Elevate a Lack{ing} Side Table; Monthly Contributor Project
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Have you ever gazed at a room design for hours on end? Just waiting, watching, and hoping that the inspiration bug would bite you? I found myself in this very predicament; one week before my guest room would finally see a long term guest and the room still practically a blank slate. Pouring over photo after photo of amazing bedroom designs lead me to one real stand out consisting of a simple update – but where to begin?
Good Morning Remodelaholic-aholics!
Christina here; all the way from Designing by Numbers, a blog where I endeavor to find inspiration in other’s home designs and implement creative ideas in my own space. I come to you today to share a little story of how an inspiration shot became the catalyst for change in my guest room.
As you can see from the photo above, my hubby and I did manage to check off all the basics for the room – bed, bedding, side table, dresser, lighting (um.. no.. no window treatments though; that’s a whole other story) – although it was still lacking any sort of style. My biggest pet peeve was the puny little side table, dwarfed by a double bed and oversized dresser (yes, the ginormous dresser must go, but again, another story… wow, this room is turning out to have a wealth of stories). I believe I studied just about every guest room design available – go ahead, quiz me – when I finally discovered a real gem via House & Home:
While my inspiration was a little more feminine than I was going for, I was certain I could incorporate the elements of the design into my own scheme. So I stared, and imagined, and stared some more at this photo – when finally, something started to emerge, to catch my eye…
Something, so familiar…
A table that I’ve seen before; but from where? AH HA!
Why Ikea’s Lack table, of course! How could I have been so blind!? The budget friendly, contemporary, little Lack would be perfect for this space! Well, that is until hubby and I got to Ikea and realized what a low profile the Lack actually had (argh, just a touch too short!)…
Time to go back to the drawing board I suppose; or was it? The Lack was just slightly lacking in the height that I had hoped for (hmmm, is that why Ikea called it the Lack?), but I couldn’t get it out of my mind. It really had the look that I liked, and the space on the table top is fantastic. Then inspiration really hit me hard – if one Lack is good, two must be better!
But, how? you ask? It’s very simple really:
| 1. | Measure out your ideal height for the Lack(ing-in-height-no-more) table – hubby and I decided that 25 ¾” would be the magic number. |
| 2. | Take your second Lack and cut those little leggies down to size (tip: apply painter’s tape where you will be making your cut in order to prevent the veneer from chipping). Just don’t forget to account for the thickness of the table top on that other Lack (2”) – for us, this meant cutting the 15 ¾“ legs down to 6 ¼“. |
| 3. | Assemble the mini Lack as per Ikea’s usual pictorial instructions. |
| 4. | Grab some wood glue, or even just a glue gun, and secure the bottom legs of the normal sized Lack to the table top of your newly constructed mini Lack, and voila! |
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A stylish Lack Hack that brings your night stand to new heights – complete with a middle shelf and all the table top real estate you can dream of! Finish off the shelf with a great little basket to hide away books, magazines, or even the remote control for the TV. Add a graphic guest towel topped with a tray to corral a bedside carafe and a few accents, and don’t forget the greenery to welcome your guest. A new lamp with a more prominent profile better highlights this elevated table creation.
This is a very simple and quick project that won’t break the bank but will give you a custom piece that adds real impact to a room design. This is also a perfect example of finding an inspiration shot, choosing an element that you are drawn to, and making it work! By focusing on the side table that I really wanted I was able to pull the rest of the design inspiration together. And my guest just loves it, by the way!
What about you, what do you think of my latest creation? Have you made any innovative tweaks to any furniture recently? Do you have any budget friendly, and stylish, tips to share in updating a guest room?
I hope I have given you a bit of inspiration to try something new in your home. Thank you to my gracious hosts, Cassity and Justin, for inviting me to share my project today, and thank you all for reading. Please feel free to drop by for a visit with me at Designing by Numbers anytime.
Take care,
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( image source 1, 3, 4 and image source 5 )
 Christina is the author of the blog Designing by Numbers, where she takes inspiration from design and incorporates creative elements into her home decorating, often in an economical and hands-on way. While she is not formally trained in design, she has the passion, creativity, and motivation to work towards building the home she desires. Join Christina here at Remodelaholic for her monthly contributor spot and at Designing by Numbers for more decorating inspirations. |
Cassity Kmetzsch started Remodelaholic after graduating from Utah State University with a degree in Interior Design. Remodelaholic is the place to share her love for knocking out walls, and building everything back up again to not only add function but beauty to her home. Together with her husband Justin, they have remodeled 6 homes and are working on a seventh. She is a mother of four amazing girls. Making a house a home is her favorite hobby.
that looks amazing! you layerd it beautifully!
Brill.i.ant!!!
Oh wow, great vignette. I would love staying here.
I love this. So simple but perfect. I have a handful of Lack tables I bought for chalkboard tables I was making and they might need to be repurposed. Brilliant.
Wow! What a great hack! I would never have thought of doing that but it’s perfect. The room is fantastic, I’d love to stay there.
Great hack! Easy to do, sensible and budget friendly! Most of all, I love how she drew her inspiration from that fabulous pic, but went for a less “girly” version 🙂
This is amazing!
Love this idea! Genius! I’m thinking about doing the same for my bedroom but im curious… what did you use to cut the legs? A saw? Thanks!
Hi Nay! Thanks for the comment. The legs are just sturdy cardboard so a saw will do the trick! Just be careful and protective of the white veneer, as it’s thin and kinf of fragile.
What a great solution! It fixes the height problem AND adds the storage the original table was lacking. Definitely filing that away in the idea bank. Thanks!
Thanks for the comment, Tomi Ann!
Spectacular!
Thanks, Patti!
Great idea! I also love the wall color.
Thanks!
I was looking for a way to do exactly this and here it is! What a brilliant idea, I’m definitely doing it. Thanks for sharing this! x
This is EXACTLY what I needed in my life and actually tried it! I LOVE the finished product other than the problem I am having is, I can’t seem to get the glue to work. As in, the top table won’t stay glued to the bottom. I used wood glue. Any other thoughts besides that and hot glue?? Thank you!!
Yay for actually trying things! 🙂 I considered using a short wooden dowel (since it is IKEA after all…) and drilling a hole for the dowel to go from the leg of the top table into the tabletop of the bottom table, presuming that the dowel plus some glue would hold it more firmly… no guarantees that would work, though! If you want to ask contributor Christina, who actually built this, just click on the Designing by the Numbers link above in the post, maybe she can shed more light on the subject. Thanks, Rachel!
GENIUS! Thank you. I’m hosting a party later this week and want a high top table for mingling outside. Stacking Lacks! So smart. I’m heading to Ikea.
Great idea, Allison! We’d love to see how it turns out.