This weeks blog entry is short and sweet. Exactly like the little Ikea stool that is the focus of this post. I always wondered about “Ikea hacks” every time I read about them on other blogs. Do they actually look that good in real life? Can you actually repurpose a filing box into a beautiful drinks table? Is it worth all the effort? I’ll be honest. The trip to Ikea to purchase this stool took the most time. Everything else was fast, simple and cheap.
I’ve always wanted a marble side table for the house. There are some beauties available online but completely out of my reach price wise. Something like the table below can cost anywhere from €150 to €500.
A few weeks ago I came across this little round table in a charity shop for a tenner, I snapped it up knowing I would find a way to make it look stylish and make space for it at home.
To be fair, t was pretty ugly and dated and some imagination was required. The legs were wobbly, one actually fell off on the walk home and I had to run back up the street to locate it. The legs needed replacing but the marble was in good condition. After a bit of googling, I saw that the Ikea Frosta stool had been used by people for lots of different uses other than a stool. I thought it might make an ideal replacement for the base of my table.
Off I went to Ikea. At only €11 it didn’t break the bank. Assembly was quick and simple and once it was put together it was really sturdy.
I wasn’t a fan of the yellow plywood colour, so like most things timber in this house, I painted it grey. My tin of Down Pipe from Farrow and Ball is like Mary Poppins’ handbag, it just keeps on giving. I gave the stool a light sand and a coat of primer. This was a tip an Instagram friend gave me. She had previously painted one without the sanding and the paint came off. Then I gave it two coats of grey.
Ignore the carpet and chip board floor – I was painting on one of the stair landings so wasn’t too focused about styling the table mid paint. I removed the marble slab from the old table and attached it to the top of the newly painted stool using No More Nails. It was a perfect fit for the stool top, approximately 2′ larger than the stool itself. Then I let it dry overnight.
The Ikea stool looks great as new legs for the table. I gave the marble top a clean and it was ready to use. After moving it around the house, I currently have the table in the living room – it is the perfect height to rest a glass of well deserved wine on after my up-cycling weekend 😆
Thanks for reading! I would love to see some of your own up-cycles. Find me on Instagram @oldvictoriannew and tag me in photos of your projects.
Have a great week.
