DIY Ikea Hack Sidetable to Elevate your Living Space

*rug tiles courtesy of Flor for this DIY project:

I seriously have yet to solve the mystery of why nightstands are so expensive. I get that they are relatively important for both hoarders and neat freaks alike, but eighty plus dollars worth for any kind of decent design is kind of crazy, let’s be real (not to mention when you have to double that number by two for the other side of the bed).

Coming from a girl on a budget, I try to be as guilt free as possible on my furniture choices without skimping on uniqueness (like this DIY project I had a few weeks ago). These Ikea hack DIY side tables that I made for my guest bedroom only cost me $35 each to make, and they’re pretty much one of a kind. I say that because I seriously doubt that anyone else has a side table in their guest room that refused to take the time to measure and mark where the legs go and they just winged it. If you happen to be one of the people that can say you’ve done that, please email me so we can be best friends.

Materials:

Ikea expedit shelving unit (shown in white, $19)
Waddell 4in. wooden table legs (Ace Hardware, $3.49 each)
Drill and drill bit

Honestly, the most time consuming part of this entire project is actually building the Ikea shelf. Not that we’re surprised, but I thought I’d go ahead and throw it out there.

Once you’re shelf is assembled, choose which side you want to be the bottom, and mark where the legs should go in all four corners. Use the drill to create holes on the markings just big enough for the legs to screw into while being snug. Twist each leg in, and you’re finished! Easy peasy.

Lastly, I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to take DIY photos with my cowhide *Flor rug tiles in them, Seriously, I’m obsessed. And for once it’s not something pink, polka dots, or stripes (although I wanted that one, too).

Check out these other awesome posts!

*rug tiles courtesy of Flor for this DIY project:

Materials:

Ikea expedit shelving unit (shown in white, $19)
Waddell 4in. wooden table legs (Ace Hardware, $3.49 each)
Drill and drill bit

Honestly, the most time consuming part of this entire project is actually building the Ikea shelf. Not that we’re surprised, but I thought I’d go ahead and throw it out there.

Check out these other awesome posts!

Comments

Becca/Ladyface Blog

08.26.13

That looks great! I love that something simple like adding different legs can make it look amazing!

-Becca
Ladyface Blog

jewel7013

08.26.13

You are so right on about the ridiculous prices for end tables and if you need two(which we all think we do) well, the dollar amount just went sky high…not only are your tables reasonably priced but beautiful with clean lines beating anything I see in the stores… love them!!!

capturedwithacamera

08.31.13

this is perfect !! thank you :) just the right amount of space for a couple of books and a pair of glasses at the end of the day!

Ryan

09.06.13

We share the same sentiments. I do not like purchasing pieces of furniture which are way overpriced based on the look and materials used. You did a great job with this piece of furniture. Not a lot of people would think about adding a leg to that shelving unit.

Helen Hung (@Helen__H)

09.11.13

Love this hack! I’ve been slowly uncovering some awesome ikea hacks and i really do love this one – top stuff!

Debbie

11.07.13

Hey class ideas, can I ask about the drill bit is is it the flat one with a spike or a regular bit?
Thanks

Ashley said:

it’s a spiraled drill bit with a pointed end, hope that helps at all!
- debbie said:
  
  Yes that perfect thank you, and the legs? some of these online stores seem very, very tres expensive for the feet/legs which kind of makes it counter-productive don’t you think or where where yours sourced?
- Ashley said:
  
  You can order them for store delivery from Ace Hardware for about $3.50 each!
- Debbie said:
  
  Yes perfect on cordless drill x
- Debbie x said:
  
  I’m in uk every where I check online want £15/20 – $30/50 so is pointless hope I find something. Similar x

Lauren Wiebe

11.24.13

LOVE IT! I’m totally doing this this weekend. Did you have to cut down the length of your legs? I’ll have to source them locally because I’m in Canada, but I’ve never done anything like this before so I have no idea! Thanks!

Canadian Candor said:

Hey Lauren, I found the same ones online at Lowe’s in Toronto. They’re listed as being 3.5 inches.
- Laurel said:
  
  I checked with my local Ace in BC and if its on the American website they’ll order it in for you.

Coco

01.13.14

This looks great!! This is one of the best IKEA hacks I’ve seen. Lauren, your bed looks nice too in the pictures, though only a little bit of it is shown. Could you do a blog post about your bed and beddings? I am looking forwards to seeing it.

Leslie B

04.18.14

This is perfect for my stepson’s room! There’s already a larger Expedit shelf on one end of the room so I could make little matching nightstands just like you did!

Tippy

04.18.14

Which shelving unit did you use? Your link only comes to the Ikea main frame. I searched ‘Shelving Units’ and didn’t see any individual ones for the $19 price. Great post followed by the headboard (really wanna make that one!). Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks for an awesome blog.

sp

05.27.14

Yes, again same question as Tippy.
Which shelving unit is this? Searching for Expedit brings up Kallax now on the Ikea site.
Anyway this can still be done? Plzzz help!

eleanorstrousers

11.19.14

I looked around and found a similar cube (without the open back) at Home Depot. I bet you could just not attach the back when you build it. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Way-Basics-zBoard-Eco-12-8-in-x-13-4-in-White-Stackable-Storage-Cube-Organizer-BS-285-340-320-WE/204401620?N=5yc1vZc899

Sim

01.31.15

can you send me the link to where you bought the shelving unit. i can not find it anywhere!

Vicky B.

05.26.15

I just moved out on my own for the first time and I was thinking of painting my current night-tables but I came across your post on Pinterest and I fell in love with this Ikea hack. Thank you for this post!

Kelt

01.05.16

Really cool design! One thing I would change though is putting the flat end on top instead of on the sides of the table. That way the top wouldn’t have any edges.