DIY - Nightstands
This was an interesting project. I needed some nightstands by the bed. Sound simple enough and the motivations were quite compelling. Mostly it was getting obnoxious reaching all the way to the floor to check the time in the mornings or to plug my phone in. Also, it looks good. My room will never feel whole until I finish decorating it. (Side note- I feel like my home is always in a state of WIP- work in progress- no matter how long I live there or what my budget is. That's how I feel, and I blame it on my need to be frugal and crafty.). Back to the nightstands, we were starting to feel desperate.
I started shopping around, but was having no luck. I even scoured Craigslist. I found a pair that I really, really like but the seller never responded. I want something trendy, modern, and inexpensive. The words modern and inexpensive just do not go together. It is really frustrating. Finally I gave up and moved on to a different project. I went and bought some wood for shelves to go in my office. I did not know that Home Depot or Lowes would cut the wood for me (I am an introvert, when I go shopping it is a big outing and I try not to talk to anyone. ESPECIALLY at the hardware store. It is probably me reading into it all wrong, but I feel like an idiot at the hardware store and when I ask for help I feel like they treat me like an idiot. Most of the time I do not know what anything is called or what exactly I am looking for... so I guess I could fall into the idiot category. Point being, I never leave feeling great about myself). I took my wood home thinking I could cut straight lines with my jigsaw and I couldn't. I cut up all my wood terribly, I tried sanding it, and I wanted to cry because I wasted three boards and that is not being frugal. I should have just bought the stinking shelves.
After getting over it, I started browsing online for some shelves and came across my inspiration for the nightstands. It was simple and I was confident that I could not mess it up. Bonus, I got to use my ruined wood! Jake and I don't care that it is not cut at a perfect 90 degree angle, and I honestly do not even notice that now that they are hung on the wall. The Ikea shelves (my inspo) are not that expensive, but these are cheaper so if you want to make them yourself then follow the instructions below.
MATERIALS: Wood, Screws, Finish, Stain or Paint(optional), Paintbrush, D-Ring Hooks, Anchors
INSTRUCTIONS: Cut two, equal sized pieces of wood. The length will be the width of the nightstand.
Screw the two pieces of wood together at a 90 degree angle.
Paint, stain, or finish the shelves and let them dry completely. I left mine with the natural wood color and applied a few coats of clear, glossy finish (it is what I had on hand and if I were to do it again I would use a satin finish).
Screw on 2 D-ring hooks, one on each end. Mount the shelves onto the wall. Use drywall anchors and find the stud for optimal sturdiness. These shelves are not designed to hold a lot of weight. They are mostly decoration and a great place for a few staged accessories.
I did not take pictures of the process, so if you have questions then please let me know. Share your finished projects, I would love to see them!
_Puku_