Make a Sad Window Cheerful Three Ways, Part 2

An Indoor-Outdoor Window Hutch

© Stephie McCarthy

Make a hutch with a window

VIDEO LINK

Easy leaded window effects were the start of this hutch project.

Then we added brackets and shelves and began to see how this window might work as a hutch. Like this:

It's outdoors on a porch, but it would work indoors as well, of course. Hutches can be made back-to-back on either side of a window for super functionality.

Here's a reminder of another kind of functionality that's not nearly as pretty. This is what the window looked like before our update.

We love transformation GIFs. Here's one for this project.

Our iron brackets were found at Hobby Lobby on sale.

We bought the screws separately and gave the brackets a dab of matching paint so that some of the iron color shows through, but the screws will be completely hidden.

Add shelves to a window with Hobby Lobby brackets

After cutting 1" x 8" boards for shelves, we used a pencil to mark where to make pilot holes in the wood. Put the pencil lead through the bracket holes and draw on the wood where the pilot holes will go.

The pilot holes are 1/4" deep holes made with a nail and hammer to help the screws go into the wood easily. Hammer a small nail to create holes in the center of each pencil mark. Pull the nail out after about 1/4". Put the shelves on the brackets lining up the bracket holes with the pilot holes.

A power screwdriver can be used to screw the shelves onto the brackets, or use a long-handled screwdriver like the one below. The rubberized grip and long shaft make turning screws a snap. Press the shelf from the opposite side while screwing. Make shelves as stable as you can especially if you plan to use them to hold fragile objects.

We filed and sanded the edges of the shelves so that they would look more vintage and worn …

… then did touch up paint. We'll antique all the wood later with brown wax plus a lighter shade of green blue.

We were careful not to get paint on the stone wall.

Another fun GIF … we spent an afternoon styling the bottom shelf.

Our YouTube video has lots of tips on getting the look of a hutch with shelves, furniture, and paint.

Outdoors a hutch arrangement can be a great place to organize a project or work as a buffet.

This is how our window looked inside before.

The stone room is a jumble of tools and junk, but the window now looks like a cottage in Cornwall, at least for a while. We had no idea the crusty air conditioner was hiding a concrete sill that had been stained and varnished to look like wood.

The walls are so thick, there is no need for shelves or a hutch here… but outside …
outside is another story. And … we've already picked out another window for the inside-outside window hutch.

This window hutch is the first thing we'll see when stepping on the back porch. Now we need to add the finishing touch to the top shelf.

Top shelf?
That's coming next!

The mirrors below are part of How to Make a Sad Window Cheerful Three Ways, Part 3