Trashed Coffee Table Turned Nightstand

Of the many things I have learned from my mother-in-law, one stands out as having saved my husband and me a lot of money over the years: examine every item that you see laying by the side of the road, generally in a trash pile.  You may be required to pull over, slam on your brakes, or just do a drive by, but always, ALWAYS look; a treasure could be waiting.

I had one such find as I was getting into my car one morning in Monterey.  A neighbor was throwing away a wooden coffee table, which was missing a piece of glass in the top center, and was also quite wobbly.  I thought it could certainly be used for something, so I dragged it to our carport. It sat there for months until we packed it into a moving van, drove across the country, and moved into our new home.

My genius husband had the idea to turn it into a nightstand for the girls’ room.  Their beds flank both sides of a tall window, so it has been difficult to find a nightstand that would be just right without covering up a majority of the window.  Being the loving man that he is, he has completely tackled this project without any assistance from me!  Here is a breakdown of this project:
Paint – $8
Anchor Braces – $4
1/4 ” plywood (to fill in the missing glass hole) – $5
Total – $17, not too shabby for a nightstand.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any before pictures of this project, but trust me, it was an eyesore!

 The girls’ room has yet to be decorated so forgive me for the lack of accessories.  I can’t wait to tackle their room, but the ceilings are so high that we either need to hire a painter or rent a huge ladder; neither of which we are ready to do at this time.  For now, they at least have a nightstand.  I love the fact that I picked it up off of the side of the road.  Thanks, Mom, for teaching me this great trick of the trade!