Unconventional DIY End Tables That Will Keep Your Home Interesting
Updated on May 23, 2016
For people who are passionate about home decor, there’s nothing more exciting than choosing a new piece of furniture to tie a room or space theme together. For home decor lovers who are also avid DIY enthusiasts, however, designing and actually creating your own piece is even more exciting!
Check out these 15 end table designs that will give you a new useful surface but also a novelty conversation piece that guests will undoubtedly ask you about.
1. Copper tubing side table
Design Sponge teaches you the steps for making this small, squared end table that looks quite simple at first glance. Upon closer inspection, however, your guests will learn that you’ve actually made the legs out of four lengths of copper tubing! It’s very industrial chic.
2. Log slice side table
Does your home have a stylishly rustic theme that you’d like to stick with in making your new piece? Sea Kettle suggests making a table top form a slice of smoothed wooden log and affixing it to the legs of a pre-exisitng table.
3. Upcycled door side table
We absolutely love any project that upcycles! Try Kim Werker‘s method for making a new table by reusing that big old wooden door that’s been sitting in the barn at the old family farm for years. Cut into smaller slabs, that wood will make you a sturdy end table with an inner cupboard that’s perfect for stacking books.
4. Industrial side table
If the copper tubing legs were along the right vein but not quite industrial enough for your idea of “industrial chic”, try this design by Lowes. The legs are made using pieces of shelving units like the kind you’d keep in your garage for tool and supply storage.
5. Vinyl strip martini side table
Matsutake walks you through the process of transforming a circular side table and its base into a visual art piece using strips of vinyl stretch from one to the other and cinched right in the middle with one horizontal strip.
6. Simple wooden side table
Design Sponge has something simple for people who want to learn wood working but need a beginner’s project to start off. This table is small but versatile and you’ll practice making a sunken shelf space and a little drawer.
7. DIY step up side table
Ana White‘s “step up” table design does look a little big like a miniature set of stairs. Creating this design yourself will be totally satisfying because you’ll get so much use out of the multi-leveled shelving structure no matter where in the house you put it.
8. DIY record side table
We absolutely adore this unique idea by The Flourishing Abode! Make it for a music lover who has a little bit of vintage flair about their style and they’ll never stop loving it. The tabletop is made of an old vinyl record and the legs are repurposed from an old standing planter.
9. Basic DIY side table
Do you appreciate the more unique ideas on this list but still hope to find something simple and understated for your space? Try making something like this cute, understated end table by Not Just a Housewife. Finish it off by painting it any colour that fits your space!
10. Doggie bed end table
Fido can appreciate good furniture pieces too! This project from Domestic Imperfection is the perfect DIY end table option for pet lovers and your furry friend will definitely thank you when they have a cozy place to sleep that doesn’t get in your way or moved around on them.
11. Plant stand end table
If you like the idea of repurposing a plant stand but you’re not sure a tabletop made from an LP quite fits your personal style, follow the steps on Curbly for making a simple, circular wooden top instead.
12. DIY pallet end table
Homemade pallet furniture is super trendy right now, and we’re glad for it! We love the stylishly “shabby chic” atmosphere it builds within your space, as though you can make something out of anything! Check out this design and tutorial by Pallet Furniture DIY.
13. Storage cube end table
We absolutely love this storage cube end table from Crafts Unleashed! It’s perfect for a kids’ playroom or a games room. Whether it reminds you of dice or dominoes, it makes an awesome place to store your board games and card sets.
14. Rope side table
This rope-wrapped cylinder side table looks like something you’re find on a dock near some sailboats and we just adore it! It would fit well in a seaside property of a cottage at the lake, or even just a room that’s decorated with nostalgia for the beach in mind. Check out how it’s done on Meet Me in Philadelphia.
15. Space-saving end table
Is your apartment too small for any of the designs on this list so far? Sinnen Rausch has a solution for you! This simply constructed DIY table pushes right up against the couch to take up as little space as possible while still giving you an additional surface to set things on.
Do you know someone who’s been keeping an eye out for a unique end table for their home but hasn’t found what they need yet? Share this article with them so they considered making their own instead!