in sauna and steam shower. I built two of these benches for this project, one to go outside of the sauna the other to go outside of the shower.

The angled mortises and through tenons for the stretcher is all hand cut, as well as the tenon and wedge that holds the base together. I love this kind of joinery, not only does it add strength to the piece, it also adds beauty and a since of traditional woodworking that you just don’t see in factory made furniture.

The top of the bench is held into place with through tenons that are wedged with mahogany wedges for a subtle accent. The overall bench is made using walnut and finished with a clear satin finish.

Sizes are approximate

18″ tall
36″ wide
12″ deep

Project Location, Colorado Springs, CO