Table made from shutters

Necessity is the mother of invention

An English proverb that the Oxford Dictionary defines as, “when the need for something becomes imperative, you are forced to find ways of getting or achieving it. “

Thus my quest began for finding a small table for my reading room.  I must emphasize the word, small.  My reading room is less than 6 by 9 feet, and it has two built-in bookcases.  I have a reading chair with an ottoman in there, so there isn’t much room for anything else.

But I need a table on which I can put a cup of coffee, a pen, maybe even a small clock.  I looked around at vintage shops and on Craigslist.  My friend Sandy even gave me one that we thought might work, but to no avail.

So, I had an idea.  I’d make a table.  I started to look around at materials I had on hand.   I remembered some shutters my friend Sandy had given me a while back. After taking the shutters apart I started to create a box by screwing four of them together.  I had this in the end…

I decided to paint it gray.  I merely used wood shims glued into place for the top...

It is the perfect size for my space.  It is about 7 X 8.5 inches across the top.  And it stands about 22 inches high.

I think it turned out super cute.