DIY: A Bedside Table

I've never posted a DIY project before, not because I'm lazy and don't like DIY, but because I'm lazy and don't like taking photos mid-DIY. Today though, I've decided to break the habit, and share one of my projects with you.

A little while ago, the lovely ladies from Paper Runway Magazine interviewed me for their second issue. One of the questions asked what I have on my bedside table, and I awkwardly explained that I didn't have one, let alone anything on it. But, determined to amend the unfortunate situation, I set to work on an IKEA Frosta Stool and this is how it went.


This lovely Charley Harper-esque fabric is an IKEA treasure, and I had been eyeing it on every IKEA visit. I was literally excited beyond belief to have finally found an excuse to buy some.

Cutting the fabric down to size was possibly the most challenging part of the DIY for me, as I struggled so much to decide which section to use! I've been in a bit of a nautical phase of late though, so I chose the section with a boat and I think it suits me well.


Even though I was making a bedside table and not a seat, I decided to glue down a little bit of fibre as padding. Not so much as to make it plush, but just enough that the fabric on top wouldn't slide or gather over the wood.


Since this was just a quick project, and as there was no sewing machine at hand, the bottom of the table wasn't as neat as it could have been. You could always sew a custom slip-cover at this stage of the project. Anyway. From here, I cut the fabric into a somewhat more circular shape, with about a two border around the circle of the stool. I pleated the edges of the fabric and stuck them down with cello tape, just so it held long enough for me to nail it down with upholstery tacks. The cello tape (or washi tape if you're always all cute and crafty) was then removed.


This is what the top looked like all covered up, lovely.


Now whilst the Frosta stool comes with four legs, I decided that three would be a little nicer, a bit reminiscent of the Alvar Aalto stool that the Frosta was surely inspired by. With a protractor, I marked out new points for the legs to be screwed in, each 120 degrees apart.


Then it's just a simple process of screwing all the legs in. This is best done listening to some nice music to congratulate you for getting this far.


And, done! If only I was being interviewed about my bedside table now, I'd have so much more to say. Nonetheless, now my phone has a home at night and my room is just that little bit nicer. I'm off to do some organising now, I start a new job tomorrow!
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