Change Over Time

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Well it’s time to finish my living room change over. Originally the room had an entertainment center, 2 coffee tables, 2 end tables, 2 couches, 2 table lamps, 2 lazy boy chairs, 1 pole lamp, 2 paintings, and various family photos. All of the hard case furniture was made by my children and me. 2 years ago my wife purchased a fireplace insert, this led to replacing the entertainment center, one of my posted old projects. The big change was the colour, going from a stained red oak to a dark cherry colour. The old entertainment center is now in my daughters living room as she helped build it. Next was a new set of couches, grey instead of blue, both have dark cherry wooden legs, one is a long 6 person chez going along one wall now. My son took the old ones for his house as he only had 1 chair in his living room. Next was changing the lazy boys to newer higher end ones. They have dark cherry wooden parts. One of each of the old ones went to each child. The end tables were added last year, I build 3 this time, with the old ones passed down to my son. The colour changed once again to a dark cherry with brushed stainless hardware, left over from a bathroom Reno. The lamps we just recieved for x-mas from our kids that match the hardware on the end tables, brushed stainless. The old lamps and end tables went to my son as well, as he helped build the tables and they go together. So now all I have left to do is the coffee tables. I need to build 2, possibly the same or close in design to each other. I want to maintain the dark cherry colour of the wood. Also I want to use tiles for the tops like I had before, because they are easy to clean and maintain, but I think they will be marble. The wifey runs a flooring store so access is easy. We have, over the years, purchased 3 paintings, Monet, and Gogaine, and only have a few photos on end tables now. We have 4 sculptures/pieces created by our children when they were young, and a 60 bottle wine rack to hold my son and wife’s home made wines.
I am looking for designs to help me decide on the build, and once picked I will post a blog as I build them! Any design ideas are welcome, but we tend to like more modern stuff, so please post some idea pics here for me. Thanks in advance.

CHRIS, Charlottetown PEI Canada. Anytime you can repurpose, reuse, or recycle, everyone wins!

18 Replies

What style do you have in mind Chris?
Maybe a picture of the current setup will help in giving suggestion. My wife has a really good taste when it comes to matching furniture and colors.
Marble is great on coffee table, especially the Italian one with nice and subtle veins.

Abbas, Castro Valley, CA

I am wide open to style but using a flat surface on the top to place tiles. And exposed hardware will be brushed stainless steel. Here is what I built for the end tables already. The lamps are all stInless.

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The couches are grey with dark cherry feet.


The 2 existing tables have porcelain tiles, but the new ones do not need to follow the same design or tile. I still have enough tile and accent tile to do only one table top, I kept for repairs if needed.


The entertainment center that has the fireplace is the colour that everything is trying to match, I made it 2 years ago after my kids bought us the 60" TV. With speakers it’s almost 10’ long.

So any help from anyone is welcome.

CHRIS, Charlottetown PEI Canada. Anytime you can repurpose, reuse, or recycle, everyone wins!

CHRIS, Charlottetown PEI Canada. Anytime you can repurpose, reuse, or recycle, everyone wins!

I was thinking since the end tables are rectangular the the coffee table should be similar.
Your choice is pretty clean and nice.
I was going to suggest this one I found yesterday:

I had the following one in my stash. I Thought it was simple and nice too.

Abbas, Castro Valley, CA

I like them both, but the glass top is a no go for my wife, she doesn’t like the glass for cleaning, she’s allergic to ammonia and bleach so the top needs to be a solid material that can just be wiped with a damp cloth or furniture polish. The top picture is very similar to an end table I use in the workshop. That design would be easy to add marble tiles to the top and a fairly easy build. So far it’s the go. I would like to see some more modern designs before the final decision. Thanks lan.

CHRIS, Charlottetown PEI Canada. Anytime you can repurpose, reuse, or recycle, everyone wins!

They both can take a marble top. Especially with Dark color legs.
The first one does match what you already have.
I think I have a couple more designs in the office.

Abbas, Castro Valley, CA

This one has some character.

Abbas, Castro Valley, CA

That’s interesting, almost like a floating top. I have to mention the sizes of marble tiles are a maximum of 13" x13".

CHRIS, Charlottetown PEI Canada. Anytime you can repurpose, reuse, or recycle, everyone wins!

Then this one is fine. the middle is supported by plywood embedded in the top frame.

Abbas, Castro Valley, CA

Come on guys and gals, send in more pics!!! I have some great ideas here but would like to see a lot more before we decide. Anything will be looked at!

CHRIS, Charlottetown PEI Canada. Anytime you can repurpose, reuse, or recycle, everyone wins!

I think some of us are a little shy Chris.

Abbas, Castro Valley, CA

I am not sure you will like this one but take a look.
I can send you the templates to route the side panels and curbed stiles. My teacher design.

Abbas, Castro Valley, CA

That one looks the easiest to make, and all solid oak. Keep em commin…

CHRIS, Charlottetown PEI Canada. Anytime you can repurpose, reuse, or recycle, everyone wins!

The end tables that goes with it.

I made the same table using ash and it also had the bottom “basket” you see on the end tables below with 5 rods going lengthwise.

Abbas, Castro Valley, CA

Those look great, i love the shape that the drawer follows. Great work.

Nicely done pieces lan.

CHRIS, Charlottetown PEI Canada. Anytime you can repurpose, reuse, or recycle, everyone wins!

I have to put this on hold for a bit. I have an older buddy that wants some furniture made. He has a number of PDW he would like to put in concealed compartments in various furniture pieces. So I have 6 pieces to design and build. They must be able to store a total of 8 weapons, and have mechanical locking mechanisms without keys. I already have the bedside tables designed, and some mill work done. I’m not going to blog the build as it may give away what we are trying to hide, but I will post the finished furniture pieces. The others will be a coffee table and 2 end tables.

CHRIS, Charlottetown PEI Canada. Anytime you can repurpose, reuse, or recycle, everyone wins!

Having completed the furniture for my friend, it’s time to bring my own coffee tables to the top of the list. The wifey has picked some marble tiles for the tops to match the newly painted house interior. The tiles are 12″×12″ but I will wait until I have them in hand to start the build. She has decided the colour, wood type, size, and general design for the tables. They will be made from oak. The colour will match the existing dark colour of our entertainment center / fireplace and end tables I already made. The size will be determined by the actual tile size but will be close to 24″ × 48″. A number of years ago I had made a table for the flooring company she ran at that time, covered in tile as well, dark green tile. It was made from white oak and stained almost the same colour as what she wants now. The design is what she wants in the new tables. The old was a standard table height 30" with 4 legs and nothing special but all the edges were rounded on the outside and squared on the inside. All the leg s and top and top skirt were flush with the marble proud of the wood a 1/16". So I have a rough idea, she has ordered the tiles, now I am going to draw the project up and start a blog on the build. The first table is still in use in a flooring store and is built to last, so these will be solid as well and I figured to let everyone follow along. The project will begin in a week or so if anyone wants to watch.

CHRIS, Charlottetown PEI Canada. Anytime you can repurpose, reuse, or recycle, everyone wins!