Posted on 6 Comments

An Upcycled Coffee Table

Living room with sewing machine base and metal door mat coffee table: Just Vintage Home

Remember this picture?

couch

No, I haven’t done anything with the sofa yet. But I think I mentioned in that blog post that the pedestal table I was using as a coffee table had fallen out of favor with me over the years. Not that anything was really wrong with the table and I was content with it for the first 5-10 years or so, but I think it’s been there in the same spot going on 20 years now. Egads!!! How can that be??? I haven’t made it a priority to find a new one and haven’t run across anything else that inspired me. However, lately, it’s been bothering me. The whole living room has. This is the “formal” living room. Formal. Ha! Nothing’s really formal at my house. We only use this room when we have a crowd of people and we do actually walk through it several times a day. There are still lots of things I want to change, but I had the table on my mind.

I’d pulled out the black cases that hold all our pictures the other day and tried stacking them.

coffeetables2 - Copy

Uh, no. Totally no. So not working.

Yesterday, as I stood at the sink washing dishes — Yes, I wash dishes by hand. Don’t use the dishwasher any more. Don’t know why I started doing that, but I find it satisfying somehow. Weird, I know. — I started thinking about what might be around here that I could use instead. I’ve got a great table top, but no base and besides, it’s too big. I’ve already measured that. I’ve got this great sewing machine base….

White sewing machine base

But what could be the top? Hey! There’s a piece of marble at the shop… but it’s at the shop, heavy and my car is in the car shop. And Ricky’s out in the truck….. wait… There’s a piece of marble on the front porch… Nope. Too small. So what……..

Oh! Oh! What about the metal door mat out back that everybody complains about being too hot when you’re barefoot? The animals won’t step on it and it kinda stays unused. I wonder?

Sewing machine base and metal door mat

Perfect!! I can’t believe it! I never have things fit together so perfectly! Yay me!

Sewing machine base and metal floor mat coffee table

Annnd a little rearranging of the other stuff….

Living room with sewing machine base and metal door mat coffee table: Just Vintage Home

Living room with sewing machine base and metal door mat coffee table: Just Vintage Home

If you’re looking to do something similar and don’t happen to have an iron door mat lying around, Amazon has several to choose from. Priced very reasonable, too. 

Like I said at the beginning, there are things that need changing besides the sofa fabric. Chair fabrics, drapes (there’s only a valance and I believe I need side panels), pictures on the left wall, and other areas you can’t see in the pictures need some work. There won’t be a rug, because our cat, sweet as she is, thinks any fabric on the floor is fair game. Her personal peepee potty.

 

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Today I’m participating in these linky parties:

 

First Monday Before and After at Thrifty Decor Chic

Between Naps On the Front Porch Metamorphosis Monday

 

6 thoughts on “An Upcycled Coffee Table

  1. That is inspired!

  2. Neat looking coffee table. If you like to paint…then you need to come by and enter my Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint GIVEAWAY…hope to ya there!!!

    Blessings,
    Linda

  3. […] made my first “official” post at the new blog, Just Vintage Home, about my new upcycled coffee table. Used to, we’d call it a make-do table. I’d love […]

  4. Oh YAY you for sure ! That really looks good. Don’t you love it when you get a plan and it works !
    (())

  5. where can I purchase a metal filigreed grate similar to this one? It doesn’t have to be in perfect shape.

    Linna Lawrence
    fauntelles@wavecable .com

    1. I actually got mine wholesale at the Atlanta Gift Mart. But I did a quick internet check and saw some on Amazon and eBay. The trick when searching is to use -rubber in the search or you’ll have to wade through all those rubber look-alikes. Other than that, I’m not sure. Likely suspects would be Home Depot, Lowe’s, World Market, Target, Pier 1, Kirkland’s…. You might get lucky and find one at a yard sale, but that could take years. Or not. There was a particular bar stool I decided I wanted/needed and found it at an estate sale that same weekend! It happens sometimes, but I sure don’t count on it. Good luck! Hope you find one quickly at a great price!

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