DIY: Vintage Nightstands

Inspired by this photograph from Design Sponge at Home by Grace Bonney, who is also the founder of the Design Sponge blog, purchased two vintage file cabinets.

 Design Sponge at Home by Grace Bonney

I really enjoy playing with contrast and opposites when applied to styling whether that be in fashion or home decor. I was only able to purchase two cabinets so I was not able to duplicate the nightstands as they were featured in the book, which is good because I found the opportunity to improvise and create something a little different.

Inspiration Photo from Design Sponge at Home by Grace Bonney

Using a few pieces of wood, some plumbing parts, and some table legs I was able to make sturdy base table that would: 

a.create height suitable for nightstands

b. provide more open space visually (often a requirement for small spaces) 

c.allow use of these cool vintage finds without damaging them so that they might be used differently in the future.

Supplies Used To Build The Table Base:

-sandpaper

-wood measured and cut to specifications needed (Lowe's cut these for me for $.25 each)

-screws

-drill (There is something really liberating about using power tools might I add. I am beginning to understand why guys love them so much!)

-plumbing pipes & flanges or your choice of legs (I used Hairpin legs)

Steps:

1. Sand the rough edges of the wood down. Splinters can be uncomfortable and painful. Also, sanded wood just looks neater.

2. Use drill (The screw driver is an option here as well. I just don't have that type of time or upper body strength!) to screw in the hairpin legs or plumbing flange to the wood.

3. If you are working with the pipes and flanges you'll want to screw the pipes into the flanges and then screw  in the second set of flanges which act as the feet of the table. If you used the hairpin legs, just be sure they are screwed in tight before turning the board over and placing anything on top.

That's it! Of course, you can always stain or paint the wood to fit the color palette in your room. This is a simple, fast and budget friendly way to create a table surface for your space even if you don't have vintage cabinets.