Hey guys!! Remember our buddy Adam who built that amazing boat-themed kids’ room? Well, he & Leif worked together to create one of our latest DIY projects, and I am SO excited to share it with you today! Y’all ready for this??
We live in a tiny house. To save space, we usually just eat at our kitchen island. It’s perfect for two people day-to-day, but we really don’t have an area where we can entertain guests. Soooo, we took a trip to Ikea in search of design ideas, and we found our inspiration! They had a dining table that folded away after being used, and it also had storage — brilliant! We would have purchased it on the spot, but we wanted something a little bit bigger & sturdier, so we decided to build one ourselves. Check it out!
I love it SO much!
When we’re not using it, it folds down to the size of a small dresser, and the built-in storage drawers are always accessible.
It has two drawers on each side, and the support legs just slide into channels under the tabletop. (The Ikea table had legs that swung out, but we needed stronger support since our table is much heavier!)
Now we have a beautiful table that seats six, folds away in a jiffy, and adds extra storage space to our home! Dinner party, anyone?
Oh, and in case you’re not in the mood to DIY this, you can find the Ikea version here.
I am so, SO proud of my hubby (and Adam!) for this amazing project — great job, guys!! I think our next step will involve figuring out a seating solution & decorating our new table!
Have you ever lived in a small space? What are your solutions for entertaining groups in a small home?
From one of two that moved it in the house – it’s WELL built!
Haha, yes it is! Thanks, D!
I like your DIY version SO much more than the Ikea version! I’ve never built anything but if I could, I would love to build this exact table
Good job!
Wow, thank you so much!!
Wow, this is awesome, they did a great job! I wish my husband was as handy as your, but he can barely hang a shelf on the wall…
Aww, thanks!! We are not the most handy folks in the world, but we’re learning! (And we are very lucky to have friends with amazing skills, too!)
This is amazing! Would your husband be willing to share a tutorial as to how he made it? I would love to make something just like this.
Thanks so much! This was his first woodworking project, so he didn’t take a lot of photos of the actual process (there was a lot of troubleshooting and “creative engineering” involved, cough, cough!). You can look at the actual table we based our design from if you go to the Ikea link at the end of this blog post, though. I hope that helps! Hopefully we will be able to write actual tutorials in the future!
Is there any way I might be able to get a look at the underside of the table when the leg is folded out? I’m going to try to get my brother to make this for me.
Also, what kind of wood did he use?
The base is poplar & the top is maple (it matches our floors — love it!)
Sure thing! I’ll post it in the comments when I have ‘em!
Hey Kelly, I just published an update w/ more details about the table & photos of the underside. I hope your project works out — we love this table!! Here’s the link: Dining Room Details.
Would you be able to tell me your measurements and what materials ya’ll used? My husband owns his own construction business and we currently live in a small 1 bedroom apartment but in a really nice complex. So we could definitely use one of these. Especially with a baby on the way. He’s quite handy when it comes to building but he would need to know what measurements cause that size looks perfect! I’d really appreciate it, thanks so much!!! Also, this is the most amazing table I have ever seen. I might make him make two so I can use one as a desk! I’m in school and his personal accountant so I could definitely use the space to work on!
Sure thing! Which measurements do you need? If you give me a list, I will do my best to get you the details!
Measurement of storage (length, width and height), sizes of wood for tabletop and list of other parts used. Thanks I really appreciate it!!!
Ok, will do!
Hi Casey, I love the table and would love to make it. Is it possible to forward me the same info Jennefer Nary asked for? Thanks a bunch!
Sure thing! I will ask my hubby about it this weekend
Ok, I’m giving this my best shot:
31.5″ height (includes base & tabletop)
Base is 12.75″ wide across sides w/ drawers & 35″ end-to-end
Tabletop:
Center is 38″ x 16″
Fold-down sides are 38″ x 29″
Drawer fronts are 9.5″ x 9.5″
Drawers are 8.5″ deep, 8.5″ wide, and 12.5″ long
They used maple for the top & drawers, poplar for the base. It was rough lumber that they milled down themselves, but it looks like the boards for the table top are about 36″x 7.5″ (they used 1″x 1″ inch trim along the long sides).
The top was attached to the base using wood glue. The base was painted using Rustoleum spray paint in white. The hinges for the folding tabletops are 29.5″ long.
I hope that helps!
Thank you sooo much! Hopefully my husband will find the time to get started on this for me.
You are so lucky!
Aww, thanks! Good luck! I would love to see how it looks when you guys are finished!