Look Alike

It's been years that I've pored over Pottery Barn catalogs, dreaming of owning such beautiful pieces of furniture. But, alas, we do not make the kind of money to shell out thousands of dollars on such material things. One collection in particular, the Samantha Entryway Collection has long been something that I thought would be beautiful in our entryway. Until recently we had an entry table that we purchased just out of college and have been dragging around with us since our very first apartment. But we found a beautiful bench at Costco to replace it (for half the price of the PB version.) And yet, I still pined for that beautiful shelf. Then, out of the blue, Joe took a very close look at the catalog photo and said with confidence, "honey... I could MAKE that."

My husband is not a carpenter. And while he owns all the tools to successfully create such a work of art, he does not have the experience. So I was hesitant to give my blessing on such a project. But when he mentioned that the cost would be nearly a third of the price ($110 versus PB's $314 including baskets and shipping!) I reluctantly allowed him to take that plunge. What emerged from this experience is a beautifully crafted piece of furniture and a newfound faith in my dear husband (and guaranteed bragging rights to tell everyone who walks through that door that my wonderfully talented husband created that magnificent work of art that hangs beautifully on our wall...)

Here is the Pottery Barn version for reference (the photo he used as a template...)

And here are the photos of his work of art... who knew he could be so talented?!?