This Pricey-Looking Coffee Table Was Made With 2 Items You Might Already Have
When sisters Taylor and Lauren Williams started renting a 100-year-old Los Angeles home, their goal was to fill the space with only secondhand finds. Three years later, each storied room is full of eye-catching details, and one that won’t leave my mind is a designer-looking, hand-made, mid-century modern coffee table in the living room that only requires two surprisingly simple items.
How to Make a Designer-Looking DIY Coffee Table Using Books and Glass
Taylor and Lauren are familiar with creating their own coffee tables. For instance, the previous one they had featured a top and cinder blocks to hold it up. However, Lauren saw a TikTok video of someone using stacked books to create a coffee table, and she immediately wanted to replace theirs. (The sisters are all about swapping things out until they find the right piece. They went through five couches in three months.)
At first glance, you’d think the coffee table comes from a high-end furniture company, but upon realizing the sisters made it themselves, it becomes even more special, especially given how simple the process is. “I sourced the glass piece on it from OfferUp and drove into the Los Angeles National Forest for it (it was a great deal lol),” Taylor wrote at the time of the House Tour.
After sourcing the glass, Taylor and Lauren created four stacks of books (putting the largest and likely heaviest at the bottom) and placed the glass piece on top. Because there are four piles, evenly distributed under the bottom of the oval table, it looks sturdy enough to hold decor, especially given that items, including extra-large decorative bowls and a floral arrangement, are spread across the top.
The shape of the coffee table and the airiness of the separated book stacks give it a mid-century modern look, which pairs perfectly with the large purple rug and the leather Living Spaces sofa. With all of the soft textures and items, the living room feels like the perfect place to cuddle up with a good book. However, the book should probably be selected from somewhere other than the coffee table.
To see more of Taylor and Lauren’s home, visit the full House Tour.