Most outdoor benches solve the “legs” problem the same way, four solid posts, done. This one doesn’t. Each leg is built as an open, cut-out rectangular frame, more like a picture frame stood on its side than a block of wood, and that one design choice is what gives the whole bench its clean, modern look. This build shows the design more than once, staged tools on an unfinished top, a close look at how the open leg frame comes together, and a small collection of finished benches photographed together in the driveway.
The Open-Leg Design
The defining feature here is the leg: instead of a single solid post or a laminated block, each leg is an open rectangular frame with a clear cut-out through the middle. Seen from the side, it reads almost like a window or a picture frame supporting the seat rather than a traditional table leg. It’s a distinctly modern, geometric look, no curves, no tapering, just clean right angles, and it’s different from a solid “waterfall” leg block in both looks and in how much wood actually goes into each leg (an open frame uses less material for the same visual footprint than a solid block of the same size).
The seat itself is built from several parallel boards running the length of the bench, with visible gaps between them and countersunk screws holding each board to the leg frames below, a straightforward, functional way to build a slatted top, and one that lets rainwater drain through rather than pool on an outdoor piece. The wood throughout is left in its natural, unstained tone rather than stained or painted, which lets the grain and knots show through and keeps the whole piece looking light and blonde rather than dark and heavy.
Materials & Tools
What’s confirmed directly from the build photos:
- Dimensional lumber for the seat boards and leg frames, left unfinished/natural, exact stock size and species weren’t confirmable from the photos
- A random-orbit sander, used to clean up surfaces before assembly
- Bar/quick-grip style clamps, for holding pieces during glue-up
- A drill with a bit set, and screws for fastening the seat boards to the leg frames (countersunk screw heads are visible along the seat)
- A tape measure and marking tools staged alongside the build
No stain, paint, or outdoor sealer is visible in any of the photos, unlike some of this maker’s other outdoor pieces, there’s no can of finish staged anywhere in this set. Whether these benches were left fully raw or given a clear coat off-camera isn’t confirmed.
Built More Than Once
The photos don’t show just one bench, they show the same open-leg design built and photographed as a small group, arranged singly, in pairs, and lined up together in the driveway. That’s a practical way to work through a repeatable design like this one: once the leg-frame joinery and seat layout are dialed in on the first bench, building a second or third from the same cut pattern is mostly a repeat of steps you’ve already solved once.
Arranged at an angle to each other, a pair of these benches also reads naturally as an L-shaped seating corner rather than two separate, unrelated pieces, worth keeping in mind if you’re planning where a set like this would actually go in a yard or on a patio.
Ready for the Patio
The clean, right-angle geometry of the open leg keeps this bench looking modern rather than rustic, and the natural wood tone means it’ll sit well against almost any patio or garden backdrop rather than fighting with existing color choices. Left unstained, expect the wood to weather and gray over time outdoors unless a clear finish gets added.
Related Projects
Looking for a different take on an outdoor bench? There’s also a simple slatted 2×4 bench with solid waterfall legs, finished in a dark stain, and a farmhouse-style porch bench with a triple X-back lattice in solid black, both built by the same maker, in the same driveway shop, but with very different leg designs and finishes from the open-frame, natural-wood look here.