DIY Hallway Console Table

This table has been on my dream list for a year.  I wanted a table for this wall, but everything I found was too wide, making the pass-through cramped.  I finally pitched an idea to my dad- maybe we could make a table!  He was enthusiastic, and one day this past weekend, we got together and completed it!  He did all the hard parts- the math, finding out how much wood we needed, making the plan, etc.  I just stood around and played with power tools and paint.  I recorded as much of the process as I could, but this is not a step-by-step guide- mostly because I don't actually know what I was doing!  But please enjoy, and check it out, and be proud of me!  Because I am in loooooove with it.

Our makeshift work bench is a plank of wood on a kiln.  Not the flattest surface, but we do things our way.  That's kind of a theme in this family!

First step: Play with power tools!  Cut your boards!  Pretend you don't see the blatant disregard for safety precautions.  

Second step: Attach your boards.  We used wood glue first, and then made little holes with our drill, and finally nailed them together.  We mashed our nails down a little bit so we could fill it later.  This has a name, but I can't remember what it's called.  

Progress shot: This is the top of the table, upside down.  Also two of the legs, which we were using as a T-square.  Like I said, we do things our own way.

Attach the legs!  Again with the glue/drill/nails combo.  We didn't have to mess with the length of the legs at all, which made this really easy. 

Change of scenery.  We moved the whole process over to my house so we could see if I liked the height.  Spoiler alert: I did.  Then we patched the nail divots with wood putty, let that dry, and then hand sanded it all down flat.

Paint and/or stain the wood!  This paint was fun.  We have this cabinet in our living room, and it's one of my favorite things on the planet.  When choosing a color to paint this table, I wanted to get as close as possible to the cabinet.  They are on opposite sides of the room and I thought that would be a nice way to make the whole space feel more cohesive.  Plus, I really love the color.  I didn't want to take the cabinet apart to take a piece with me when buying paint.  I tried lots of things around my house, trying to match the color.  Of all the things in the world- a random candle was almost exactly the same shade.  So off I went with my candle, and home we came with some paint.  I also wanted to incorporate some of the wood color (walnut) because we have a lot of mix-matched wooden antique furniture in the living room, and once again I was going for something that would feel a part of the space and not just a random table in the hallway.

Boom!  Table is done.  To attach the bottom shelf, we used some regular little L-brackets.  We mounted the table to the wall using some command velcro strips.  I threw a couple of items up there so it doesn't feel so empty, and voila!  A completely custom piece built by me and my Dad.  It fits perfectly where I wanted it, and is the perfect width for the space.  Scott loves it too- he said that everytime he sees it he thinks, "that's a real solid table."  Score!

Now all I need is a picture for the frame, a potted plant maybe, and a floor vase of the left of the table! I also CANNOT WAIT for holiday decorating- how wonderful is it going to be to decorate this table for Halloween, Thanksgiving and... CHRISTMAS. 

Oh, and just for fun.... back when I was in the planning stages, I needed a visual/physical reference when I was trying to figure out my measurements (height/width etc).  Apparently most people will just draw it out with masking tape on their carpet.  I didn't do this, because 1) I didn't think of it and 2) I really needed it to be as close to reality as it could get.  I wanted to physically walk my body through the space and say "That doesn't feel crowded at all!"  So after a few minutes and some creative balancing skills, I came up with...

Console Table Prototype.  I don't know, I think they're very visually similar, don't you?