Simpson
It’s no secret how much I love West Elm.
Since it’s only walking distance from me (so dangerous…) I often go for inspiration and to pick up the odd little vase or accessory.
A little while ago,
I fell for this practical and small-space friendly piece.
How perfect is a laptop stand to blog with or to hold your tea?
{source is missing}
Pretty, but I couldn’t possibly legitimize spending 239 on a piece so easy to make. Yes, not bad by West Elm standards, but I knew I could do better.
Then, one day shopping in Ikea, I came across this little table for a grand total of 20 bucks.
{Buy from Amazon | if you follow this link I will get commission} {around $10 cheaper at IKEA}
Sold!
(Don’t mind the terrible state my chair is in. I’ve since replaced it, but that’s a post for another day!)
I don’t actually mind the glass, but let’s be honest, it’s impossible to keep clean in my house. It was the perfect candidate for a thick wood top like the West Elm version!
To replace the glass, I used a piece of butcher block along with a piece of plywood screwed in underneath to secure it.
I got my father involved in this project, who of course added little extras to fit snug in place, but really, this project would be fine without power tools.
First off, we started with a salvaged piece of butcher block (from a transportable dishwasher no less! To think I used to scoff at the pieces my dad would salvage.)
He shaved off a bit of the sides (this is the technical term 😉 and drilled in notches to fit snugly into place over the table. The table has six notches like these,
So along with these, a piece of wood can be secured to the table by using another thin piece underneath.
Here you can see how the piece fits into the table above those six notches.
Then, we cut down a thin piece of plywood to fit over top the notches (underneath the table),
And screwed the plywood to the butcher block.
I liked it, but it still left me feeling underwhelmed. (Though I’m sure that chair didn’t help!)
To add a bit of interest, I used two coats of Minwax Puritan Pine and I LOVE it!
The butcher block was nice before, but the stain just highlighted all the differences in the grain of the wood, and allows it to flow so much better with the other wood pieces in the room.
It was a pretty easy Ikea hack. (and here to learn more about that nautical chair – yes it is a “hacked product” too)
Plus, since we already had the material on hand (the stain was left over from another project) my table came to only $20! Much more manageable than that 150+ dollar price tag.
What hacks have you been up to lately?
Inspirations for you!
