I LOVE this thrifted coffee table, for so many reasons.
A) It is red.
B) It was cheap.
Those two are enough to make this girl happy. =) But there are more..........
Early last summer, I found this coffee table, which used to not be a coffee table, at a yard sale for $10. It was actually counter height and was the perfect thing because at the time we had no kitchen cabinets or counters. Okay, so I had an old door turned on it's side for a counter, but that doesn't really count! For the next 5 months, it served as my counterspace. And the bottom shelf?? It was supposed to hold baskets for food, but you can see what it was really used for! =)
When the time finally came in late November to put in the kitchen cabinets, I knew we had to do something with my beloved. I obviously didn't need it for counter space anymore but I didn't want to get rid of it either.
Finally it dawned on me that if we cut the legs off and moved up the shelf it could be our coffee table! I was so excited that I called my husband at work and told him my idea, which he deemed as "brilliant." (I feel so special when he does that. When you are married to a brain like him, it's nice to be "brilliant" every once in a while. )
Finally it dawned on me that if we cut the legs off and moved up the shelf it could be our coffee table! I was so excited that I called my husband at work and told him my idea, which he deemed as "brilliant." (I feel so special when he does that. When you are married to a brain like him, it's nice to be "brilliant" every once in a while. )
My former counter-now-coffee table moved from the kitchen to the living room and was instantly loved there. It was a great addition and really pulled the space together.
But it was soon to become "not your average coffee table."
But it was soon to become "not your average coffee table."
Fast forward to Christmas time. We have not owned a television in 3 years and really liked it that way. But with the kids having some supplemental DVD's for home school that they need to watch, we knew it would be nice to have one again. My husband and I were set on one thing though...we DID NOT want our television to be seen. Turns out were given a TV as a gift for Christmas. Now we had to come up with a solution! Our television is not used that often, but we we still wanted it to be convenient. The idea of having to lug it out of a closet each time was not something we liked!
And then my amazing husband had an amazing idea. The picture speaks for itself.
This has seriously been the most awesome solution ever! We just unwind the TV cord, plug it into an extension cord that hides underneath our couch and "Voila!" it's ready to use. Seriously takes less than 60 seconds to set up. (We don't have cable so we don't have to worry about hiding that extra cord.) It works great and now all we have to do to get the TV out of the way is shut the lid. Perfect!
*Update....very soon we'll be posting a 1 year review of our coffee table and a tutorial! Stay tuned!*
Just curious, would you want your TV hidden? If you already hide it, what solution did you come up with?
Just curious, would you want your TV hidden? If you already hide it, what solution did you come up with?
That is awsome Laine. Great idea!!!
ReplyDeleteI DO LOVE IT! So very much - we used to have a little TV in an antique cabinet and it stayed out of site in the living room - but then we got a flat screen and it didn't fit - I was still toying with the idea of hanging it on the wall and covering it with a picture on hinges - but I like your idea so much better - I can't wait to show it to the man...THANKS!
ReplyDeleteOooh! I like the red table too!
ReplyDeleteDISCLAIMER: The views expressed by the author of this blog post are not shared by her husband or the rest of the world, for that matter. This applies particularly to the reference to said husband as a "brain." Perhaps in the sense of a deranged lab rat with a skinny sidekick he might be considered a "Brain." That, however, is the only allusion that is plausible.
ReplyDeleteLove everything you love about the table, Laine.
ReplyDeleteSteven, are you saying you're a lame brain? I think now!
I LOVE IT and totally need one too. Why don't you shop for me at your next Yard Sale. I think you scored!
ReplyDelete-shannonbone
I came over from The Vaugn's blog. I love, love, love this table!
ReplyDeleteNo way! That's seriously brilliant!
ReplyDeleteOkay, this is amaaaazing. Yes, I LOVE it. :)
ReplyDeletethis is such a great idea!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right your husband is a brain. And very, very funny, too.
ReplyDeleteBut the credit still goes to you for being creative, and for doing such a good job. Looks beautiful.
I came over from Nester's party.
Wow, I loved the table from the initial picture, but when I saw how you hid the tv inside, I was speechless. Great job and great color choice. What shade of red is this? Stopping in from the Nesters party, hope you stop by my blog and say hi.
ReplyDeletewww.timetobeefocuesd.blogspot.com
I LOVE this idea but what did you do with the wires?!
ReplyDeleteChes,
ReplyDeleteThe table was this color when I bought it at the yard sale. The yard sale was at the home of a local custom cabinet maker so it was a custom finish with red adn some black glazing. Wish I knew what the color was myself because I love it!
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThis flat screen has a built in DVD player so now wires are needed for that. The TV electrical cord winds around the wall mount it is on. When we want to use it, we just unwind the cord, pull the drop cord out from under the couch and plug it in. After many months of use, we still love it and it just takes seconds to set up.
I'm curious about the wires too. Do you just attach the plug when it's in use, and detach when you close it? We are thinking about getting rid of cable, after many small steps of downgrading service, so soon that cord could be eliminated. But we'd still need the power cords for the TV and DVD.... you've got my brain going this morning! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh, I see your answer above now! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAmazing idea. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteOh my Gosh that is the best idea yet.. I absolutely love it. I want one. :)
ReplyDeletethis is awesome!
ReplyDeletevery cool! LOVE the color, almost want to paint our new coffeetable red now...
ReplyDeleteSmart solution. I'd love to do this in my bedroom. I guess I'll be on the lookout for a table that will work.
ReplyDeleteMy brilliant husband had only one suggestion to make your perfect coffee table even more perfect: He said if you could find a way to make the drawer face flip down to hold the remote controls, that would make it even better. And it is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWow, Wow, Wow! This is incredible love the idea and am in love with the TV not being the centre of attention. The family should be in my opinion. Love it.
ReplyDeleteAwesome idea!!!!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant idea! I can't believe you found that at a garage sale. I love a hidden t.v. and you even had room for videos in there!
ReplyDeleteMegan
http://1funkywoman.blogspot.com
I'm here via The Nester's Yard Sale Linky party. Wow, what a great find! I love how you transformed it into a coffee table/TV stand! I'm your newest follower. I'm a pastor's wife as well. I'd love to have you visit my blog as well. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteIf you are wondering about the jump in comments it is cos some lovely person Pinned a photo on Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/pin/41584754/
ReplyDeleteThis is MUCH the best idea for a solution to the One Eyed Monster in the lounge I have ever seen. I have a lovely computer cupboard that nicely hides my little telly when the doors are closed - but it is still a big cupboard in my lounge. This is wonderful - well done that husband!!!
Cheers from Jasmine in Oz
That is a BRILLIANT idea! :) Love it!
ReplyDeleteThis is THE coolest thing I think I've seen! I absolutely love it!! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletewww.freestylinbeth.com
That is BRILLIANT!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I'm thinking it would work with the cedar/hope chest we have under our front window. Thanks for the inspiration : )
ReplyDeleteAmazing. My wife and I are going to steal this idea! A cool table AND a way to have a TV hidden for the rare moments we might actually watch it. We definitely don't want the TV to be the center of everything as per the norm. Thanks for the great inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThis looks really great! A perfect way to hide the tv!! Awesome job:)
ReplyDeleteI wanted to stop by and let you know that I'm featuring it on Friday's Fabulous Furniture Finds today! If you have a minute please stop by and check it out!
http://chase-thestar.blogspot.com/2012/05/fridays-fabulous-furniture-finds-4.html
Blessings! Barbara @ Chase the Star
This is a terrific idea and might be just the thing in a bedroom where you don't want a TV to dominate the decor. I can envision using a couple of chairs and an old steamer trunk to create seating area that holds a hidden TV for late night viewing.
ReplyDeleteJust in case anyone has concerns about positioning the TV horizontal:
Many moons ago, I was cautioned by a Best Buy saleskid that flat panel TVs shouldn't be laid horizontal for transport. He claimed it would cause dead pixel problems. After a fair bit of reading,I found this claim to be sketchy at best. The consensus is that it may pose some slight risk to plasma TVs, but horizontal orientation bears no risk whatsoever to LCD TV. In fact, many of the owners manuals on a wide variety of flat panel TVs instruct you to lay the screen face down to install the stand.
This is a terrific idea and might be just the thing in a bedroom where you don't want a TV to dominate the decor. I can envision using a couple of chairs and an old steamer trunk to create seating area that holds a hidden TV for late night viewing.
ReplyDeleteJust in case anyone has concerns about positioning the TV horizontal:
Many moons ago, I was cautioned by a Best Buy saleskid that flat panel TVs shouldn't be laid horizontal for transport. He claimed it would cause dead pixel problems. After a fair bit of reading,I found this claim to be sketchy at best. The consensus is that it may pose some slight risk to plasma TVs, but horizontal orientation bears no risk whatsoever to LCD TV. In fact, many of the owners manuals on a wide variety of flat panel TVs instruct you to lay the screen face down to install the stand.
Clever pants, clever pants!
ReplyDeletePlease post the tutorial for this!
ReplyDeleteHear hear!
DeleteSo awesome! We do not want a big tv sitting around either! It is such a peaceful home without that big noise box blabbing all the time! :-) We use our laptop to watch dvd's on, and then put it away afterwards. A bigger screen would be nice, and a place to hideaway like your idea!
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful!!! I love it~!! Totally inspired me to make a version!! GREAT JOB!! So glad I found your blog~!~
ReplyDeleteI have an armoir that I put my TV in. When we want to watch it, we just open the doors. It holds our DVD player and our game system as well as all our disks.
ReplyDelete