Table for two – quirky upcycled DIY end tables

Our fancy new fire engine red sofa was in desperate need of some end table friends so I put on my thinking cap and headed down into our spooky basement storage room for a rummage where I discovered this beauty:

another freebie from Tante Uschi that had definitely seen better days. I lugged it upstairs and in a quick 48 hours had transformed it into these:

über cheery funky folksy end tables to keep the sofa company!

Here’s what I did – Table for two – quirky upcycled DIY end tables:

this was Tante Uschi’s turnable-tea-table – how neat is that? We would have kept it as it was but unfortunately it was just too rickety to be of any use.

First, I removed the top section & shelf (I have awesome plans for these 2 lovelies, too!).

Check out what I made from the top piece here.

Then cut the table in half.

chop, chop, chop!

Created some new legs out of some scrap wood.

Screwed them on & voila! 2 tables from 1!

Then I sanded them.

Spackled all of the holes & chips from wear & tear.

Gave them a few coats of lovely yellow paint (leftover from our kitchen).

I grabbed my €1 acrylics, gave them a folksy owl & tree (+ some Q-tip polka dots for extra fanciness) & finally four coats of varnish.

The end results are fantastically adorably perfect!

2015 Update: The tables are still looking fab and going strong!

2018 Update: The tables have moved from Germany to Canada and are still adorably fabulous!

2024 Update: The tables have now had to move house 4 times & are still awesome!

Here’s a peek at those fab tables in action in my groovy vintage DIY Berlin living room tour: