Inspiration > Decor

The Evolution of a Coffee Table

Posted by:

Sometimes this drives me crazy, but my husband, Paul, and I have never been the type to buy something new if what we have will do. We finally bought a flat-screen TV as our Christmas gift for each other in 2012. I drove the same car from age 19 to 25 when my second son was born, and Paul drove it for 5 years after that. Just yesterday we limped it to the salvage yard and were happy with the $200 check we received for it.

Frugal.  That’s the word.

The same applies to our furniture. That’s not to say we don’t have style; we do OK. I love painting and fixing up old chairs and making them statement pieces. Our dining table is an old hand-me-down on the chopping block, but we want to make its replacement together, not buy something new, so in our way, we get by with what we have.

Thrifty.  That’s the word.

Nine years ago, shortly after we were married, a family friend, Nancy, gave me this ugly pink table. Please excuse the fact that I did not take a before photo of it without stuff on top. I think you can get  from the photo how ugly it is. The story here is that she had this table, which someone had sawed the legs down to coffee table height, and it was lying around her house when she was pregnant and on bed rest. Her girlfriend came over to visit and got bored and painted it pink. It was a crappy basement piece anyway. Nancy gave me the table for free.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Cheap.  That’s the word.

I was still in college, and as an art major, I had a full schedule of art classes. For ceramics, we had a “multiples” assignment, and I made multiple tiles for my ugly pink table top. The shape reminded me of the tectonic plates that the earth is covered with.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I didn’t glaze them because I wanted them to look rustic. I stained some of them with grout when I was assembling it. Oh, and the pink had to go. I sanded it down to bare wood and stained it a deep cordovan.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Resourceful.  That’s the word.

So it sat for six years. Slowly falling apart. The grout around the perimeter was not as permanent as I would have liked and kept chipping off. I was constantly picking up chunks and vacuuming up the remains. Yet I did not give up on our coffee table.

Stubborn.  That’s the word. 

So I scraped all the tiles and grout off. It was hideous and slightly sticky from the Liquid Nails I glued them down with, so I wrapped it with this fabric remnant that I got from my mom. This was before I heard of Mod Podge, which is a shame because this would have been a good look for the table in a more permanent application.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Ignorant.  That’s the word.

So I had this top made out of plywood. I would have had Paul do it, but it was summer and Paul’s work as an excavator was in full swing and high demand. I didn’t want to wait; I was pregnant with our daughter at the time and I was nesting and WANTED IT DONE RIGHT NOW!! I have never been as productive as when I’ve been pregnant. I gave this sketch to a friend at work.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Honestly, I wouldn’t know the first thing about building a top like this. I can draw out what I want fairly well and describe it, but I didn’t know nor was I too picky about its construction. My pals at work mitered the trim on the corners, glued everything together and kept it in large clamps to dry and then pinned it with tiny nails which were covered with putty. The top is made out of beech ply and solid beech trim. Any high quality plywood would have been fine but beech was what they had on hand so beech it was. And just like that we came back to a traditional style coffee table. It’s not quite so unique anymore. Super functional, but not so unique.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Conformist.  That’s the word.

Our journey probably isn’t over. I’ve seen about a dozen tufted ottomans on Pinterest. I’m sure our little beat-up coffee table will meet that fate, too. This top is removable; it just sits on top. I could make an interchangeable cushioned top….

Evolving.  That’s the word.

Send to Kindle

Cassy Simon
More about Cassy Simon

Cassy balances work and family with a range of creative outlets including: sewing, upcycling furniture, home improvement, home décor, DIY projects, mixed media, and working in her basement ceramics studio. Her husband often helps her with projects and inspiration, and her 3 children often “help” with projects, yet are a never ending source of inspiration. As her position at Generation Home & Building Center in Lonsdale, MN centers around marketing and promotions, she can often tie her personal and home improvement projects into her career. She writes about home improvement and DIY projects for GHBC and she writes about her personal projects and family on her personal blog.

Read more posts by Cassy Simon


Read more from: Inspiration > Decor

Back to top

2 responses to “The Evolution of a Coffee Table”

  1. Jon says:

    I refresh my mind by playing different game and all should play for the refreshment balloons td 5 is online video game this game is very funny and easy game thanks for sharing it

  2. Nice! The table matches the style of the room very well

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Current month ye@r day *