Simple End Tables | Family Economics

By Cathe

End tables are a very purposeful item in a living or family room for elevating lamps, holding drinks and stacking reading material. But on a budget, you don’t need to limit yourself to store-bought furniture when you can get creative with found and vintage items you may already have or are easy to acquire for creating your own.

Here are some great items that can easily be repurposed as end tables:

•    Extra-large stacked books
•    A wine barrel or nail keg
•    A vintage wooden kitchen stool
•    Stacked suitcases
•    Stacked wooden crates; facing out can make great book storage
•    A wooden cable spool, sanded and painted
•    A small wood file cabinet
•    Stacked step stools

Many department stores carry inexpensive round glass table tops which work great placed on some of the items above or can work to create a flat surface for things such as:

•    An iron or concrete bird bath
•    A trio of matching garden sculptures
•    An extra-large plant pot
•    Ornate iron plant stand

When placing glass on surfaces that may scratch, use small rubber adhesive bumpers that are available at hardware stores to place on the sections of your table base that support the glass top.

If your glass top extends over the table base extensively, be sure to secure with a heavy centerpiece such as a lamp or stack of books so as not to tip the glass when setting something on the edge. Always use caution when judging the balance of your table and its use.

Do you have furniture in your home that you’ve repurposed from an unusual item?