{guest blogger}: bedford project table knockoff

I'm so excited to have Beth, from Nashville Pug, guest blogging today!  Beth is totally a blogger after my own heart...she has a fantastic Pottery Barn knock off to share today! 

Hello fabulous 517 Creations readers! I'm Beth from NashvillePug, and I am oh so honored to be guest posting for y'all today! When I'm not educating the future nurses of America or chasing around my two year old daughter, you can find me doing home projects or rearranging my house! MJ made my day when she asked to feature my Pottery Barn Project Table knockoff. It's my favorite project I've completed because it gave me a HUGE craft/sewing/project space, and I saved $1000 by making it myself! Read on for the full tutorial and please stop by and visit me at NashvillePug! I would love to have you!

Pottery Barn is going to hate me...

This is the desk I wanted for my craft/work/laundry room. "The Bedford Project Table" It's from Pottery Barn, and it costs $1,099 (plus $120 shipping). Nope, not in the budget. Not even close.

It took me a quick second to realize that I had seen those cubes before in the form of the below Closetmaid Cubeicals, found at Target for $40, on sale. I could use two of those for either end, and then all it needed was a tabletop, and I would have my craft table! So, I sent Ben to Home Depot for some wood. (If you know me and my projects, sending Ben to get some of my supplies is HUGE!) I decided I wanted the table to match the PB specifications of 55 inches long x 37 inches high x 38 inches deep. The cubes are 36 inches high and 36 inches deep. He came home with 7, 2x6 boards that they cut at Home Depot to 55 inches long. The boards are actually 5.5 inches wide, but for some reason they are called 2x6. Probably to confuse people like me who would have trusted that they were 6 inches wide like it said and not bothered to actually measure.

I knew I wanted to stain the wood instead of painting it white like the PB version. I wanted the top to contrast with the white cubes. So, I picked up a can of wood conditioner and a can of stain & poly in one ($24 total). The stain color is "Mission Oak Satin". The stain plus poly is different from regular stain in that you don't wipe it off in between coats. You brush on a thin coat, let it sit for 6 hours and then apply another coat if needed. I only needed one coat, and it looked great!

Don't let the smile fool you; he HATES projects!

My staining setup in the garage. Who needs a saw horse when you have loads of paint cans?

This is my craft area before:

The desk is long, but not tall or wide enough to do my sewing projects easily. I envisioned something that would let me stand to cut fabric with lots of storage.

And after!!! I am in love with my new table! To assemble, we screwed the boards to the cubes from underneath the top shelf of the cube. That way, when we move, we can just unscrew and go. I think we're going to add some braces in between the boards underneath as well to give it more stability.

Look at that wood!

Can't wait to start using this guy at my new table!

I think it looks quite similar to the PB version! I love having all the cubes to store my craft & sewing supplies, stationery, etc. The PB version has a back on the inner sides of the cubes, but I think I'm going to leave mine open since I can grab things from either side. Now I just need to make a trip to the consignment store, also known as my parents' basement, and grab a bar stool!

 

 

Project break down:

White cubes from Target: $80

Wood from Home Depot: $20

Conditioner & Stain: $24

Project Total: $124

PB Project Table: $1,099 + $120 shipping

Savings: over $1,000!!

I made this table for the price of shipping!

What have you knocked off lately?

Isn't that awesome?!  I am trying to figure out how I can re-arrange the guest room/sewing room to include one of these fabulous work spaces.  Be sure to hop over to Beth's cute blog, Nashville Pug!