slab bench

This new bench I made for the entryway is sort of inspired by a stonehenge type design. I've seen similar benches before, but basically my motivation and thought-process was:

1.) Make a long bench (narrow, yet with space for storage underneath)

2.) Keep it simple.
        <>   Keep it rootsy. Don't overthink it, (as I tend to do).
        <>   Get back to the very basics of what makes a bench. Often what makes something elegant/classic and/or special is not what is added to it, but what is omitted.

3.) I wanted to contrast and balance modern/minimilistic styling with classic, roughsawn and rustic beams. The beams are roughsawn, but sanded slightly to expose the grain.

3.) Additional/secondary considerations:
        <>    I made it slightly lower than standard seating. Standard Chair/Bench Height = 17"-18". I made this 16" so it is easier for the kids to sit on, as the root function of it is to have a place to put shoes on. Form ALWAYS follows function. For me anyway.
        <>    I loved the way Kristin's Hill Country Manor Dining Table turned out with the Local Texas Yellow Pine beams, that has dark figures and interesting grain patterns. I wanted to echo that effect, so I used the same beam stock from the load I ordered from the sawmill in Bastrop. As with Kristin's Table, I sanded just enough to expose the grain and figuring of the wood, but left the texture of the roughsawn kerf marks.